How to Protect Your Home From Indoor Air Pollution

 Indoor Air Quality: Protect Your Home From the Unseen

from inlandvalleynews.com

(StatePoint) With so many people now optimizing their living spaces for energy efficiency, the risk for indoor air pollution in homes can actually increase, say experts, as pollutants can get trapped indoors as a result.

Clean air inside your home is vital. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), exposure to air pollutants can cause health problems, including respiratory disease, heart disease and cancer.

Here are steps you can take to protect your family from these risks:

Prevent

Many sources of air pollution are preventable. Start by ensuring no one smokes inside, as secondhand smoke contains nicotine, toxic chemicals and carcinogenic agents.

Take care of water leaks immediately to prevent mold and mildew from forming around your home. Also, take steps to reduce indoor humidity. The EPA and the Department of Energy are offering tips on how to do so at www.EnergyStar.gov.

If your home was built between 1930 and 1950, it was likely insulated with asbestos. Make sure these materials are in good condition, as damaged asbestos could release harmful fibers into your home. Hire a professional to seal, cover or remove damaged material.

Emissions from gas stoves can worsen asthma. If anyone in your household suffers from asthma, consider replacing your gas stove with an electric one.

Choose safe household cleaners that don’t contain harsh chemicals. Organic and non-toxic products can do the same job as traditional products, without irritating your eyes, nose and throat.

Ventilate

No matter how many steps you take to prevent indoor air pollution, your home is subject to inevitable sources of pollutants. Proper mechanical ventilation is your best defense.

“Continuous ventilation at a low speed not only takes minimal wattage to run, but it also significantly improves the indoor air quality of your entire home by exhausting hidden pollution, such as allergens, mildew, mold and more,” says Anita So, Marketing Manager at Panasonic Eco Solutions North America.

Although most consumers are aware of the need for ventilation in areas prone to high-humidity like bathrooms, an entire air-tight home can benefit from eliminating mold, mildew, moisture, volatile organic compounds and other invisible vapors.

First, check to see if your ventilation fans are working properly. If the bathroom mirror steams up after a hot shower or bath, it is time to replace or install a ventilation fan.

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RainSoft Has Indoor Air Quality Solutions  

RainSoft air purification systems treat the entire home, not just one room. Our systems mount directly into the ductwork of your home, providing cleaner, fresher air throughout the entire house. With advanced UV light and ozone lamp technology, the AirMaster Ultra system eliminates airborne contaminants in your home.

RainSoft of Kansas City

www.rainsoftofkansascity.com

Or locate a RainSoft Dealer near you.

Things You Can Do to Keep Your Drinking Water Safe

Clean Safe Water is the True Staff of Life

By Janice Nath | Livinggreenmag.com

Push aside bread:  Water is the true “staff of life.”

Water, which carries oxygen to our body’s cells, makes up more than half of our body weight and we can’t live for more than a few days without it.  Our bodies don’t get water just from drinking water alone as any fluids we drink contain water as well as certain foods (think juicy peaches or ripe tomatoes).  Consuming pure, fresh, clean water is vital for our good health.

How can we ensure that our drinking water is safe?

In America, we have scientists and government regulators committed to detecting, observing and regulating potential contaminants in our water.  However, the toll of time can result in a system that may wear out as well as inadvertent mistakes that can happen.  When the system breaks down, we run the risk of toxic chemicals that can find their way into the ground’s surface and into our tap water.

To ensure our best health, we do need to find out if there are any contaminates in our water and what their concentration levels are and if they are contaminants that potentially pose health risks.   The United States Environmental Protection Agency, http://water.epa.gov/drink/index.cfm, is a great resource to learn more about the safety of the ground water and drinking water in your region.

Central North Pacific Ocean’s Pacific Trash Vortex, also known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, hosts plastics, sludge and other debris trapped by currents.  The vulnerability of the world’s water to contamination and pollution is part of our 21s t century reality and we must all play the first line of defense in ensuring our water is clean and contaminant free.  As a working mother and a concerned San Diego citizen, here are my tips on health and drinking water safety:

• Avoid Plastic Water Bottles – Besides taking a toll on the environment by adding to our landfills, the plastic from plastic water bottles, particularly when warmed up, can leak into our drinking water.  A study published in the “Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry” by Dr. X.L. Cao noted “significant migration of BPA, or bisphenol-A, especially in hot conditions.”

• Ditch the Office Water Cooler – In addition to the physical strength needed to hoist up a new water cooler bottle into the tank, there is also a major health hazard for offices that fail to regularly clean and disinfect the tank.  A Tufts University research study on water coolers found that, “organisms from each new bottle of water adhere to a cooler’s reservoir–the ‘well’ in which the bottle sits – and also to its hot and cold water spigots, accumulating over time and thereby boosting the bacterial count of any water that passes through on the way to a cup or glass.”

• Investigate Faucet Filters – If the tap water doesn’t taste appealing and there are concerns about heavy metals, chlorine or other contaminants in the water supply, water filters used in a pitcher or attached to the faucet can be a viable option.  Not every filter type eliminates every type of contaminant.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that community water systems provide customers with an annual water quality report.  These Consumer Confidence Reports provide information about the quality of the drinking water supply.  Once your review this report, you can assess what contaminants may be in play and which filter works best to address it.

The City of San Diego issues a Drinking Water Quality Report every year on July 1^st. This report, which generally arrives with your water invoice, includes important information about the water we drink.  For San Diego and other cities nationwide, you can also request a copy of your area water quality report from your water company or visit the Environmental Protection Agency at www.epa.gov.  Invest in a testing kit and test your water both at home and in the office.  These samples can be submitted to laboratories for analysis. The safety of our drinking water should never be taken for granted and we should do everything we can to ensure our liquid “staff of life” is clean and fresh from bio-contaminants.

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The RainSoft Water Difference

RainSoft drinking water systems are a simple, cost-effective solution to providing cleaner, better tasting water right from the tap. And don't forget environmentally friendly! With home water filtration systems from RainSoft, you can get bottled-water quality water, without the bottle. Our premium drinking water systems include: 

Ultrefiner II Premium Drinking Water System - advanced home water filtration systems that deliver highly polished "ingredient water" for all kitchen uses. 

Hydrefiner Water Filtration Systems - a compressed carbon block filters out bad tastes and odors and reduces harmful contaminants.

RainSoft of Kansas City

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