Home air pollution alert!

Is air pollution being produced and distributed in your home? Right where you and your loved ones thought to find safety from an unhealthy environment?

Unfortunately, often the answer is yes.

Just as uncontrolled industrial processes can foul the air outside, many of industrial products, wonderful as they are, can contribute to air pollution in our homes. The process of cooking, as well as heatmg and cooling our homes, can also add to indoor pollution.

And this pollution can be trapped indoors. In past years, our need to save energy encouraged us to conserve it where we could. So we made our houses airtight, adding storm windows and insulation. We applied weatherstnppmg and caulking to seal cracks, and have increasingly turned to kerosene, wood and coal to help heat our homes. However, we have often ignored the effects of these measures on indoor air quality. As a result, researchers have found air pollution can be much greater inside the home than outside.

Air Pollution In Your Home Can Be Dangerous!

On average we spend about 90 percent of our time indoors - out of that 90 percent, 65 percent is spent at home.

The people who are especially susceptible are the very ones who spend the most time at home. Children, pregnant women, the elderly, people with lung disease -- these become the major victims of indoor air pollution.

What's worse, like so much air pollution, many of the contaminating substances give no warning and produce vague and sometimes sirmlar symptoms that are hard to pm down to a specific cause. or produce symptoms years later, when it's even harder to discover the cause.

Based on research already done on industnal and outdoor air pollution, and more recent research on a variety of indoor pollutants, we can identify many harmful substances.

We know the effects they can have and many of their sources. In many circumstances, we can take responsibility for the quality of air in our own homes.

This brochure describes many of the major indoor air pollutants and how you can identify their sources, understand their possible impact on your health, and control or eliminate your exposure to their harmful effects. If you want more information, or need a referral to professional help, call your local <%$alatitle%> at <%$number%>.

The Major Indoor Air Pollutants

This gas, an outdoor air pollutant, can also be commonly found in the home. Researchers have found that concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in the home result from both outdoor sources and unvented indoor combustion sources. In some homes, indoor NO₂ levels have been found to be much higher than outdoor levels.

Major Sources
If venting and maintenance are not adequate, gas appliances (ranges, water heaters, clothes dryers, etc.), fireplaces, and wood and coal stoves can emit troubling amounts of nitrogen dioxide.

Health Effects
Nitrogen dioxide can contribute to eye and respiratory tract irritation and lower resistance to respiratory infection. Prolonged exposure to high levels of this gas can damage respiratory tissue and may lead to chronic bronchitis.

Controls
Don't use your gas oven to heat your home. See that your gas range is fitted with a range hood that vents pollutants to the outside. If that's not possible, keep a window open and use a window exhaust fan while cooling. When replacing a gas appliance, make sure the new gas appliance uses spark ignition rather than pilot lights, or select an electric appliance instead.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that also frequently pollutes the outdoor air. Some homes have been found to have concentrations of this gas that are above the federal health standard set under the Clean Air Act for one hour exposure to outdoor air.

Major Sources
Carbon monoxide comes from the same indoor sources as nitrogen dioxide. It is also emitted by other combustion sources such as burning charcoal, gasoline engines running in attached garages or sheds, unvented kerosene heaters, and tobacco smoke.

Health Effects
Carbon monoxide interferes with the distnbution of oxygen to the body. Depending on the amount inhaled, this gas can impede coordination, worsen cardiovascular conditions, and produce fatigue, headache, confusion, nausea, and dizziness. Very high levels can cause death.

Controls
If the tip of your gas range burner flame is yellow or orange instead of blue, have the range adjusted by a trained service representative. Have your gas or oil company or a certified technician inspect your furnace, gas water heater and gas clothes dryer at least once a year. Make sure stoves and heaters are vented to the outside and that the exhaust systems don't leak. Never leave a car or mower engine running in an attached shed or garage, or any enclosed space.

This gas, which has a strong, unpleasant smell, can cause health problems in the home. The process by which formaldehyde gas is released from formaldehyde-containing products is speeded up by high temperature and humidity.

Major Sources
Formaldehyde is found in dozens of household products and in cigarette smoke. The major sources in the home are the resins in particleboard, fiberboard, and plywood panelling; and some adhesives, carpet backing, upholstery, and drapery fabric. Though no longer widely used, up until the early 1980s urea-formaldehyde foam insulation was a significant source of formaldehyde problems in many homes. In 1986, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development required manufacturers of pressed wood products to formulate low formaldehyde emitting products for use in mobile homes, where use of pressed wood products for construction is often widespread.

