Air Pollution Talk

Most of us leave window well shut and insulated throughout the winter. If you live in a cold climate, you probably have all your windows closed tight from early October until Easter. Now it’s a good time to let them open. If you’re doing spring cleaning and dusting, be sure to turn off the heat and let air in. The indoor air is much more polluted than you think. That’s why we often suffer from allergies and not knowing why. If someone in your household smokes, it’d make it even worse.

Select a good weather weekend, and open all the windows. Mop the floors and vacuum the carpets. If you have area rugs, vacuum them as often as possible. Some area rugs and runners need to professionally cleaned. If they’re beyond cleaning, throw them out.

It is true that if each of us does something, it’ll make a difference in reducing outdoor air pollution. But what are the tangible and concrete things we can do? We all know that motor vehicles and power plants that burn fossil fuels are major sources of air pollution. They also release greenhouse gases that lead to climate change. However, there are things we can do every hour to use less energy and reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases. Besides, many of these steps can also save you money. First of all, replace all your lights bulbs at home to energy saving bulbs.

Number 2 is to turn off lights, computers, TVs, and appliances when they’re not in use. Number 3, get the whole family to reuse and recycle to conserve raw materials and energy. Number 6, next time when you need to replace your appliances, buy ENERGY STAR appliances. Or buy them now if you can afford to replacing them. Number 7, buy a vehicle with good fuel economy and low emissions.

Last, but not least, drive less. Walk, walk, and walk. Get the whole family to walk if you can. Carpool, walk, bike, or use public transportation if you can. Combine errands together.

Source: Office on Women’s Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health

If you ever wonder whether the outdoor pollution come from, there are many sources and you can be exposed to them without noticing. It is very difficult to void them living in today’s society. These outdoor air pollutions sources include emissions from cars and trucks, power plants that burn fossil fuels, and factories and forest fires, to name a few. Unless you lock yourself up in the house 24/7, it’s inevitable that you can expose yourself to outdoor pollutions.

The best way to void these pollutants is to limit your outdoor physical activities. If you live in a heavily polluted area, try not to run, jog, or walk with small children outdoors. Because physical activity in polluted areas can cause you and your children to inhale more pollutants into your lungs, particularly if you have asthma. Check the weather station often, don’t go out if it’s windy.

To find out about the level of outdoor air pollution in your community, you can check the daily Air Quality Index (AQI). The AQI is a measure of five pollutants: ozone (OH-zohn), particle pollution, sulfur dioxide (SUHL-fur deye-OKS-eyed), nitrogen oxide (NEYE-troh-jen OKS-eyed), and carbon monoxide (kar-bun moh-NOKS-eyed). Many newspaper, radio, and television weather forecasts also include the AQI. Learn more about the AQI, see color-coded air quality maps, and find your local AQI online at www.airnow.gov.

When the levels of air pollution are high, you can protect yourself and your family by limiting outdoor physical activity. This is because physical activity can cause you to take faster, deeper breaths, inhaling more pollutants into your lungs.

Source: Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Stay inside with the windows closed on high pollen days, if possible.

Use your air conditioner to help filter the air coming into the home. Central air systems are the best.

Remove indoor plants if they irritate or produce symptoms for you or your family.

Source: EPA

The cause of global warming is all around us. Your car, your garbage, even the lights you use to light your home can add to global warming, scary isn’t it? Well I have a tip to help lower your impact on the earth and your wallet.

Use your car less, I know this is a simple tip but most people don’t understand. Cars affect the environment a lot, so next time you need to use it, think, can I just walk to the place I’m going? Can I use public transportation to get there? Most people now days are so reliant on their autos that they can’t go anywhere without them, even if it’s only a couple blocks. This tip both saves you money, time, and even saves your waistline from getting out of control.

You can also help out by recycling your garbage. A lot of cities have recycling programs that can reduce your waste that goes to the landfill, just use them. If you want to make some cash on top of it, take your metals to a scrap yard. It might not be a lot but it might pay for something you need. Also please do not toss electronics in the trash; it can contaminate your earth. Take it to a place that will dispose of it correctly. Switch all your lights to CFL lighting, it saves you money by lowering your electric bill, uses less power, and helps put less carbon into the air. They might seem expensive at first but in the long run they save a lot. So that’s my tips for today.

Since there is no known safe level of radon, there can always be some risk. But the risk can be reduced by lowering the radon level in your home.

There are several proven methods to reduce radon in your home, but the one primarily used is a vent pipe system and fan, which pulls radon from beneath the house and vents it to the outside.  This system, known as a soil suction radon reduction system, does not require major changes to your home.  Sealing foundation cracks and other openings makes this kind of system more effective and cost-efficient.  Similar systems can also be installed in houses with crawl spaces. Radon contractors can use other methods that may also work in your home. The right system depends on the design of your home and other factors.

The cost of reducing radon in your home depends on how your home was built and the extent of the radon problem. Most homes can be fixed for about the same cost as other common home repairs. The cost to fix can vary widely; consult with your state radon office or get one or more estimates from qualified mitigators. The cost is much less if a passive system was installed during construction.

Radon and Home Renovations

If you are planning any major structural renovation, such as converting an unfinished basement area into living space, it is especially important to test the area for radon before you begin the renovation. If your test results indicate a radon problem, radon-resistant techniques can be inexpensively included as part of the renovation. Because major renovations can change the level of radon in any home, always test again after work is completed.

Lowering high radon levels requires technical knowledge and special skills. You should use a contractor who is trained to fix radon problems.  A qualified contractor can study the radon problem in your home and help you pick the right treatment method.

Check with your state radon office for names of qualified or state certified radon contractors in your area.  You can also contact private radon proficiency programs for lists of privately certified radon professionals in your area.  Picking someone to fix your radon problem is much like choosing a contractor for other home repairs – you may want to get references and more than one estimate.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html#howdoes

Radon reduction systems work and they are not too costly.  Some radon reduction systems can reduce radon levels in your home by up to 99%.  Even very high levels can be reduced to acceptable levels.

New homes can be built with radon-resistant features.

Radon-resistant construction techniques can be effective in preventing radon entry. When installed properly and completely, these simple and inexpensive techniques can help reduce indoor radon levels in homes. In addition, installing them at the time of construction makes it easier and less expensive to reduce radon levels further if these passive techniques don’t reduce radon levels to below 4 pCi/L. Every new home should be tested after occupancy, even if it was built radon-resistant. If radon levels are still in excess of 4 pCi/L, the passive system should be activated by having a qualified mitigator install a vent fan.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html

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