Canadians love the outdoors, big sky and fresh air but increasingly we’re spending more and more time indoors. We often think of air pollution as something outside – smog or ozone, especially in summer. But the truth is, the air inside homes, offices, and other buildings can be more polluted than the air outside. With more than 70,000 synthetic chemicals in use today, many are affecting the overall indoor air quality of residential, commercial, educational and industrial buildings.
Alberta Health in their Environmental Public Health Indoor Air Quality Manual: A Guide for Environmental Public Health Professionals published August 31, 2012 note that “Air quality affects human health. In a 1996 survey, nearly two out of three Canadians said that their health had been affected by pollution and more than one out of two people were very concerned about air quality (Environics 1997)… Recent indoor air quality research has garnered increased public and government attention as the quality of indoor air has become a significant public health issue.”
The report goes on to say that “Canadians spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors such as homes, work environments, commercial buildings, industrial settings, schools, restaurants and other specialized indoor settings including indoor stadiums, ice arenas and indoor swimming pools (Health Canada 2002).”
Indoor air pollutants vary from formaldehyde, fire-retardants, and radon, to volatile chemicals from fragrances used in conventional cleaners. In that mix, you’ll also find microscopic dust mites, mold, and heaps of pet (as well as your own) dandruff. Children, people with asthma and compromised immune systems, and the elderly may be especially sensitive to indoor pollutants, but other effects on health may appear years later, after repeated exposure.
At Just in Time Furnace Inc., we want you to feel and be safe and healthy in your home. That’s why our furnace cleaners have dedicated their lives to ensuring clean, safe home environments for our customers. To help you breathe easier in your home, here are a few ways you can improve the indoor air quality of your home.
Fresh Floors – using a vacuum cleaner that has strong suction, rotating brushes, and a HEPA filter ensures that dust and dirt won’t get blown back out in the exhaust. Don’t forget walls, carpet edges, and upholstered furniture, where dust accumulates.
Healthy Humidity – between 30 – 50 percent helps keep dust mites, mold, and other allergens under control.
No Smoking – cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals.
Test for Radon – a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that significantly raises the risk of lung cancer.
Natural Smell – most fragrances are derived from petroleum products, and generally have not been tested to determine any significant adverse health effects in humans when inhaled.
Open windows so toxic chemicals don’t build up in your home.
Use sliced lemons and baking soda to get a clean scent in the kitchen.
Bring nature indoors with a fern, spider plant, or aloe vera – NASA research shows that indoor plants like these act as living air purifiers — the foliage and roots work in tandem to absorb chemical pollutants released by synthetic materials.
-Justin In Time Furnace
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