Health Effects
Formaldehyde gas can cause headaches, dizziness, lethargy, rashes, nausea, and irritation of the eyes and upper respiratory tract. Lengthy exposure at high levels may be related to nasal cancer. High levels may trigger an asthma episode (attack) in people with asthma, and can result in some people having permanent sensitization to even low levels of formaldehyde.

Controls
If high formaldehyde levels are a problem, you can reduce them by removing the major source(s); increasing ventilation; by using an appropriate air filter or heat exchanger; or by covering sources of the gas with appropriate coatings and sealers. Specify low formaldehyde-emitting pressed wood products for new construction or when remodelling indoors.

This radioactive gas is given off by soil or rock with trace amounts of uranium or radium, as these elements decay. Concentrations of radon inside the home can range from relatively low outdoor levels to hundreds of times as much.

Major Sources
The major source of high levels of radon in homes is soil surrounding the house, particularly uranium-containing soil such as granite, shale, phosphate and pitchblende. Radon gas from the soil can enter into a home or building through cracks in the foundation floor and walls, drains, sumps, joints, or other openings. Radon contamed in water can be transported into homes and other buildings. Radon problems have been identified in every state. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that nearly 1 out of every 15 homes in the United States has radon levels above EPA's recommended action level of 4 picocuries per liter. Radon can be a problem in schools and workplaces, too.

Health Effects
Indoor radon exposure is estimated to be the second leading cause of lung cancer, responsible for thousands of deaths each year in the United States. Exposure to radon in combination with cigarette smoking significantly increases the risk of lung cancer. Therefore, for smokers, exposure to radon is a particularly serious health risk.

Controls
Testing is the only way to find out if a radon problem exists. Make sure to use a test kit that has passed EPA's testing program, or is state certified. If you prefer, you can hire a state-certified or EPA-certified contractor to do the testing. If high levels are found, hire a professional who is state-certified or EPA-qualified to fix the problem. Today, homes can be built to reduce the amount of radon coming in by using radon-resistant construction features.

The name asbestos is glven to a group of microscopic mineral fibers that are flexible, durable, and that will not burn. Asbestos fibers are light and small enough to remam airborne for long penods of time.

Major Sources
Many of the thousands of asbestos products are found in the home -- in roofing and flooring materials, wall and pipe insulation, spackling compounds, cement, coating matenals, heating equipment, and acoustic insulation. However, they are rarely a problem indoors unless the asbestos-containing matenal is disturbed, or until it disintegrates with age.

Health Effects
Asbestos fibers are small enough to be inhaled into the lungs and are long-lasting, even within human tissue. As a result, asbestos can cause asbestosis (scarring of the lung tissue), lung cancer and mesothehoma, a relatively uncommon cancer of the lining of the lung or abdominal cavity.

Controls
Unless you plan to renovate or remodel areas of your home that have asbestos-containing material, cover exposed, intact asbestos-containing material with plastic and duct tape to provide an airtight seal. If the asbestos is flaking or damaged, be sure to use an asbestos removal professional to solve the problem. Never try to remove damaged asbestos-containing materials yourself, as you are likely to increase your exposure to asbestos.

Many viruses, bacteria, molds, fungi and microscopic mites are common, even inevitable, indoor air pollutants.

Major Sources
Fungi and other microbes can be carried indoors by people and find nourishment in improperly maintained air conditioners, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and air-cleaning filters. Plants, pets and pests are also potential sources of indoor allergens. High humidity levels indoors encourage the growth of microscopic dust mites, molds and mildew.

Health Effects
A host of illnesses and diseases may be cultivated in the circumstances just described. Humidifier fever is an example of such cultivated pollution. People with a particular sensitivity to even non-disease causing irritants such as dust mites or animal hair can experience reactions ranging from discomfort to severe illness.

Controls
Clean air conditioners, humidifiers, dehumidifiers and heat exchangers frequently. Use distilled water or a demineralizing filter when filling humidifiers. Wash bedding matenals frequently in hot water (at least 130⁰F) to reduce dust mites.

Major Sources
Despite growing recognition of the fact that smoking causes health problems, many people continue to smoke. Smokers not only endanger themselves, but others as well, through "secondhand smoke"- the smoke a person may inhale from someone else's cigarette, cigar, or pipe. This kind of smoke contains carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and many other gases and particles, several of which are known to cause cancer.

