Indoor Air Quality
How to make your home a healthy place
Smog in urban areas often makes the news. But truth be told, air quality is often much worse inside our homes than outside. That’s because tens of thousands of chemicals, some synthetic and some found in nature, are used to make products commonly found in buildings. Many of these chemicals are benign, some are highly toxic, and most fall in that wide gray area in between.
When it comes to indoor air contamination, the biggest culprit in our homes is VOCs, a large class of chemicals that can evaporate, or offgas, from stuff that’s all around us, like particle board, carpet, paint, cleaning products, and materials treated with stain-resistant and wrinkle-resistant chemicals. VOCs can aggravate respiratory ailments like asthma, and have been linked to cancer and damage to nervous and reproductive systems.
Will exposure to VOCs and other indoor air pollutants, such as mold or wood smoke, make you sick? This may sound like a cop-out, but the answer is–it depends. It depends on the nature of the pollutant, your general health, the level of exposure and length of time you’re exposed, whether that pollutant might combine with other pollutants in your home or in your body to create a more dangerous compound, and other environmental and genetic factors. Without clear answers, health experts say it’s prudent to take commonsense steps to limit your exposure to polluting chemicals. You might want to take extra precautions if there are people in your household who are at higher risk of being harmed by indoor air pollutants. These include infants and children and people with asthma, other respiratory conditions, compromised immune systems, or chemical sensitivities.
What to do?
- Don’t bring pollutants inside. It’s easier to keep pollutants out in the first place than to get rid of them once they’re in your home. Protect your home by choosing low-VOC paints, furnishings, composite-wood materials, personal care products, and household cleaners.
- Be a good housekeeper. Good housekeeping and maintenance practices go a long way toward healthy air quality. Don’t use pesticides in or around your home. Make sure there are doormats inside and outside all exterior doors, and adopt a no-shoes-inside rule: much of the dirt and dust in our homes gets tracked in on our shoes. Dust and vacuum regularly. Take care of leaks and mold before they get out of hand.
- Trust your nose. If a product smells bad, don’t bring it into your house. (Unfortunately, the opposite isn’t always true: just because your nose doesn’t pick up a strong whiff of chemicals doesn’t mean the product is good for you.) Beware of products that are heavily perfumed–fragrances are often used to mask chemical odors.
- Filter the little stuff. Air filters can help with some air quality problems, but they are by no means a cure-all. They do trap secondhand smoke, dust, and small particles called microparticulates. But they cannot totally eliminate allergens like pet dander and dust mites, because these irritants do not constantly circulate through the air anyway. And unless they have carbon absorbents, filters do not reduce volatile organic compound (VOCs) or gases such as carbon monoxide. The most effective filters are the ones that trap the tiniest particles, because these do the most damage. So be to check at the machines’ ratings. An ultra high-efficiency model can trap particles as small as 0.3 microns. Beware of filters that generate ozone, which may actually aggravate breathing problems.
- Dilution is the solution to pollution. Improving indoor air quality can often be as simple as opening a window to let in fresh air. Ventilation is especially important when using noxious paints, cleaning products, or other chemicals inside the home. When cooking with gas, always use the exhaust fan to get rid of combustion byproducts like carbon monoxide. And run the bathroom exhaust fan during and after showers and baths: mold thrives on excess humidity.
- Ready to learn more? Check out our article, “9 Home Health Hazards“: it covers radon; VOCs; toxic chemicals in plastics such as BPA, phthalates, and PFOA; pesticides; mold; other biological contaminants such as pet dander, pollen, and dust mites; energy-related risks such as carbon monoxide, other combustion byproducts, and electromagnetic fields; banned building materials such as asbestos, lead-based paint, and wood preservatives; and emerging healthy-home issues.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Indoor air quality is so important. It surprises me how many people don’t even hesitate to use toxic chemicals in their home. Don’t people care about their health?!
November 16th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
I use airqualitytest.ca to test the quality of air inside my home! great site. Really helpful.
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:26 am
Indoor air pollution is leading as one of the main risk factors for diseases. Things that we use regularly like “particle board, carpet, paint, cleaning products, and materials treated with stain-resistant and wrinkle-resistant chemicals” are the cause of our indoor air pollution.
Keeping indoor air pollution under control is so important. I think the steps that are described in the article can be followed to keep the indoor air cleaner.
December 4th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
I didn’t realize that our indoor air quality could be worse than the pollution outside. I started doing research when I found out I was pregnant. I wanted a clean healthy environemnt for my child. GREENGUARD is a great place to go when considering a home remodel. They certify products that are healthy and safe. I found a great paint called ECOtrend Collagen. I would have never found out about this paint if I hadn’t seen the GREENGUARD site. They certify everything from paint to screen projectors.
December 9th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Indoor air quality is so important to your health, it’s surprising to me how many people don’t worry about what they’re breathing in.
December 29th, 2009 at 9:42 am
What!? Did I read this correctly? You state: “Dilution is the solution to pollution. Improving indoor air quality can often be as simple as opening a window to let in fresh air.”
When I was at EPA I was lectured that the opposite is true and that dilution is NOT the solution to pollution. I think the Sierra Club has also said this. For example, see here – http://southcarolina.sierraclub.org/cathcart/dilution%20is%20not%20the%20solution.pdf .
