Do You Have A Pure Air Problem

Is your air polluted? Discover ways to reduce the pollutants in your home environment.

A friend of mine, when asked what he did for a living, used to respond, "I breathe the good, pure air". Unfortunately, pure air has become a commodity, and air purification has become a business, thanks to human and industrial pollution of what some consider to be a basic human right.

Municipalities and governments have attempted to pass legislation ensuring pure air for all, but greed and politics have combined to undermine many of those attempts. Yet the most polluted front cannot be protected with laws: that is, pure air in the home and workplace.

The EPA has issued warnings concerning the importance of pure air: They state that indoor air is ranked among the top five risks to public health. Why? It has to do with how our lungs and our modern buildings are constructed.

An adult breathing about 16 times per minute takes in about 2,000 gallons of air a day. How much air a person can take in and exhale in a breath is called the vital capacity. The vital capacity varies between individuals and is dependent upon such things as whether they smoke cigarettes, if their air is pure or polluted, their posture, ability to get enough exercise, metabolism, weight, and lung capacity.

The main determinant of our lung capacity is the actual structure of our lungs. They look like sponges, with millions of tiny pockets that increase the surface area of the lungs tremendously. If these pockets are full of pollutants, the air passageways narrow, making it more difficult to breathe. Clogged and irritated air passageways encourage emphysema and bronchitis. Carbon monoxide and other pollutants reduce the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. Nicotine squeezes the blood vessels, elevates the blood pressure and heart rate, and irritates the heart itself. In pregnant women these poisons are transported across the placenta and harm the baby.

We retreat into our homes to what we believe is pure air, but then indoor pollution comes into play. We've been told to insulate and weatherproof our homes to conserve energy, but the result is that indoor sources of pollutants are now effectively trapped inside. High temperatures and elevated humidity levels can concentrate some kinds of indoor pollution.

Toddlers, pregnant and nursing women, seniors, and those with respiratory or heart diseases are the most vulnerable, and may not even be able to tolerate minimal exposure to pollutants such as cigarette smoke. These people are also most heavily affected by other types of indoor pollution.

Many new building materials such as insulation, carpets, and treated lumber release chemicals into the air in gaseous form, and these are trapped by our otherwise environmentally-friendly energy efficient homes.

No matter how clean you keep your home and office, both are still filled with air pollutants. Natural-gas ovens, hair sprays, disinfectants, cleaning materials, wall paint, floor wax, cigarette smoke, radon, insecticides, urea-formaldehyde foam insulation, particle-board construction, new furniture, and carpets are but a few of the sources of the fumes, gases, and particles that are emitted inside our homes. In the workplace there can be off-gassing from office machines and office chemicals. Even air-conditioners, dehumidifiers, and furnaces spread germs, vapors and other pollutants around the home and office.

Without pure air, there is chronic misery for many people including itchy, runny noses and eyes, sore throats, coughing, wheezing, achy chests, difficult breathing, headaches, disorientation, insomnia, irritability and more. The best solution when your air is no longer pure is the removal of the problem. For example, clean your furnace filter, replace gas appliances with electric, stop smoking, use environmentally friendly building supplies and cleaning products, and so forth.

The second solution is to open your windows and let in the good clean air. Exchange the air in your home daily. If you can, turn down your thermostat, put on a sweatshirt, and leave a window open at all times. If you want to sleep with a window open, but don't like how sleeping in a draft makes you feel, open a window in another room and leave your door open.

The third solution for pure air indoors is the use of air purification machines. There are various kinds of air purifiers electrostatic, charcoal filtration, and negative ionization. Each has its place, with its own unique advantages and disadvantages. Do your own research before you invest and find the one best for you.

Sue Fleckenstein suffered from allergies and asthma until she started working out of her home in Ontario, Canada. Read more on pure air problems and about how you can solve your pure air problems with a free trial of an air purifier.

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