A Healthy Home Environment? John Manuel Abstract
Over the past seven years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five risks to public health. One of the most dangerous indoor air pollutants is carbon monoxide (CO) . CO can be lethal, but perhaps more important, many people suffer ill health from chronic, often undetected exposure to low levels of this gas, resulting in fatigue, headache, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. Another dangerous pollutant is volatile organic compounds (VOCs) , which come from sources including building products, cleaning agents, and paints. One VOC, formaldehyde, can act as an irritant to the conjunctiva and upper and lower respiratory tract. Formaldehyde is also known to cause nasal cancer in test animals. Other household pollutants include pesticides and heavy metals contained in house dust ; biological pollutants such as pollen, pet dander, bacteria, mold, and fungi ; chlorine, which appears in public water supplies as a chlorination by-product ; radon gas ; lead ; and asbestos. People who have the luxury of building their own home can employ a wide variety of measures to minimize their potential exposure to indoor environmental hazards. Fortunately for those who live in homes that are not custom-built, there are a number of strategies available to improve indoor air quality.
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