by Susan Trost

 

Indoor air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities. People spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. [1] The amount of chemicals in our homes are mind boggling. Think of household products (solvents, insecticides, herbicides, cleanser, and disinfectants), construction and furniture materials (lead, formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, adhesives, finishes, and paint), carpets, clothing and bedding (dust, fibers, odors, dry cleaning and preservative chemicals), heating/air conditioning (pollen, mold spores, pet hair/dander, air pollutants from the outside) and your bathroom (sewer gas and mildew). Respiratory illness is the leading cause of hospital admissions.

The Environmental Protection Agency lists poor indoor air quality as the fourth largest environmental threat to our country.[2] Childhood asthmas have increased by 400% in recent years and cancer is the leading cause of death in children ages 5-9. Unfortunately, there are thousands of new chemicals introduced to our environment each year and only a small percentage have even been tested for carcinogenic properties. Health effects may show up either years after exposure has occurred or only after long or repeated periods of exposure. These effects, which include some respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer, can be severely debilitating or fatal.[3]

You could spend months digging through the information on the American Lung Association website (www.lungusa.org) and it would be worth you time. However, here are some basic controllable ways to minimize some of the toxins and decrease the toxic load on your body. My next article will show you how to comparison shop air filtration systems.

Household Cleaning products: Some of the top offenders include air fresheners, carpet cleaners, dishwasher detergents (concentrated chlorine vented into the air), drain cleaners, furniture polish, oven cleaners, antibacterial cleaners/soaps and pesticides. Rather than buying these, mix up your own cleaning products using baking soda, white vinegar, lemon juice and phosphate. Another method is to use water vapor for cleaning. If you don't want to make your own cleaners, shop for non-toxic cleaning products, but be careful. Labeling and advertising claims can be misleading.

Create a No Shoes policy: Take your shoes off at the door to avoid tracking in all sorts of chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides, lead, chemicals, etc.) on your shoes. These chemicals are difficult to clean up, especially when they get on carpets.

Check your Gas Appliances: Install a carbon monoxide detector in your kitchen and have your appliances checked regularly for problems.

Get Natural Air Filters - Houseplants!: Simple houseplants can remove some chemicals, pollutants (carbon monoxide and formaldehyde) and toxins. Figure about 15-18 houseplants per 1800 sq foot house. Bamboo, palm, orchids, aloe vera, elephant ear philodendron, English ivy, fichus and spider plants are some of the best natural air filters. However, plants will not solve all the indoor air pollution problems.[4]

Replace your furnace filters and clean all exhaust fans regularly. Choose high efficiency filters. Run the fan on your furnace to keep air circulating through the filter and the house.

Painting? Shop smarter for paints that have reduced or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Remodeling? Go green with your building products that emit fewer toxins, formaldehyde-free and are environmentally friendly. Learn more at www.healthhome.org.

Carpet? Minimize the carpet in your home. Not only does it trap dirt, pollutants and toxins, generally it is cleaned with toxic chemicals as well. For new carpet, talk to the retailer about carpets and adhesives that emit fewer volatile organic compounds. Unroll and air out any new carpet for a few days prior to installing. Ventilate the house well for several days after installation.

New car smell? Most people love the new car smell, but it is the result of numerous volatile organic compounds from glues, paints, vinyl and plastics. Keep the windows open in the garage to help air it out.

These tips only touch the tip of the iceberg on how to improve indoor air quality. You never take a break from breathing and it has been proven that the quality of the air impacts your overall health. Watch for the second article focusing on what to look for in an air filtration unit and how to comparison shop.

More information on ways to reduce all kinds of environmental toxins is available at www.livinghealthiernow.com.