Industrial pollution and fossil-fuel consumption are widely blamed for wreaking the most havoc on the globe, but indoor air pollution is doing its own part to contribute to death and disease. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from furniture, paint, household chemicals and other sources contribute a great deal to poor indoor air quality.
According to a World Health Organization report, "Global Health Risks: Mortality and Burden of Disease Attributable to Selected Major Risks", pollution inside the home due to cooking smoke can create small particles that are 100 times higher than healthy levels, particularly in poorly ventilated areas. This is especially true for small children and women who are much more likely on average to be exposed to these hazardous elements.
This kind of pollution contributes to 2.7 percent of the world's total number of spreadable diseases. The reason: Many types of cooking fuels used for heating of food are made of natural materials like dung, wood, straw and coal, which all produce dangerous levels of indoor air pollution. This type of regular inhalation, for children under 5-years-old, can lead to serious respiratory infections, and for adults, can lead to lung cancer or chronic pulmonary disease.
Those with the least financial means are at the greatest risk of exposure to indoor pollution, since poverty-stricken families are the least able to switch to cleaner-burning fuel sources. Economic development can only suffer under these conditions. When a family must spend more time collecting crude and more-dangerous fuel sources, that's less time they have to make money. Further, when fuel sources are scarce, a family will spend less time in the light pursuing educational or leisure activities.
On a broader scale, these types of disparities further perpetuate the gap between rich and poor and the rise in global warming. Not only are methane gases created in many cruder-style ovens, they also are a greenhouse gas determined to be much more dangerous than CO2, while use of wood further deforests the globe.
Other factors contribute to poor indoor air quality, too. Carbon monoxide can come from many places, from unvented space heaters, oven exhausts and second-hand tobacco smoke to furnaces, boilers and faulty chimney flues. At high levels, death is possible, while at lower levels, fatigue, nausea, dizziness and difficulty seeing are likely. A carbon monoxide detector can warn residents instantly of dangerously high levels. Without a gas stove, the average level in a home is up to 5 parts per million, five to 15 ppm with a gas stove present. Anything over 20 ppm is cause for alarm.
Other health dangers in the air we breath at home could be microbial, like bacteria, fungi or mold. These colonies are often created by unchecked condensation in poorly ventilated areas. If these spores are left unpoliced, particularly the most toxic forms called mycotoxins, serious respiratory problems could develop. The water-born bacteria Legionnaire's disease is a lesser-understood microbial condition that can prove deadly.
Also dangerous in a home environment is the asbestos found in some older-model insulation, which is known to cause a particularly aggressive form of lung cancer called mesothelioma. Though their use won't guarantee a healthy life, monthly replacement of air ventilation filters can help to lessen many forms of particulate pollution, and dehumidifiers also have proven successful at preventing mold and mildew.
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Serena Li is a web content contributor with Basic-Natural LLC (http://www.basic-natural.com), a socially conscious company dedicated to providing consumers with up-to-date information on the sustainability industry. For news, information, and everyday green living tips, please visit the company blog.
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