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Why Indoor Air Quality Affects Your Health? These Data Are Surprising!
With the changes in modern human life, we spend about 90% of our time indoors. This makes indoor air quality (IAQ) a critical health issue. According to the WHO, sub-optimal indoor air quality can lead to a range of health problems, including respiratory problems, cognitive decline, and even death. In this regard, we need to have a deeper understanding of the sources, main components and health effects of indoor air pollution.
Many studies have shown that indoor air pollution is a major global public health challenge, especially in developing countries.
Common sources of indoor air pollution include: second-hand smoke, air pollution released by fuel combustion, radon, mold and other allergens, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter, etc. The worse the indoor air quality, the higher the risk to human health. For example, the World Health Organization estimates that approximately 3.8 million people die each year from diseases related to indoor air pollution, including heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer.
Causes of indoor air pollution
Indoor air pollution usually comes from many aspects and can be mainly divided into the following categories:
1. Pollutants produced by combustion
Indoor cooking and heating processes are one of the major sources of indoor air pollution. For example, when cooking with traditional wood, coal or biomass fuels, harmful smoke and particulate matter are often released, and these pollutants pose a direct threat to health.
2. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
Many common household cleaners, paints and building materials may release volatile organic compounds, which are generally present at higher concentrations indoors than outdoors and can cause a variety of health problems, including eye, nasopharyngeal irritation and nervous system damage.
3. Mold and bacteria
Mold growth is more common in humid environments. The spores released by these molds can cause allergic reactions and, in severe cases, chronic respiratory disease.
Almost all indoor environments contain potential allergens, especially for people with allergies.
The connection between indoor air quality and health
Research shows that indoor air quality is closely related to a variety of health problems. According to data, exposure to poor indoor air quality increases the risk of asthma attacks and may lead to the occurrence of Sudden Neonatal Death Syndrome. What’s even more shocking is that children who live in moldy environments are more than 50% more likely to develop asthma than other children.
Short-term impact
Long-term exposure to poor indoor air conditions may cause acute health effects such as headaches, coughs, sore throats, and itchy eyes.
Long-term effects
Long-term exposure to poor quality air may lead to chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and lung cancer. The WHO report states that 86 million healthy life years were lost due to indoor air pollution in 2019.
If you know how important it is to maintain good indoor air quality, why not start taking care of your home environment today?
Methods to improve indoor air quality
Everyone can take steps to improve their indoor air quality:
- Ventilate regularly to ensure air circulation.
- Use high-efficiency air filters to capture pollutants.
- Clean your home environment regularly to reduce dust and allergens.
- Choose low-emission cleaning products and building materials.
- Monitor indoor humidity and keep it between 40% and 60% to prevent mold growth.
In summary, indoor air quality not only affects our quality of life, but also directly affects our health. Faced with such high risks and alarming data, should we pay more attention to the spaces we live in and every breath of air we breathe?