Instead, there is a hierarchy of addressing pollution, especially if you are talking about indoor air pollution:
- prevent the pollution
- what you cannot prevent you minimize
- what you cannot minimize you treat
- only after you have completed avoidance, minimization and treatment do you consider dilution.
The reason is because you want to address the real underlying pollution issue and not just the pollution “symptom.” For indoor environments, pollution prevention is achieved with building and other materials that are not made with and do not emit VOCs like formaldehyde. Since many such non-emitting building materials are now readily available, you should recommend their use in new construction and remodeling.
One example of literally off-the-shelf technology is Johns Manville’s Formaldehyde-freeTM fiber glass home insulation, which is available at all Lowe’s stores nationwide.
And ventilation rates are generally low in new homes because they are built tight to be energy efficient and most do not have continuous mechanical ventilation like commercial offices and classrooms. This means that new home ventilation rates are generally quite low. This was shown in a study recently released by the California Air Resources Board. According to the study’s abstract:
“The median 24-hour outdoor air exchange rate was 0.26 air changes per hour; 67 percent of the homes were below the California building code requirement of 0.35 air changes per hour; and 32 percent of the homes did not use their windows. Home-to-garage pressure testing guidelines were exceeded in 65 percent of the homes. The median indoor formaldehyde concentration was 36 micrograms per cubic meter (range of 4.8 to 136 micrograms per cubic meter). Nearly all homes had formaldehyde concentrations that exceeded guidelines for cancer and chronic irritation, while 59 percent exceeded guidelines for acute irritation. In conclusion, new single-family detached homes in California are built relatively airtight, can have very low outdoor air exchange rates, and can often exceed exposure guidelines for air contaminants with indoor sources, such as formaldehyde and some other volatile organic compounds. Mechanical ventilation systems are needed to provide a dependable, continuous supply of outdoor air to new homes, and reductions of various indoor formaldehyde sources are also needed.”
Offermann, F. J. 2009. Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality in New Homes. California Air Resources Board and California Energy Commission, PIER Energy-Related Environmental Research Program. Collaborative Report. CEC-500-2009-085. http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/apr/past/04-310.pdf
Full disclosure: I am with Johns Manville and we offer the industry’s only full line of certified Formaldehyde-freeTM fiber glass building insulation. We just thought it was a smart thing to do – for our workers, our plant neighbors, our installers, and the tens of thousands of people whose homes, offices, and classrooms are made healthier and more comfortable with our insulation. We know that you can make your home healthier and safer if you reduce your overall exposure to formaldehyde. And using our Formaldehyde-freeTM insulation is one way to do that and to follow US EPA’s recommendation to minimize your exposure to formaldehyde.
Bruce Ray, Johns Manville
September 1st, 2010 at 5:27 pm
A healthy lifestyle begins at home – and IAQ is proving to be a major component of how ‘fit’ a home is for habitation.
Another way to avoid VOC’s and other “Home Health Hazards” mentioned in the article is to build ‘green,’ using non-toxic materials and eco-friendly techniques. House Port’s PopUP House is an example of sustainable building that conserves resources without sacrificing comfort. A US Green Building Council member, House Port constructed its prototype PopUP House in Petaluma, CA in 2009 – you can take a look at http://ehouseport.com.
Breathe easy …
December 28th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
The high efficiency filter you are speaking of is the Electro Breeze electronic air cleaner at http://www.electro-breeze-supply.com/air_purifier_asthma.html It is 97% efficient down to 0.3 microns and does not produce ozone. The energy consumption is less than 2 watts, so your electricity usage is less than $2 per year for continual usage. The frame is made of recyclable aluminum and the disposal of the filter media is less than 1/10 the bulk of regular pleated filters. All the way around, the Electro Breeze beats all other filters for your heating and cooling.
John Hendrickson, Air Life Environmental Products, LLC
June 9th, 2011 at 8:16 am
Removal of volcanic gas and particulate was a problem I faced in BA Argentina when there was an eruption in Chile. Forest fires in USA are the biggest problem. My technique was to jack up the moisture in the apartment with wet towels and then turn on the AC to a very low temp to pull out the moisture. This was followed by heat to evaporate more moisture. This cycle will scavenger pollutants, both gaseous and fine particulate, by trapping or condensing along with the water. The approach was quite effective. In the volcanic instance the problem was SO2 and fine ash. I am an Industrial Air Pollution Specialist now living in Florida and today confuted with smoke from brush fires.
September 15th, 2011 at 5:58 pm
Noticed that still no responses to one of the simplest things to do – that is, remove street shoes before entering your home! What is is about Americans that they resist doing this? I am made to feel like a freak because I ask others to remove their shoes because I have a policy of not wearing street shoes in my home.
It is far easier to remove your shoes than to clean up after all the “whatever” that is tracked inside.
January 23rd, 2013 at 2:24 pm
What about off gasing in the shoe materials themselves….If you have a lot of shoes this can be a big problem…Maybe it caused the down fall of Imelda marcos
March 4th, 2013 at 9:42 am
The effects of poor indoor air quality include eye irritations, respiratory infections, sinus problems, headaches, asthma and allergies. An all-natural paint additive has been developed, that, turns any newly painted wall surface, into a permanent air, purification system no electricity or filters required. The Air-ReNu, technology permanently maintains healthy indoor air quality and removes offensive odors. Air-ReNu, is safe, effective and a permanent solution.