How Indoor Air Quality Affects Your Breathing

Introduction

Air pollution is not only something we face outside on busy roads or in crowded cities, but also inside the places where we spend most of our time. Lots of individuals are unaware of the fact of how much time we actually spend inside either at home, at school, or at the workplace.

According to an article published by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), we spend 90% of our time indoors, where air quality is often worse than outside. This is primarily due to the fact that indoor air pollution sources are part of our daily routine e.g. dust, pet hair, cooking odours and cleaning products that we frequently use.

Long term exposure to such airborne pollutants can lead to severe breathing problems and in severe cases, irreversible lung damage.

What is Indoor Air Pollution?

The phenomenon of indoor air pollution describes dangerous pollutants that can be found in closed spaces and buildings. Most of these sources of pollution are not visible to the human eye since they contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These toxins are emitted by the plastics, paint and furniture. Visible pollutants such as smoke and chemical spray are also the reasons for this contamination.

This issue escalates where there is no adequate ventilation of spaces. The Indian buildings and workplaces are mostly poorly ventilated letting the fresh air not enter while AC installations circulate the same stagnated air.

Top Causes of Poor Indoor Air Quality

The primary indoor pollution causes that have a negative effect on the air quality and human health are:

1. Dust and Mites: Dust accumulates on furniture, floors and vents easily. It also leads to irritation of lungs and difficulty in breathing process when mixed with dust mites, bacteria and allergens.

2. Cooking Smoke: Frying or grill cooking creates small airborne particles that stay in the atmosphere until we inhale them.
   

3. Tobacco Smoke: When someone smokes cigarettes in a room, the air becomes contaminated and dangerous substances are introduced in the air.
   

4. Household Cleaners: Household cleaners contain a lot of VOCs that are emitted upon being sprayed or even used.
   

5. Furniture & Paints: Furniture, paints, and varnishes emit pollutants such as formaldehyde and VOCs into the air.  This increases chances of long-term occurrence of health hazards.

6. Indoor Plants: Plants that were not maintained may absorb a lot of moisture, thus acquiring molds in closed spaces.
   

7. Pet Dander: Hair and skin flakes of pets are common allergens, which lead to breathing problems.
   

8. Insect Repellents and Air Fresheners: These often contain chemicals that pollute indoor air instead of improving it.

9. Poor Ventilation: When fresh air cannot enter, pollutants stay trapped inside the house.
   

How Bad Indoor Air Quality Affect Your Health

The bad indoor air quality damages your lungs in the long run. It is not only the dust or bad smells, the everyday pollutants in the air kills the lungs quietly, without us even noticing.

Long term exposure to indoor polluted air may affect the lung development, mortality of respiratory infections and the severe asthma attacks. It may also exacerbate the symptoms in individuals with pre-existing respiratory diseases like COPD.

Health Impact of Household Air Pollution (WHO Data)

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 2.9 million people die prematurely every year due to household (indoor) air pollution. Below is a breakdown of the major health conditions linked to these deaths:

Apart from these deaths, indoor air pollution also causes people to lose about 86 million healthy years of life worldwide. It is responsible for nearly half of pneumonia deaths in children under five and 22% of pneumonia deaths in adults, showing how harmful poor indoor air is for people of all ages.

Simple Ways of Enhancing the Indoor Air Quality

1. Proper fresh air circulation should be taken care of by opening the windows in the morning.
   
   
2. Exhaust fans should be used when cooking to eliminate smoke, odors, air pollutants.
   
   
3. Keep the indoor humidity balanced in order to avoid accumulation of dangerous particles and allergens.
   
   
4. Air purifying plants such as peace lilies, spider plants, and areca palms can be used to remove the presence of toxins, such as formaldehyde and benzene, and emit oxygen too.

Final Thoughts

Your health, energy levels and overall well being is determined by the air that you breathe in. Poor indoor air quality silently affects your lungs, immune system and also leads to respiratory issues.

But by doing minimal changes, such as enhancing the air stream, reducing the consumption of chemical goods, maintaining a healthy eating habit, and adding air-cleaning plants, might have a great impact. A cleaner and fresh indoor air helps you stay healthy in the long run.