Pollutants in the Home

There is a rather long list of pollutants that could be found in your home. The good news is there are steps that you can take to reduce or eliminate these pollutants, making your home a healthy home for you and your family.

RESPIRABLE PARTICLES
Sources: Fireplaces, wood stoves, and kerosene heaters. Environmental tobacco smoke.

Health Effects: Eye, nose, and throat irritation; respiratory infections and bronchitis; lung cancer. (Effects attributable to environmental tobacco smoke are listed further down.)

Steps to Reduce Exposure:

• Keep gas appliances properly adjusted.
• Consider purchasing vented gas space heaters and furnaces.
• Use proper fuel in kerosene space heaters.
• Install and use exhaust fan vented to outdoors over gas stoves.
• Open flues when gas fireplaces are in use.
• Choose properly sized wood stoves that are certified to meet EPA emission standards.
• Make certain that doors on all wood stoves fit tightly.
• Have a trained professional inspect, clean, and tune up central heating system (furnaces, flues, and chimneys) annually. Repair any leaks properly.
• Do not idle car inside garage.

ORGANIC POLLUTANTS

Sources: Household products including paints, paint strippers and other solvents; wood preservatives; aerosol sprays; cleansers and disinfectants; moth repellants and air fresheners; stored fuels and automotive products; hobby supplies and dry cleaned clothing.

Health Effects: Eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidneys and central nervous system. Some organics can cause cancer in animals; some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans.

Steps to Reduce Exposure:

• Use household products according to manufacturer's directions.
• Use outdoors or in well-ventilated places.
• Throw away unused or little-used containers safely; buy in quantities that you will soon use.
• Use nontoxic alternatives.

FORMALDEHYDE

Sources: Pressed wood products (hardwood plywood wall paneling, particle board, fiberboard) and furniture made with these pressed wood products. Urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI). Combustion sources and environmental tobacco smoke. Durable press drapes, other textiles, and glues.

Health Effects: Eye, nose, and throat irritation; wheezing and coughing; fatigue, skin rash and severe allergic reactions. May cause cancer. May also cause other effects listed under "organic gases".

Steps to Reduce Exposure:

• Use "exterior grade" pressed wood products (lower-emitting because they contain phenol resins, not urea resins).
• Use air conditioning and dehumidifiers to maintain moderate temperature and reduce humidity levels.
• Increase ventilation, particularly after bringing new sources of formaldehyde into the home.
• Insist on a carpet or carpet pad with little or no formaldehyde content.

PESTICIDES Sources: Products used to kill household pests (insecticides and termiticides). Also, products used on lawns and gardens that drift or are tracked inside the house.

Health Effects: Irritation to eye, nose, and throat; damage to central nervous system and kidneys; cancer.

Steps to Reduce Exposure:

• Use strictly according to manufacturer's directions.
• Mix or dilute outdoors.
• Apply only in recommended quantities.
• Take plants or pets outside, where possible. Increase ventilation when using indoors.
• Use non-chemical methods of pest control where possible.
• If you use a pest control company, select it carefully.
• Do not store unneeded pesticides inside your home; dispose of un-vented containers carefully.
• Store clothes with moth repellants in separately ventilated areas, if possible.
• Keep indoor spaces clean and well-ventilated in order to eliminate or minimize use of air fresheners.

LEAD

Sources: Automobile exhaust, sanding or open-flame burning of lead-based paint. Activities using lead solder.

Health Effects: Impaired mental and physical development in both fetuses and young children. Decreased coordination and mental abilities; damage to kidneys, nervous system, and red blood cells. May increase high blood pressure.

Steps to Reduce Exposure:

• If you suspect the paint you are removing may contain lead, have it tested.
• Leave lead-based paint undisturbed. Do not sand or burn off.
• Cover lead-based paint with wallpaper or other building material. Replace moldings and other woodwork or have them removed and chemically treated off-site.
• Use well-ventilated areas for hobbies and house maintenance involving lead. Consider using "no-lead" solder.
• If lead exposure is suspected, consult your health department about appropriate removal and clean-up procedures and have your blood lead levels tested.
• Have your drinking water tested for lead.

ASBESTOS

Sources: Deteriorating of damaged insulation, fire-proofing, or acoustical materials.

Health Effects: No immediate symptoms. Chest and abdominal cancers and lung diseases. Smokers are at higher risk of developing asbestos-induced lung cancer.

Steps to Reduce Exposure:

• Use trained and qualified contractors for control measures that may disturb asbestos, and for clean up.
• Follow proper procedures in replacing wood stove door gaskets that may contain asbestos.

BIOLOGICAL POLLUTANTS

Sources: Wet or moist walls, ceilings, carpets, and furniture; poorly maintained humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and air conditioners; bedding; household pets.

Health Effects: A host of illnesses and diseases may occur from biologicals; upper respiratory irritations.

Steps to Reduce Exposure:

• Install and use fans vented to outdoors in kitchens and bathrooms.
• Vent clothes dryer to outdoors.
• Clean cool mist and ultrasonic humidifiers daily and use only distilled water in them.
• Empty water trays in air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and refrigerators frequently.
• Clean and dry, or remove, water damaged carpets.
• Use basements as living areas only if they are leak-proof and have adequate ventilation. Use dehumidifiers, if necessary, to maintain humidity at 30-50 percent.

NITROGEN DIOXIDE

Sources: Kerosene Heaters, unvented gas stoves and heaters. Environmental tobacco smoke.

Health Effects: Eye, nose, and throat irritation; may cause impaired lung function and increased respiratory infection in young children.

Steps to Reduce Exposure: (See Carbon Monoxide)

CARBON MONOXIDE

Sources: Unvented kerosene and gas heaters; leaking chimneys and furnaces; down-drafting from wood stoves and fireplaces; gas stoves. Automobile exhaust from attached garages. Environmental tobacco smoke.

Health Effects: Persistent headaches, nausea, fatigue, blurred vision, rapid heart beat, loss of muscle control, flu-like symptoms that clear up upon leaving the house.

Steps to Reduce Exposure:

• Keep gas appliances properly adjusted.
• Consider purchasing vented gas space heaters and furnaces.
• Use proper fuel in kerosene space heaters.
• Install and use exhaust fan vented to outdoors over gas stoves.
• Open flues when gas fireplaces are in use.
• Choose properly sized wood stoves that are certified to meet EPA emission standards.
• Make certain that doors on all wood stoves fit tightly.
• Have a trained professional inspect, clean, and tune up your central heating system (furnaces, flues, and chimneys) annually. Repair any leaks properly.
• Do not idle car inside garage.

RADON Sources: Earth, uranium and rock beneath home; well water; building materials.

Health Effects: No immediate symptoms. Estimated to cause about 10% of lung cancer deaths. Smokers are at higher risk of developing radon-induced lung cancer.

Steps to Reduce Exposure:

• Test your home for radon.
• Get professional advice before planning and carrying out radon reduction measures.
• Seal cracks and other openings in basement floor.
• Ventilate crawl space.
• Install sub-slab ventilation or a heat recovery ventilator (air-to-air heat exchanger).
• Treat radon-contaminated well water by aerating or filtering through granulate-activated charcoal.

ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO SMOKE

Sources: Cigarette, pipe, and cigar smoking.

Health Effects: Eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches; bronchitis; pneumonia. Increased risk of respiratory and ear infections in children. Can cause lung cancer and may contribute to heart disease.

Steps to Reduce Exposure:

• Stop smoking and discourage others from smoking.
• Do not allow smoking in your home.