Indoor Air Pollutants

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Indoor Air Pollutants.

Since World War II, building materials, interior furnishings, housekeeping

products, and home maintenance supplies have become a witches' brew of

chemicals that have turned our homes, offices, and even cars into places

capable of causing effects that range from subtle discomfort to overt

illness -- even to premature death.

In 1989, the Massachusetts Special Legislative Commission on Indoor Air

Pollution found that 50% of all illnesses can be traced to indoor air

pollution.

Carpet alone is thought to outgas over 100 different chemicals, many of them

hazardous or outright toxic.

In lab experiments, mice exposed to carpet samples suffered serious

neurological damage, and some even died.

A typical piece of upholstered furniture can contain several pounds of

formaldehyde and other chemicals in its framework, stuffing, fabrics, dyes,

and stain-resistant coatings, and pump prodigious quantities of chemicals

into your house for years.

Kitchen cabinets and construction sheathing containing particleboard can

emit formaldehyde fumes for a decade or more.

Common fiberglass insulation contains too much formaldehyde to be used

safely on NASA space missions, but we install it in our houses every day.

The average house contains gallons of toxic cleaning supplies, leftover

paints and solvents, pesticides, herbicides, stains, varnishes, and

preservatives.

A study conducted in 1993 found that more than half of 362 houses examined

contained concentrations of seven polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)

above levels that would trigger a risk assessment for residential soil at a

Superfund site.

According to an article in Scientific American (February 1998), one of the

most serious elements of indoor air pollution is cooking -- or, more

precisely, the byproducts of incomplete combustion. Incomplete combustion

from cooking, gas ranges, wood stoves, fireplaces, candles, and tobacco

contaminate indoor air with both harmful chemicals and respirable

particles -- particles below 10 microns in size -- in quantities that

greatly exceed the exposures we encounter outdoors.

There are thousands of common indoor pollutants, hundreds of which can be

found in any given house or office.

The most common sources are:

Outdoor sources, such as radon, pesticides, outdoor air pollution.

Tobacco smoke, first- and secondhand (environmental tobacco smoke).

Oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood combustion, vapors.

Building materials (new and old).

Paints, varnishes, and oils.

Furnishings and carpet. Glues, partitions, paneling, draperies, fabric, new

clothing, dry-cleaned clothing.

Cabinetry.

Household products (cleaners, detergents, paints, personal care items,

hobbies, etc.).

Central heating, cooling equipment, humidifiers, washrooms, ventilation

pipes and ducts..

Old paints containing lead.

Biological sources (mold, mildew, dust mites, insect parts, pollens, etc.)

Office equipment: copiers, printers, felt-tip markers, cleaning compounds.

Electrical equipment.

Cooking.

Garages, motor vehicles, lawn mowers, chain saws, other internal combustion

engines.

Health Impacts From Poor Indoor Air Quality.

An article in The Journal of the American Medical Association estimated in

1996 that 90,000,000 Americans were living with one chronic condition, and

39,000,000 had more than one chronic condition.

In 1980, requests to evaluate suspected cases of sick building syndrome

(SBS) made up only 8% of investigations conducted by the National Institute

for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). In 1990, however, 38% of NIOSH

investigations were for SBS.

Of the five leading environmental threats to children's health, four are

air-delivered:

Lead (in chalky lead paint dust).

Air pollution, which includes hundreds, even thousands of chemicals.

Pesticides.

Tobacco smoke.

There are two general classifications of environmental illnesses: short-term

and long-term. Each category encompasses a range of severity from relatively

minor " background " conditions to outright mortality. Short-term disorders

range from relatively minor afflictions such as mild disorientation and

frequent headaches to potentially fatal asthma attacks. Long-term effects

range, for example, from mild emphysema to potentially fatal cancers.

Listed below are health effects attributable to a few of the most common

indoor air pollutants.

Radon:

No short-term symptoms.

Estimated to cause 7,000-30,000 lung cancer deaths per year.

Smokers are at higher risk of radon vulnerability.

Tobacco smoke:

Eye, nose, and throat irritation.

Headaches.

Increased frequency of asthma attacks.

Increased risk of upper respiratory and ear infections.

Decreased lung function.

Emphysema.

Lung cancer.

Biological contaminants:

Eye, nose, and throat irritation.

Shortness of breath.

Dizziness.

Lethargy.

Fever.

Headaches.

Digestive problems.

Asthma.

Humidifier fever.

Influenza and other infectious diseases.

Carbon monoxide:

At low levels -- fatigue (healthy persons), chest pain (in persons with

heart disease).

Higher concentrations -- impaired vision and coordination, headaches,

dizziness, confusion, nausea, flu-like symptoms, drowsiness. Can be fatal.

Nitrogen dioxide:

Eye, nose, and throat irritation.

Impaired lung function.

Increased respiratory infections.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC):

Eye, nose, and throat irritation.

Headaches.

Loss of coordination.

Nausea.

Damage to liver.

Damage to kidneys.

Damage to central nervous system.

Potential to cause cancer.

Thought to be a principal contributor to multiple chemical sensitivity

(MCS).

Respirable particles (PM10):

Eye, nose, and throat irritation.

Respiratory infections.

Headaches.

Increased frequency of asthma attacks.

Increased risk of upper respiratory and ear infections.

Decreased lung function.

Emphysema.

Lung cancer.

Formaldehyde:

Eye, nose, and throat irritation.

Wheezing and coughing.

Skin rash.

Severe allergic reactions.

Headaches.

Loss of coordination.

Nausea.

Damage to liver.

Damage to kidneys.

Damage to central nervous system.

Potential to cause cancer.

Thought to be a principal contributor to multiple chemical sensitivity

(MCS).

Pesticides:

Eye, nose, and throat irritation.

Damage to central nervous system.

Damage to kidneys.

Increased risk of cancer.

Headaches.

Loss of coordination.

Nausea.

Damage to liver.

Damage to kidneys.

Damage to central nervous system.

Potential to cause cancer.

Thought to be a principal contributor to multiple chemical sensitivity

(MCS).

Asbestos:

No short-term symptoms.

Chest and abdominal cancers.

Lung diseases.

Smokers are at increased risk.

Lead:

Lead affects practically all systems within the body.

Lower levels -- effects on the central nervous system, kidney and blood

cells.

Higher levels -- convulsions, coma, death.

In children, extremely low levels can impair mental and physical

development.

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS):

First described in 1962 by Dr. Theron Randolph, MCS is referred to as a

" chemical injury. " Some people seem to be invulnerable to chemical

exposures, some exquisitely sensitive. Because of this nonlinear

distribution, unfortunately, MCS is still often thought to be psychosomatic,

despite tens of thousands of documented cases. It is caused by a relative,

individual overexposure to chemicals in the environment, which results in

immune system hypersensitivity. In effect, the body turns on itself, much as

it does in the classic allergic response, but to a degree which can

seriously impair the patient's ability to perform daily functions. Symptoms

can include one or more of the following, and can change from one set of

symptoms to others over time:

Headaches.

Dizziness.

Eye, nose, and throat irritation.

Flu-like symptoms.

Fatigue, sometimes extreme.

Joint pain.

Skin rashes and hives.

Loss of coordination.

Insomnia.

Depression.

Heartbeat irregularities.

Mental confusion.

Memory impairment.

Muscle aches.

Blurred vision.

Sensitivity to light.

Ringing in the ears.

Anxiety.

Anaphylactic shock.

Coma.