Many people still think air pollution has everything to do with the outside air and nothing to do with the stuff you breathe when the doors to your home are shut. That’s not the case. There are many indoor air pollutants as well and some of these can be as dangerous to your health as anything that goes on outside the home. To that end, it’s a good idea that you’re aware of these hazards and what you can do about them to increase the quality of the air inside your home.
By now most of us have heard about radon gas and the negative health implications that this colorless odorless substance has. This sometimes lethal substance enters the house through cracks in the basement floors and is thought to be responsible for some 21,000 deaths every year as a result of lung cancer. Still there’s reason for optimism as there are several things that you can do to decrease the risk in the home. First and foremost one of the best ideas is to seal all the cracks in the basement where radon gas may seep up from. Another good idea is to use pipes and fans to dissipate the gas.
Another statistic states that Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors and by no means is radon the only hazard that they need to watch out for. Carbon monoxide can be harmful to unborn babies, infants, as well as people with a host of respiratory illnesses. The sources of this potentially troublesome hazard include gas appliances and fireplaces as well as charcoal grills. Although cigarette smoking has fallen out of favor and decreased dramatically in recent years, smoking is another dramatic cause of C02 buildup.
It’s quite simple to prevent other types of monoxide poisoning in the home and all you really need to do is take some simple steps that include:
ü never leaving your car or lawnmower running in a closed area
ü never burning charcoal inside a house or any other enclosed area
ü only use kerosene space heaters and gas heaters in well ventilated areas
ü always install carbon monoxide detectors in appropriate areas of your house
ü always read the manufacturer’s instructions on appliances so that you can ensure that they are working properly at all times
While carbon monoxide detectors are important, they need to be properly maintained and should be tested frequently to ensure that they are working properly at all times.
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