Why does indoor air make you sick?

You can blame daycare, coworkers, or kids who don't wash your hands for your family's illness, but there's a more likely culprit.

We often think of air pollution as car exhaust, factory smoke and smog, but the air your family breathes while sleeping, eating, and relaxing in front of the TV is far from pure.

Indoor air is full of harmful chemicals and allergens that can sting your eyes, trigger asthma attacks and cause headaches. Over time, toxins in the air can disrupt hormones, damage vital organs, and can even lead to cancer.

But pollution isn't the only problem lurking in the air. Houses that are too dry are also a potential health hazard. Along with causing chapped skin, nosebleeds, and increased risk of dehydration, too-dry air makes flu outbreaks more likely, making us more susceptible to infection.

Conversely, air that is too humid encourages mold to grow and attracts dust mites, creating a whole new set of health problems.

Whether polluted, too dry or too humid, imperfect indoor air has the potential to make your family sick.

Here are some practical solutions to keep your family safe from illness both now and in the future.

Breathing indoor air can also cause respiratory illnesses. Photo: Freepik

Pollution and allergens in the home

Josh Jacobs, director of environmental laws and standards, at UL (USA), said that indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air. We seal buildings, control ventilation rates so anything we add inside like drywall, flooring, furniture, paint, electronics can emit VOCs (organic compounds). volatile organic matter), which does not dissipate in the indoor environment.

VOCs include about 13,000 harmful chemicals, such as formaldehyde, aldehydes, benzene and toluene, found in household products and man-made building materials. In fact, Jacobs says that only items made entirely of steel, glass, concrete or stone don't emit VOCs, the gases we breathe.

Along with irritating the eyes, nose, and throat, these toxic chemicals can worsen asthma symptoms and cause dizziness, nausea, headaches, skin rashes, and fatigue. Prolonged exposure can damage the kidneys, liver or central nervous system and potentially cause cancer.

VOCs emit a lot outdoors, but can escape, while if released indoors, they will be trapped. "Imagine it like red dye. If you drop a drop in the ocean, it will dissipate quickly, but if you put a drop in a tank, the water will turn pink, even bright red," Jacobs said.

Besides VOC pollution, indoor air can also be contaminated with allergens like pet dander, dust mites, mold, or even pollen. Along with being suspended in the air, these pollutants accumulate in house dust. Furthermore, everyday activities like cooking on gas stoves and scrubbing kitchen floors release gases that can cause health problems when inhaled.

How to fix

You'll never completely eliminate VOC emissions, but there's much you can do to reduce your family's exposure, starting with the types of products you bring in.

When shopping for paint, furniture, countertops, drywall, mattresses, bedding, window treatments, and many other home improvement needs, look for low VOC certification.

Similarly, look for carpeting, flooring, and cleaning products, as well as paper products, electronics, office equipment, etc., that are low in VOCs.

To reduce the VOC threat from household items you own, open windows as much as possible to circulate outdoor air into your home.

If you have a cooling and heating system, use filters designed to remove small particles and change it frequently; This will also help reduce airborne allergens.

It's a good idea to purchase a standalone air purifier, which won't do much for VOCs but can capture allergens, dust, and other particles, so the filter should be changed frequently.

Also, vacuum, sweep, and dust the entire house regularly to remove all allergens and other nasty things from the floors, furniture, and electronics.

If you have a gas stove with a range hood, use it whenever you're cooking and leave it on for a few minutes after you're done cooking. Research shows they significantly limit pollutants that are pushed into the air.