Healthy Indoor Air: Why be Concerned?

by Youmasu J. Siewe, Ph.D, MPH.

The following article was published in the Stillwater News Press on October 17, 2001.

October is National Healthy Indoor Air Month. Americans spend about 90 percent of their time indoors and the quality of air breathed, has significant impact on their health. Individuals are known to suffer chronic and acute health problems because of poor indoor air quality. Some factors that negatively affect the quality of indoor air include: Secondhand smoke, Radon, Carbon monoxide, Lead, Asbestos, and even certain household products. Some of agents that hurts the air we breathe in homes and workplaces are briefly are briefly discussed in this article.

Secondhand smoke is the tobacco smoke that hurts the non-smoker. It can cause illness to all non-smokers, and also a major cause of illness among children. Children exposed to secondhand smoke have increased chances of getting ear infections, upper respiratory infections or colds, sudden infant death syndrome and growth retardation. In children with asthma, secondhand smoke is known to trigger asthma attack, causing breathing difficulty to the child. Some research shows that prolonged exposure of secondhand smoke to children increases the chances of serious diseases later in life.

Radon is a radioactive gas that has no smell, even when present in such concentrations to hurt residents in a home. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the USA, and comes from radioactive breakdown of uranium in soils, rocks and water, and gets into the air we breathe. Radon is estimated to cause thousands of deaths every year, reports the US. Environmental Protection Agency. Radon levels vary within regions of the country and within households in the same region. Homes need to be tested, and those with elevated radon levels should have radon reduction systems installed in them.

Carbon monoxide is also a odorless and odorless gas that can be present in homes and about 500 Americans each die in their homes due to carbon monoxide poisoning. To guard against carbon monoxide build-up in a home, residents should do the following:

1. inspect and clean furnaces
2. clean chimneys
3. never use ovens or stoves to heat a home
4. install carbon monoxide detectors

Lead can be found around the home/school/childcare facility, and lead contaminated dust is the most common source of lead-related problems. Contaminated dust is likely to be found in and around buildings built before 1978, and especially those built before the 1960's, and homes located near busy highways. Children are more likely to be affected by lead because of their tendency to crawl, play, pick up contaminated dust, and eat tiny bits of lead from the dust. Once eaten, lead can have serious problems to children. Recent research reports that even small amounts of lead can cause such problems as: poor brain development, speech impairment, slowed growth, learning disorders, reading problems, hyperactivity and lowered IQ. It may be difficult to identify these problems because they don’t make the child look sick.

Correcting lead problem: When problem is confirmed, have all lead removed by a licensed agency and never try to do it yourself. In the presence of peeling of lead-based paint and dust, do the following:

1. Remove chipped or peeled paint and solve the cause of the peeling
2. regularly clean and dust homes using damp mops or dust rags
3. protect painted surfaces from mechanical damage
4. protect accessible surfaces from children's chewing
5. Use grass or plantings to keep children from contact with bear soils
6. wash children’s hands before eating and playing.

To be continued next week with the topic on: “Indoor air quality and Asthma”.