Impact of Indoor Air Pollution & 5 Ways to Stay Healthy

Indoor air pollution refers to the air quality within and around building and structures and it relates to the health of the building occupants. Indoor air pollution could be a new term to a few of you because we are more engaged in reducing the outdoor air pollution that indoor air pollution does not even cross our minds. But the truth is that the air inside our homes and offices is even more polluted than the air outside. This reduces the indoor air quality and causes health hazards to people breathing the polluted air.

Poor indoor air quality can lower your living standards and interfere with your (healthy) lifestyle. When you breathe in the polluted indoor air, air pollutants (like PM 2.5) that are small enough, travel through your nose and mouth and enter your lungs. The harmful effects of these pollutants on the human body are countless.

Poor indoor air quality is major a problem for us since we spend most of our time indoor. If you are someone who likes to exercise daily, whether in your own house or a gym, you can be more exposed to these pollutants since you take a lot more breaths while working out which allows a lot more of this polluted air to enter your lungs.

What is AQI?

AQI (Air Quality Index) is an index for reporting daily air quality. It is a way to communicate the level of pollution in the air and the health hazards associated with it. Air quality standards have been established for controlling the regulation of four major air pollutants: ground-level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide.

AQI focuses on the air quality and it’s related health concerns. The air quality index (AQI) ranges from 0-500, each group indicating the quality and the level of pollutants in the air. Usually, an AQI of 100 is considered as the standard air quality.

It is compulsory for governments to provide daily AQI to the general public.

Think of the AQI as a yardstick that runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern and the lower the value, the lower the air pollution and health hazard.

●     Good or moderate air quality- Usually an AQI below 100 is considered to be good or moderate. The air quality is satisfactory and poses little to no health hazard. Very good quality of air is denoted by the color green, whereas moderate air quality is denoted by the color yellow.

●     Unhealthy air quality- This ranges somewhere between an AQI of 100- 200. The air pollution is high and high exposure to the polluted air can lead to short or long-term health hazards. Lower index in this range is usually denoted by the color orange whereas a higher index in this range is denoted by the color red. Sensitive subjects or subjects with pre-existing diseases are under higher risks.

●     Hazardous air quality- An AQI above 200 is considered hazardous. A high alert is triggered and reduced physical activity is advised for everyone and minimum exposure to the polluted air. Exposure to the polluted air can lead to very serious health problems. This is usually denoted by the colors purple or maroon.

Harmful Effects Of Poor Indoor Air Quality

Some health effects may show up shortly after a single exposure or repeated exposures to a pollutant while other health effects are seen long term. Short-term exposure to poor indoor air quality can lead to irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Although the short-term effects of exposure to polluted indoor air can be easily treated but if the source of exposure (to polluted indoor air) is not identified soon and the exposure is continued for a long period of time, it could lead to serious health problems.

Long-term exposure to poor indoor air quality can lead to respiratory diseases, heart problems and even neurological problems. Inhaling the polluted indoor air can also trigger asthma, lung cancer and heart attacks. Poor indoor air quality especially affects the sensitive individuals; that include children, elderly and individuals with pre-existing diseases. But continued exposure to the poor indoor air can equally affect healthy individuals and that is why it is important to take preventive measure.

●     Impact on pregnancy- Studies support the hypothesis that childhood allergic diseases originate in fetal life. Exposure during the trimesters increases the risk of developing asthma, rhinitis, and eczema in children. It may also affect the respiratory health and has been linked to decreased lung function in infancy and childhood. Exposure to high concentration can also lead to stillbirth.

●     Cardiovascular diseases- Short-term effects-Short-term elevations in ambient particle levels are capable of evoking cardiac arrhythmias, worsening heart failure, and triggering acute atherosclerotic/ischaemic cardiovascular complications.
Long-term effects- Long-term exposure to air pollution increases an individual's lifetime risk of death from coronary heart disease. It has also been observed that people residing in locations with higher long-term average PM levels are at a greater risk for cardiovascular mortality and morbidity.

