We tend to think of our homes as our sanctuaries-- safe places to go in order to pull away from the attack of modern life. That hidden risk is the quality of indoor air.
The act of breathing is so natural we don't even recognize we're doing it, however what about the air that we take in whenever we inhale? When was the last time you stopped to think of the quality of the air you were taking into your lungs, transmitting deep down into the cells of your body?
If you were just recently basing on a polluted corner of a busy city pathway, well, maybe you did stop to wonder about what sorts of dirt and dust particles were seeping into your body. But for most of us, specifically when we're in our own homes, the quality of the air we're breathing is not a big consideration-- or not even a factor to consider at all.
The reality of the matter is, the quality of air indoors (even in relatively clean houses) can really be far poorer than that of even the most significant, most industrialized, and dirtiest urban! To put that in plainer language: the air in your house could be worse for your health than the air you breathe walking through New york city City or Beijing or San Francisco.
What triggers such powerful and potentially harmful indoor contamination? For beginners, the indoor usage of substances like stogies and cigarettes, paint, coal, furnishings polish, cleaning fluids, asbestos, space heaters, and so on, can produce an accumulation of harmful particles. The degree of seriousness frequently depends on whether there is adequate ventilation-- just how much outside air can get into your home, and vice versa. A home with extremely bad ventilation will present a much worse health hazard to its inhabitants than a house with great deals of open windows and exceptional ventilation. That's not to state that houses with good ventilation cannot still be contaminated-- in fact, they definitely can be.
Because most of us invest the majority of our time inside, instead of from doors, the accumulation of chemical and other airborne contaminants can present severe health risks, activating different ailments gradually. This is specifically true when the residents of a house are elderly, chronically ill, or very young, or if they already have certain types of respiratory illness.
The physical reaction depends on the type of pollutant. Biological contaminants may provoke allergic reactions, while types of tobacco smoke and other impurities can trigger asthma attacks or create asthmatic conditions. Molds and mildews can spread out more serious health issue, and the existence of impurities like carbon monoxide gas can even result in death if the appropriate alert system (a carbon monoxide gas detector) is not in place and fully working.
The great news is that you do not have to live with dangerous air. Just acknowledging the possibility of indoor air contamination is the first action towards producing an environment that is totally free of harmful airborne particles.