Health Effects
Secondhand smoke has been classified as a Group A carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a rating used only for substances proven to cause cancer in humans. It is responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths annually. Secondhand smoke is a direct health threat to people who already have heart and lung disease, and increases the risk of serious respiratory disease during the first two years of a child's life. Secondhand smoke contributes to 150,000 - 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections annually in children younger than 18 months of age, resulting in 7,500 - 15,000 hospitalizations.

Controls
Kick the cigarette habit. Refuse to allow smoking in your home. At the very least, confine cigarette smoke to one room and use an efficient and properly sized air filter, or open a window and use an exhaust fan. Note, however, that many of the inexpensive "desktop" air cleaners are ineffective in removing small particles and most filters do not remove gaseous pollutants.

Major Sources
In spite of the listing of ingredients and clearly marked warnings on many products, people often use cleaning agents, personal care products, pesticides, paints, hobby products and solvents without bothering to read the labels on the products. Potassium hydroxide, perchloroethylene, methylene chloride, mercury, paradichlorobenzene, and lead arsenate are just a few of the multitude of potentially harmful chemicals found in these items. The average home contains some 45 aerosol products alone, and aerosol particles, which can carry many of these toxic compounds with them, are small enough to bypass the lungs' defenses.

Health Effects
The harmful components in many of these household and personal care helpers can cause dizziness, nausea, allergic reactions, and eye, skin, and respiratory tract irritation.

Controls
Read all the print on the container and follow the directions carefully when using household and personal care products. Be sure to have adequate ventilation for the product you are using. When feasible, use pump-type products instead of aerosols and substitute household products that contain non-toxic chemicals for ones containing toxic chemicals.

If you have some of the symptoms described above, you may be able to find out if they are caused by indoor air pollution. Just take note: Do the symptoms appear during or after a particular activity, or when you're in a particular part of your home? Do they disappear when you go outside? Do you feel better when you open a window? If you find that ventilation or leaving your home helps you, it's likely that your symptoms are triggered by something in your home.

Review the diagram below to see if you may have a source of indoor air pollution in your home. If your symptoms persist, see a doctor! Ask a doctor to consider whether your symptoms may be caused by your exposure to indoor air pollutants.

1-2. Clean air conditioners, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and heat exchangers regularly. Use distilled or demineralized water when filling humidifiers.

3. Vent kerosene or gas heaters to the outside of your home. If you must use a kerosene heater, burn a low-sulfur (1-K) fuel, fill the heater outside, and keep it clean and properly adjusted.

4. Wash bedding materials frequently in hot water (at least 130^o) to reduce dust mites.

5. Fit your gas range with a hood fan that vents pollutants to the outside, or keep a window open and use a window exhaust fan while cooking. Don't use your gas oven to heat your home. If the tip of your gas range burner flame is yellow or orange instead of blue, adjust the range. When replacing a gas appliance, select a new model that uses spark ignition rather than pilot lights, or choose an electric appliance instead.

6. Read all the print on containers and follow the directions carefully when using household cleaning agents, personal-care products, hobby materials, and pesticides. Also substitute pump-type products for aerosols, where feasible.

7. See #6.

8. See #6.

9-10. Never leave a car or lawn mower engine running in an attached shed or garage, or any enclosed space.

11. See #6.

12. Open the fireplace damper before lighting a fire and keep it open until the ashes are cool.

13. Make sure wood or coal stoves are vented to the outside and that the exhaust systems don't leak.

14-15. Reduce formaldehyde gas that may arise from panelling, carpets, and drapes by increasing ventilation, by using an appropriate air cleaner or heat exchanger, or by covering sources of the gas with appropriate coatings and sealers. Also, area rugs -- rather than installed carpet -- can be picked up and washed in hot water (at least 130^oF) to reduce dust mites.

16. Have your gas or oil company regularly inspect your furnace, gas water heater, and gas clothes dryer.

17. Never cook with charcoal inside your home.

18. Test for radon levels in your home for at least a one-month period, if possible. Testing, which can be done with inexpensive monitors, is the only way to find out if a radon problem exists.

And here are two general tips to help you control indoor air pollution throughout your home:
Asbestos may be found in many areas of your home: from the roof to the basement. Cover exposed asbestos that is intact with plastic and/or duct tape to provide an airtight seal, rather than remove it. Uf the asbestos is flaking or damaged, be sure to use a professional to solve the problem. Never try to remove damaged asbestos-containing material yourself, as you are likely to increase your exposure to asbestos.

Kick the cigarette habit. Refuse to allow smoking in your home. At the very least, confine cigarette smoke to one room and use an air cleaner or open window and use an exhaust fan. Note, however, that many of the inexpensive "desktop" air cleaners are ineffective at removing gases and small particles.