●     Impact on respiratory symptoms- The exposure to harmful air pollutants is associated with a higher incidence of upper airway symptoms, such as rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, cough, laryngospasm, and vocal fold dysfunction, and lower airway symptoms, such as cough, dyspnea, and wheezing, especially in children. Air pollution has lead to an increase in symptomatic asthmatic attack, chronic lung diseases in healthy adults and is also partly responsible for cancer.

●     Impact on pulmonary function- Observations show that due to air pollution there is a decrease in the vital capacity (maximum air expelled from the lungs after maximum inhalation) of people. This occurs due to a decline in the pulmonary or lung function resulting from airway obstruction caused by air pollutants. 

●     Impact on Asthma- Air pollution causes numerous respiratory disease including asthma. Individuals with pre-existing asthma, have a greater health risk of air pollution health hazards than healthy individuals. Other pollutants like dust, soot, and diesel fumes are very small particles that travel right into the lungs and cause irritation and inflammation. Small airborne particles, (found in haze, smoke and dust) when inhaled pass through the nose and mouth and enter the lungs. Exposure to these particles can cause damage to the lung function and also trigger asthma attacks.

●     Impact on lungs- The following symptoms are observed in a person who has (or is developing) lung cancer-

-       Respiratory symptoms- Coughing related to cold or respiratory infection will go away in a week or two but a persistent cough that lingers could be a sign of lung cancer. Changes in coughing and breathing like shortness of breath or coughing up blood can also be signs of lung cancer. Wheezing can also be a sign of lung cancer.

-       Systematic symptoms- An unexplained weight loss could be indicating towards lung cancer. Sometimes weakness and fever are also signs of lung cancer.

-       Symptoms due to cancer mass pressing on adjacent structures- Headaches due to pressure on superior vena cava, bone pain or chest pain whether it’s sharp, dull, constant, or intermittent, can all be signs of lung cancer.

5 Ways to Stay Healthy

1.    Smart air monitors- Installing smart air monitors can be a great way of identifying the pollutants and the reason for poor indoor air quality. Air monitors help in identifying the type and size of air pollutants and some smart air monitors can even detect pollutants as small as PM2.5 (to give you an idea, PM2.5 is usually 30 times smaller than one hair strand). When you know the root or source of why the indoor air quality in your building is poor, it is easy to take preventive actions. Smart air monitors from Kaiterra, uHoo, etc, can really help in improving your indoor air quality.

2.    Add natural air purifiers- Several products can be added to your home or office that act as natural air purifiers. Houseplants are known to be great for purifying poor indoor air as they produce fresh air.
Beeswax candles and salt lamps are also known air purifiers. They release negative ions when lit that attract the positive ions of the air pollutants and remove them from the indoor air making the indoor air quality a lot better.

3.    Ventilate- Ventilation can be a good practice as it allows the fresh air to come in and the polluted indoor air to go out. Opening the windows and doors in your building early in the morning can help you improve your indoor air quality.

               

1.    Monitor humidity- Monitoring humidity is just as important as monitoring the indoor air as high level of humidity leads to the formation of molds (a type of fungal air pollutant that grows in wet and damp places). Along with monitoring and maintaining an ideal humidity level (usually between 30-50%), you should also fix any pipe leaks or lose taps that may further increase the humidity in your building.

2.    Cut out cigarette smoke- Cigarette smoke not only affects the person smoking the cigarette but also everyone around them. You might already be aware of the hazards of smoking but passive smoking also has its numerous side effects. If you cannot quit smoking altogether, the least you could do is to do it outside. Smoking inside the house should be strictly discouraged as it pollutes the air inside the house and reduces the air quality. 

As discussed above, monitoring is an essential part of reducing indoor air pollution. It identifies accurately what type of pollutants are reducing your indoor air quality, which helps you in taking preventive measure to remove those pollutants from the air. Maintaining a good indoor air quality is essential for you and your family so that you can be protected against its health hazards.