Top 5 Indoor Air Pollution Causes, Effects and a Solution?

In the U.S., Chronic lower respiratory diseases were ranked 4th in the cause of deaths, according to National Vital Statistics System – Mortality Data (2019) via Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Wonder).

So, maybe it’s time to take indoor air pollution causes and its effects seriously?

What are indoor air pollution causes? (Particularly in home air pollution.)

• What your home, office or building is constructed from:
  VOCs (volatile organic compounds), chemical vapours, dust and other airborne particulate may pollute your indoor air, coming from the materials that your building is made of.
  
  Depending on the age of the building and the regulations regarding its construction, indoor air pollution causes can include: asbestos and fiberglass (from insulation), formaldehyde, chemical vapours and VOCs (from paints, adhesives, varnishes, flooring etc.) … even dust and airborne particulates from ceiling tiles, plasterboard, old wooden beams and masonry can pollute indoor air and lead to health issues.
  
  
• What’s in your home (or office):
  Similarly, the furnishings such as carpets, wallpaper, upholstery, compressed wood products and other household contents can release VOCs, vapours and particulate into the indoor air, especially as they degrade, … there can also be fluff and fibers from clothing, blankets and linen.
  
  And what about Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Dioxide and Sulfur Dioxide from various sources such as: central heating, gas or coal fires, kerosene heaters; or smells and fumes released from items too close to electrical heating or radiators … even poorly maintained air conditioning systems can effect air quality.
  
  If you work in an office, then there’s potential for VOCs and fumes from printers, photocopiers, and even marker pens etc.
  
  
• What you do in your home:
  Oil, smoke and other vapours from cooking can be a major cause of indoor air pollution, not to mention smoke from cigarettes etc. And what about chemical vapours from household cleaning products (disinfectants, bleaches, clothes washing powders and softeners etc.), insect repellants, ‘nice-smelling’ odours from air-freshners, perfumes and deodorizers / aerosols, and airborne particulates from talcum and other powders?
  
  
• Outdoor air pollution that enters your home, office or building:
  Vehicle fumes and air pollutants from factories, smoke and particulate from field-burning and bonfires, pesticides, pollen, dust from dry fields and even things like Raedon from natural ground sources or other gaseous emissions from man-made dumps. (Although air entering from outside contributes less to in home air pollution, it can still cause health issues.)

And there are indoor air pollution causes that are far more ‘natural’ and perhaps easy to miss…

• Biological air pollution – us, our pets, our plants, food and waste products:
  Shedding skin cells, hair and fur, food and waste products degrading in our rubbish bins, mildew, mold, viruses, bacteria, microscopic dust mites and even water vapour (humidity) can pollute our indoor air to the extent that it may adversely affect our health.

The list of indoor air pollutants seems endless…

What about atmospheric particulate matter? (PM2.5)
In addition to all the air pollutants previously mentioned, there are particles that can be even more harmful. Atmospheric particulate matter of less than 2.5 microns, referred to as PM2.5, are particles so small that they can bypass the nose and throat, penetrating the lungs and can even end up in your circulatory system.

Originating from various sources of pollution, such as power plants, motor vehicles, factories, field fires and dust storms etc., these ‘fine particles’ have been linked to premature death from heart and lung disease, stroke and heart attack, elevated risk of lung cancer mortality, and causing / worsening asthma, bronchitis and other chronic respiratory diseases. These particles may even interact with other gases forming secondary particles such as sulfuric acid for example!

So, what are some effects of indoor air pollution?

Hay-fever and other allergies, sore throat, irritated nose, itching eyes, skin irritation, congestion, coughing, nausea, headaches, colds, influenzas, breathing difficulties, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema and other respiratory infections / diseases or lung damage, and as mentioned above and in the opening paragraph … worse!

Again, the list of potential effects seems endless … but the bottom-line is ill-heath in some form or another!

Is there a simple and cost-effective solution to indoor air pollution?

Perhaps it’s best to work on removing the indoor air pollution causes, but you may also have the means to a solution for cleaner, healthier air already: your home or office air conditioner, air vent, air intake, cooker hood and more, fitted with our E-Carbon Fabric Air Purifying Filters.

Not just home and office air conditioners:
Dust and other airborne particles / pollutants can continually build up within air conditioning units, on the cooling fins and normal plastic filters. These deposits can form a breeding ground for bacteria which, along with the particles, get re-circulated into the environment – your environment – your home or office!

How to use your air conditioner as an air purifier:
Standard air purifiers and filters may not be sufficient, especially with finer particles and viruses; they also tend to clog, lessening the effectiveness of the purification process, or become ineffective in themselves, once they’ve been used and washed a few times. Fit our E-Carbon Fabric (ECF) air purification filters; they’re low cost, easy to install, washable, long-lasting and, more importantly, very efficient at removing harmful pollutants, including bacteria and viruses.

References and source materials
CDC Wonder:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention