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.

Did you know that most people spend about 90 percent of their time indoors. Whether you’re at work, at home, shopping, or eating. Therefore, indoor air pollution is as great a concern as outdoor air pollution. Indoor air pollution is cause by many factors.

Some of the sources include: gases from oil, gas, or even wood for heating and cooking; cigarette smoking; building materials, such as asbestos insulation and products made from pressed wood; outdoor pollution that come indoors such as radon; cleaning supplies’ chemicals; hair spray and nail polish remover; molds and mildew and pet dander. Any time that your home lacks air circulation, pollutants increase inside your home.

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