Air Pollution Solutions For Your Home

Air pollutants can have a serious impact on you and your families health

Recent tests in the US by the Environmental Protection Agency have concluded that the air outside can generally be between two and five times less polluted than the air in your homes.

If you think of the proportion of time you spend indoors, in relation to outdoors, you can immediately see that this is a serious problem that you cannot afford to ignore.

Implementing air pollution solutions is neither difficult or expensive, if you think through your options carefully.

If we look in broad terms, then there are many things we can do to mitigate against the main factors that lead to poor indoor air quality.

There are three simple things that we can look at to help solve the issues i) ensuring that windows are often opened and therefore air is circulated ii) fundamentally changing the way we live and iii) making use of air purification devices.

The listings below look at some of the most common causes of air pollution in homes :-

Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS)

Those most heavily exposed to smoke, are obviously most at risk.

The associated health risks are well documented eg. Cancer, asthma, lung ailments etc, but smoking can also be especially dangerous for young babies, as several studies have linked smoking to cot deaths.

The simple solution is to ensure that your house is smoke free, if you do have smokers in your house then ensure that they smoke outside. If you feel that this is not feasible then a lesser solution would be to purchase an air purifier, like those displayed below:

Allergens

Within your home many different types of allergens exist. These range from pet dander, to pollen, to dust mite excrement and mould / mildew.

Theses can cause and exacerbate respiratory illness. There are different ways to tackle these issues although in general the approach is to minimise as opposed to eradicate.

  • Pet dander – certain hoovers are specifically designed to remove pet hairs.

  • Mites – once again specific hoovers bags / filters can be bought to reduce levels in the home. Hoover mattresses and pillows regularly.

  • Pollen – air ionisers can help remove pollens.

  • Mold / mildew – humid, damp houses are generally the cause of these issues. You’ll need to remove the mold (a solution of bleach and water will help). After the area has been treated there are numerous solutions to help. The easiest of which are i) ensure windows are opened daily, ii) purchase an air dehumidifier to remove excess moisture from the air.

One solution that you might want to consider in trying to control and minimize the number of air contaminants is a UV air sanitizer, like the one below. This unit will simply circulate the air in the room through the unit, and the UV light will 'zap' all airborne germs, viruses, bacteria, molds etc. The air is then re-circulated in the room.

Carbon Monoxide

This is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is lethal in large doses.

Due to the nature of the gas it is very difficult to know if you have a problem. Dangerous levels of Carbon Monoxide in the home are generally caused by faulty gas appliances.

You should ensure that registered gas engineers install and service equipment of this nature (boilers, fires etc). Cheap Carbon Monoxide detectors are easily available and will change colour if there is a problem.

The only problem with these color changing strips, is that they are passive.

Carbon monoxide can be so lethal, so quickly that you really need an audible alarm that will alert you to the problem immediately. Below are some inexpensive solutions that would meet the need:

Respirable Particles

Within the home these types of particles are mostly what is commonly known as ‘dust’. However, also tobacco smoke, wood fireplaces / stoves and kerosene heaters can also contribute.

These particles can lead to irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, and can therefore lead to ailments such as bronchitis. In order to counteract these issues, homes should be well ventilated and you can also purchase air purifiers to remove particles from the air.

Radon

Radon is a natural radioactive gas which is naturally present in all rocks and soils. It is colorless, tasteless and odorless and produces no immediate symptoms.

Levels of Radon gas depends on the geological conditions and can therefore vary depending on your geographical location. Testing kits are available to determine the levels in your home and the most effective solution to high radon levels is to fit a Radon sump.

This enables the Radon to vent into the atmosphere as opposed to into your home.

If you suspect a high level of Radon is present in your home, you should commission a professional laboratory to carry out a full analysis.

Kits's to collect the samples are readily available, and the samples are then sent on to an environmental monitoring laboratory for full analysis. The kit suggested below includes all the materials for sampling and the costs of the laboratory testing.

Three indoor air pollutants are scientifically tested and an easy to understand set of results returned to you.

Implementing an air pollution solution into your home is not a difficult task, if you take a logical and methodical approach, starting with answering a few simple questions:

1. What are the major air pollutants in the air in your house? Don't try and guess, take a more analytic approach and consider carrying out some testing.

2. Once you've identified the pollutants, work on a solution. If the major issue is with biological, airborne hazards like bacteria, mold and viruses then consider a air scrubbing solution, as suggested above. If it's general poor air quality than an air purifier like those highlighted at the top of the page may be more appropriate.

Taking an investigative approach and using the outcome to develop air pollution solutions that will address those issues, is really the only way to go.