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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Summer Heat Can Boost Air Pollution

Hazy days of summer can boost air pollution, health risks for many

Ground-level ozone and forest fire smoke are common in summer

OLYMPIA - In Washington, we welcome warm sunny weather, ready to spend more time outdoors in the garden and on hiking trails. Summer is also wildfire season and a time when ozone levels rise, making it more difficult to breathe for people with heart and lung diseases.

“It’s important for people who have conditions like asthma, bronchitis, and heart disease to pay attention to air quality reports,” said State Health Officer Dr. Maxine Hayes. “Air pollution makes it hard for everybody to breathe. And poor air quality affects people with heart and lung diseases earlier than others. If you live in an area that has forest fires, make sure to protect yourself from smoky conditions.”

Older adults are vulnerable because they often don’t know they have these diseases. New research suggests that breathing air that has high “particulate” matter, or fine particles, can also be risky for people who are obese or have diabetes. Children are vulnerable to polluted air because their lungs are still growing and they spend more time outdoors.

Different things cause summer air pollution. Several consecutive days of sunny, hot weather will increase ozone. Wildfires like the ones that have broken out in central Washington recently produce smoky air that contains fine particles and toxic chemicals. Cars and trucks generate exhaust. On calm days when the air is still, air pollutants build up. Ongoing climate changes are projected to cause additional bad air quality by increasing wildfires and ozone pollution.

Everyone can lower their exposure to air pollution by checking air quality conditions before taking part in outdoor activities, especially people in high risk groups. When air pollution is high, people should limit outdoor activity and choose less strenuous things to do — such as going for a walk instead of a run. Pollution levels are often highest at midday or in the afternoon, so exercising earlier or later may be wise. Indoor exercise is another option.
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Tap Water Quality Impacted by Wildfires

'Chocolate Milk Shake-Like' Debris Mixture Overwhelms Treatment Plants, School Of Mines Study Says

Alan Gathright, New Media Producer | TheDenverChannel.com

GOLDEN, Colo. -- Rain runoff following a wildfire can compromise drinking water quality and overwhelm water treatment plants with a "chocolate milk shake-like mix" of debris, according to a new study by the Colorado School of Mines.

This can affect tap water that might have a smoky taste and could fail to meet federal drinking water standards, says engineering graduate students whose study suggests ways cities government can protect drinking water after a wildfire.

This is a real-time risk for communities like Colorado Springs, where the Waldo Canyon Fire has scorches 15,324 acres of hillside terrain, and the National Weather Service had issued a flash flood watch for the wildfire's "burn scar" Wednesday afternoon.

In the study, School of Mines graduate researchers worked with the city of Golden on scenarios exploring how a fire in the Golden area would adversely affect the water supply in Clear Creek, the city's source of drinking water.

"This project simulated a range of detrimental wildfire run-off conditions utilizing a surface water treatment pilot plant at the Colorado School of Mines in close collaboration with the City of Golden's drinking water treatment plant," said Professor Jörg Drewes.

The study found that rain runoff mixes leftover wildfire debris and sediment that can thwart purifying mechanisms inside downstream water treatment plants.

"While impacts of wildfires have been studied by scientists from forestry, biology and hydrology, this study is the first that combines these experiences with water treatment engineering and focuses on adverse effects on drinking water quality and appropriate response strategies," Drewes said.

Here's a link to the study: http://tinyurl.com/7lee3pa

Can Drinking Water Make Your Test Scores Higher?

Does Drinking Water Make You Smarter? Plus 6 Benefits of Staying Hydrated

By EatingWell on Jun 12, 2012 

By Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D., EatingWell.com

Water accounts for 60 percent of our body (or about 11 gallons or 92 pounds inside a 155-pound person) and is essential to every cell. So it’s not to surprising that new research—reported on at the recent British Psychological Society Annual Conference in London—found that college students who brought water with them into an exam scored higher marks than their counterparts who didn’t have water.

Unfortunately, the researchers didn’t look into whether the students actually drank the water. Nor did they investigate the reasons behind the study findings. But the researchers hypothesized that drinking water could improve students’ thinking and/or help students stay calm and quell their anxiety—both of which could hinder their test performance.

Their thinking makes sense to me:  other research has suggested that staying hydrated keeps your memory sharp, your mood stable and your motivation intact. You can also think through a problem more easily.

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