What are the main sources of indoor air pollution...?
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Guiding Question 25.4
What are the main sources of indoor air pollution in developed nations such as the United States? What about developing nations? What can be done to reduce these pollutants?
Why You Should Care
Indoor air pollution is much less publicized than outdoor air pollution because it doesn’t cause dramatic changes like smog, dying forests, and climate change. The main types of indoor air pollution are particulates from combustion, outgassed toxic chemicals, trapped molds and mildews, and biological agents like animal dander and pollen. Since every house tends to circulate air slowly (well-insulated houses may only circulate when a door is opened), indoor air pollution starts at very low levels but builds over the course of days. How do you make your home safer?
The dangers of indoor air pollution vary depending on consumption, heating- and cooking-fuel sources, and the presence of a basement. Consumption in developed nations means new furniture, carpets, and electronics, all of which release toxic gases at low levels. Developing countries have much lower levels of consumption, but they are more likely to use charcoal or coal as their heating and cooking source. These fuels release particulates at higher levels and affect children more than adults.
A safe home wouldn’t have to be perfect and free of all sources, but it does need to exchange and filter the air within it fairly often. In developed countries, this means making sure that all combustion (furnaces and fireplaces) burn cleanly and minimize exposure to outgassing products. In developing countries, using cleaner-burning heating and cooking sources is the number-one solution.
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They trap air pollutants by not being well ventilated to either the rest of the house or the outside air aboveground. Also, they tend to be poorly insulated against gases leaking in from the surrounding soil.
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Carbon monoxide comes from anything that is burning: The more efficient the combustion, the less carbon monoxide will be produced. The solution for this is to have furnaces and fireplaces burn as efficiently as possible. Outgassing chemicals come from plastics and other organic sources, and there is no way to stop them (maintenance will not help them). The only solution is to either purchase furniture, paints, and other potential sources that outgas less (or not at all) or increase air exchange with the outside air.
