Breathing Indoors Is Harder Than You Think

Most people understand the dangers of smog and air pollution especially in the larger populated areas, where on many days of the year you can see a brown cloud of smog hovering over the city. Smog alerts on the news and common sense tells us that polluted air is unsafe to breathe. And on days when it is particularly bad, your local news station may even recommend staying indoors as much as possible, to reduce the risk to your health.

But is that really any safer? What if we're still inhaling invisible contaminants inside our homes without even knowing it?

Indoor Air Quality

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, levels of air pollutants inside homes and offices in the United States can be two to five times greater than outside, even in some of our most polluted cities. When you consider how we keep our houses buttoned up during the cold winter months and the hot summer months and many people spending up to 90% of the day indoors, we should have an entirely new appreciation for the term "fresh air."

Indoor air quality doesn't have to be seen to be believed. In fact, many airborne contaminants are invisible-spores, bacteria, particulates, gases and chemicals can all contribute to short and long-term health consequences, including headache, allergies, fatigue, asthma or even cancer.

One of the common misperceptions about indoor air quality is that problems only occur with older construction, complete with lead paint and asbestos-containing insulation. New homes, however, have great potential for poor indoor air quality, primarily due to volatile organic compound (VOC) accumulation.

Many common building materials, finishing compounds and furniture products utilize chemicals that gradually and constantly release VOCs. Sealants, adhesives, caulk, painting supplies, stains, insulations, vinyl flooring, wallpaper, carpeting and engineered wood products (such as plywood, particle board, laminate and OSB) are among the major culprits when it comes to harmful VOC emissions.

Believe it or not, today's "tight" or leak-free, energy efficient homes can actually add to the problem of poor indoor air quality. Without a consistent air exchange from inside to out, toxins, such as VOCs, are trapped inside a climate-controlled home only to accumulate at dangerous levels. Experts recommend ventilating indoor spaces at least daily, either by opening windows and doors or by mechanical means, such as a vent fan.

What Can You Do?

Whether you're living in a new home or not, there are a number of ways to mitigate unsafe VOC accumulation in your home.

If you haven't yet completed construction, ask your contractor about substituting safer alternatives in place of VOC-emitting building materials.

Install an energy efficient ventilator to guarantee a continuous supply of fresh air throughout your home.

Ensure that all combustion appliances, stoves, bathrooms and kitchens are vented to the outside.

Carefully read labels and understand the chemical content of products that you use in the home, including cleaning supplies, craft supplies, beauty products, pesticides, tobacco products, repellents and more.

Always provide adequate ventilation and, whenever possible, use chemical products outdoors.

Keep your boiler, HVAC or humidification systems clean and in good repair.

Most of all, consider an air cleaner. Todays air purifiers and air cleaners use a variety of technologies such as advanced hepa filters and UV light to eliminate and neutralize air pollutants from the air. It would be best to have an air cleaner in your bedroom at a minimum so that as you sleep you are breathing clean air, allowing your body to maximize healing and rest as you sleep. If you asthma or allergies, this would be particularly beneficial.

The EPA recommends that you select a product with high flow capability and an effective collection and neutralization mechanism. Clean Air 4 Life's BioZone 1000 uses a patent-pending five-technology system to eliminate VOCs as well as microbes and particulates.

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