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Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
Indoor Environmental Asthma Triggers
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) can be a byproduct of fuel-burning appliances, such as gas stoves, gas or oil furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves and unvented kerosene or gas space heaters. NO2 is an odorless gas that can irritate your eyes, nose and throat and cause shortness of breath. In people with asthma, exposure to low levels of NO2 may cause increased bronchial reactivity and make young children more susceptible to respiratory infections. Long-term exposure to high levels of NO2 can lead to chronic bronchitis.
- Properly ventilate a room where a fuel-burning appliance is used and use appliances that vent to the outside whenever possible.
- Do not idle the car inside your garage.
- Have the entire heating system -- including furnace, flues and chimneys -- professionally inspected and cleaned annually.
- Always open the flue on your fireplace before building a fire to ensure that smoke escapes through the chimney.
- Make sure the doors are tight fitting on your wood-burning stove and follow the manufacturer's directions for starting, stoking and putting out the fire.
- Follow the manufacturer's directions for proper fuel use on unvented kerosene or gas space heaters and keep the heater properly adjusted. Open a window slightly or use an exhaust fan in the room while using the heater.
- Install and use an exhaust fan over a gas stove and vent it outdoors.
- Basic Information: Sources of Indoor Pollution - Nitrogen Dioxide - www.epa.gov/iaq/no2.html
- IAQ Tools for Schools "IAQ Reference Guide" Appendix E - Typical Indoor Air Pollutants - Nitrogen Oxides