Alarm Sounded on Bad
Indoor Air Quality
Levels of indoor air pollutants may be two to five
times higher and occasionally more than 100 times
higher than outdoor levels, according to EPA. |
The air inside your home
could be more dangerous to your health than the air outside,
according to a recent survey from the American Lung
Association. And to make matters worse, Americans spend up
to 90 percent of their time indoors.
A 1997 joint study between the U.S.
Department of Energy and Lawrence Berkley National
Laboratory estimated total costs to the U.S. economy range
as high as $168 billion/year. (Fisk, William J. and
Rosenfeld, Arthur H.; Lawrence Berkley National Lab & U.S.
Dept. of Energy: Berkeley, CA, 1997; ISSN 095-6947) The
report attributed $6 to 19 billion from increased
respiratory disease, $1 to 4 billion from increased
allergies and asthma, $5 to 10 billion from sick building
syndrome, and a potentially huge amount, $12 to 125 billion,
from reduced productivity.
The American Lung
Association has found that 87 percent of homeowners
nationwide are not conscious of indoor air pollutants.
Biological contaminants, including molds, bacteria,
pollen, dust mites and animal dander promote poor indoor air
quality and may be a major cause of days lost from work and
school, according to the
American Lung
Association. In office buildings, heating, cooling and
ventilation systems that are not properly maintained are
frequent sources of biological substances that are inhaled,
leading to breathing problems.
Other pollutants include
radon, secondhand smoke, formaldehyde, asbestos and nitrogen
dioxide.
The EPA has reported
levels of indoor air pollutants may be two to five times
higher and occasionally more than 100 times higher than
outdoor levels.
Here are a few tips
from the booklet:
- Install a carbon
monoxide detector in the home to detect high levels of
this odorless and potentially deadly gas. According to
the American Lung Association survey, only 37 percent of
homeowners have a carbon monoxide detector in their
home.
- Store firewood in the
garage or outdoors, rather than near the fireplace or
anywhere else in the home. Drying firewood can release
mold spores, which can easily contaminate an entire
house. The survey revealed that more than one in three
Americans do not follow this recommendation.
- Don't permit
recycling items such as newspapers, rags, cans and
bottles to accumulate in your living space. Store them
in a covered area outdoors and recycle frequently.
- Keep trees and shrubs
at least three feet away from the perimeter of the home.
Tree and shrub roots can give surface water an easy
route into a basement, which can lead to mold growth.
- Use a high efficiency
furnace filter such as the Filtrete micro particle
and airborne allergen reduction filter from 3M and
replace it every two to three months. According to the
survey, 41 percent of American homeowners fail to
replace their filters every two to three months and
nine percent have never replaced the filter in their
furnace.
Indoor air pollution is
one of the five most urgent environmental problems facing
the United States, according to the EPA.
"With all the attention
surrounding dangerous levels of smog, ozone and other
pollutants in the air we breathe outdoors, many lose sight
of the fact that these same pollutants as well as pollen
and other allergens can easily find their way indoors",
said Mark LaLiberte, building expert and technical advisor
to the American Lung
Association's Health House Project.
The booklet is part of an
ongoing educational partnership between 3Mฎ,
the American Lung Association and the association's
Health House
Project.
Additional Sources of Information
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