Many people think of the outside air when talking about air pollution. However, did you know that indoor air pollution is 3-4 times more dangerous than outdoor pollution? Kids are more susceptible to the harmful effects caused by indoor air pollution than adults. The poor indoor air quality has a greater impact on kid’s health as their lungs are still in developing stage.
Today, most of the houses have energy efficient designs that do not allow ventilation or air exchange. In order to keep our homes energy efficient, we sacrifice breathing fresh and clean air. There are many sources of poor indoor air quality in the home which makes it more polluted than the outside air. The most common source of indoor air pollution is particulate matters such as dust, mites and pollen and the source of combustion such as oil, kerosene, coal, gas.
Table of Contents
Eye-Opening Facts About Air Pollution
Air pollution in its deadliest form can kill thousands of people worldwide. Breathing impure air can even cause devastating health effects especially for elderly people and kids. Here we present a few eye-opening facts on air pollution, which will help you know about the silent killer.
- More than 18,000 people worldwide die every day due to air pollution.
- According to WHO around 14 lakhs, people die in India every year due to pollution.
- Air pollution has increased the risk of acid rain that pollutes the environment
- Pollution from cars, buses, trucks and other vehicles can cause 80% of lung diseases.
- Air Pollution can affect kids due to their small physical size and the lung capacity
- Air pollution is the 4th largest killer, causing 6.5 million deaths annually.
- An average person inhales 7-8 liters air per minute
- Nearly 80% of lung illnesses are due to the air pollutants
- Exposure to polluted air can minimize at least 1-2 years of an average human life
Effects of Poor Indoor Air Quality on Kids Health
Toxic particles and gases are released into the air throughout the house from different sources. However, the bedroom in which your children sleep is the most important place that needs to get more attention. The bodies of your children regenerate and it is also the time when their bodies go into repair mode. Their immune system detoxifies the impurities. If there will be more toxin in the air, it becomes difficult to detoxify as there will extra burden on their body.
Allergies are one of the most common symptoms of poor indoor air quality in the home. If kids are continually sneezing and coughing at home, it can be a sign that the air inside your home is contaminated with many harmful indoor allergens. If your children suffer from asthma, it is very important to ensure indoor air quality. Contaminants in the air can worsen the asthma symptoms over the time. Other harmful effects of poor indoor air quality include nausea, sinus, airway infection, headache, dizziness, and mental fatigue.
Also Read: How Indoor Air Pollution Affects Your Skin
How to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Follow these tips to improve the indoor air quality
- Open windows occasionally to allow the fresh air to circulate and move out the stale and contaminated indoor air.
- Keep the humidity level in the home between 30%-50% and ensure proper ventilation in damp areas of the house such as bathrooms.
- Buy safe products and avoid chemical cleaning product and synthetic fragrance as they are made up of volatile organic compound. Volatile Organic Compound is the major cause of poor air quality in homes.
- Make your home dust free. Dust mites, moulds, pet dander increase the symptoms of allergies in children. Use vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters as these are highly effective in making your house dust free and doesn’t release the impurities in the air. KENT Cyclonic vacuum cleaner is the bestselling vacuum cleaners in India that makes your home clean, also makes the air pollutant free as it comes with HEPA filters that didn’t release the impurities in air and traps in its filters.
- Bring natural indoor air purifier in your home such as Aloe Vera, snake plant, money plant etc. these plants remove toxins from the air.
- Buy a good HEPA air purifier for your home to remove harmful pollutants from the air and makes the indoor air fresh and healthy. HEPA filtration is highly effective for removing even PM2.5 molecules from the air. The best air purifiers in India are KENT Alps and Philips air purifier.
Also Read about Best Air Purifier in India 2017
Last Few Words
Indoor air pollution has many hurtful effects on both adult and kids. Children are more sensitive to indoor air pollution, so make sure you give them a protected environment which is free from every impurity. Home is the place where kids spend most of the time and it needs to be free from every kind impurities. Therefore, you need to ensure the air inside your home is fresh and healthy.
