Indoor Air Pollutant Information

Indoor air pollution may be the cause for many people to become sick with flu-like symptoms, have headaches, fatigue, coughing or sneezing, irritability, lethargy, stuffy or runny noses, sinus irritations, worsened allergy and asthma symptoms, etc.. but never relate their ill feelings to indoor air pollutants. Scientists have identified more than 1,500 bacterial and chemical indoor air pollutants. "Environmental Illness" (EI), "Sick Building Syndrome" (SBS) and "Building Related Illness" (BRI). These are fancy terms which simply mean "To be sick from your environment!". People who are "Chemically Sensitive" (CS) and "Multiple Chemical Sensitive" (MCS) are so sensitive to chemicals that they can not even walk down the detergent isle in the supermarket. (CS) and (MCS) are also refered to as "The 20th Century Diseases". If you've ever felt better being outdoors than indoors, an indoor air pollutant may be the reason!

DUST MITES

An allergy sufferer's worst nightmare, Mr. Dust Mite!!! The Dust mite, specifically an allergen in it's feces (droppings), is a proven cause of headaches, runny nose, itchy skin, and puffy eyes among sufferers of asthma, rhinitis, related respiratory problems, and eczema. People's slightest movement sends their particles airborne to be inhaled or settle on the skin often triggering allergic reactions.

17 FACTS in conjunction with Dust Mites

1. There's NO evidence that Ozone kills dust mites.
2. There's NO evidence that microbe doses of Germicidal UV-C light kills dust mites.
3. Dust Mites DO NOT float in the air to be captured by air cleaners. Only their dead carcass and their fecal matter float in the air.
4. People ARE NOT allergic to Dust Mites themselves. People are allergic to Dust Mite Fecal Matter and their dead carcass.
5. Dust Mites are the source of one of the most powerful biological allergens!
6. Dust Mites create household dust - Dust Mite fecal matter (2 microns) and dead carcasses (250 microns).
7. Doctors advise us that dust is the last great medium of human infection.
8. Germs have no means of locomotion except to attach themselves to particles of dust.
9. Dust Mite's main food source for life are human dead skin flakes and animal dander.
10. 42,000 Dust Mites can live in only one ounce of dust.
11. 40 pounds of dust is generated per year in 1,500 square feet of space.
12. Dust hosts 15 species of Dust Mites!
13. It is estimated that you breathe in 2 heaping teaspoons of air particles per day, including dust!
14. Bedrooms may well be where the largest population of Dust Mites reside!
15. Dust problems escalates because of heat, moisture, and humidity above 70%!
16. Dust accumulation in electrical equipment, computers, air ducts, etc... reduce efficiency and, in some cases, can damage equipment.
17. The event of cold water washing has added to the problem of Dust Mites because cold water does not harm Dust Mites!

Dust Mites are the major cause of household dust. Dust Mites excrements (feces, fecal pellets) are one of the most strongly allergenic materials found indoors. Most allergy related problems from Dust Mites are a direct result from feces and remains as well as other particle matter being inhaled.

Dust Mite survival is dependent upon two things. The first is that Dust Mites cannot survive well in less than 70% relative humidity. Secondly, Dust Mites require a food supply and humans and pets supply it.

Skin scales (flakes of dead skin) and animal dander are the major source of food. These skin scales cannot be "fresh". The skin scales that serve as Dust Mite food are decomposed by the common mold known as Aspergillus anastelodami.

Washing your bed linen in HOT water and drying them in the sun is another way to try to control them.

Keeping the humidity level of your air indoors under 70% will also help.

MOLD AND MILDEW

About 29% of the general population is allergic to mold and mildew. But even if you are not allergic, no one likes them! They are smelly, dirty, slimy and just plain unhealthy!

Once the bloom of mold and mildew appears, it quickly matures and sends spores floating throughout the home. For people who are sensitive to the fungus, exposure to even a tiny amount causes discomfort. The more of this stuff you breathe, the more allergic you become.

Mold and mildew grow because of moisture and humidity. They thrive in damp, warm, dark, poorly ventilated places.

Basement walls, closed up closets, bathroom crevices, behind wall paper, on rotting vegetables, and in sweaty running shoes, clothes hampers, etc..

Once a person develops a respiratory problem caused by mold, they are sensitive to mold forever.

Some Molds can be Toxic

FLASH!!!! - April 2001: Not one, but 2 schools near the Chicago area were SHUT DOWN because testing of the schools, because of complaints from parents, found MOLDS that could cause health problems at the schools. The MOLDS found in one school (a High School) produce TOXINS that can cause dizziness, breathing difficulties, memory loss and hearing loss and bleeding in the lungs. The MOLDS found in the High School were identified by a Environmental company to be STACHYOTRYS and ASPERGILLUS/PENICILLIUM. Another school, an Elementary School in Indiana, was shut down. In this case, during some asbestos abatement work at the school several months ago, several people broke out in skin rashes. Further testing found HIGH levels of MOLD.

BACTERIA

Airborne bacteria and viruses is frequently found in indoor air and may represent a significant health risk. These micro organisms can carry infectious diseases such as influenza, Legionnaires', etc... Legionnaires' is caused by the Legionella family of bacteria, which thrives in moderately high temperatures (100 degrees Fahrenheit) and is often found in water tanks, spas, humidifiers and cooling towers. Infection is by inhalation.

Most bacteria and viruses are generated by people, through coughing, sneezing, and breathing. However, a complex mixture of amoebas (one-cell animals), bacteria, molds, and fungi can breed in water reservoirs in humidifiers, air conditioners, and vaporizers. These appliances provide an ideal condition, not only for breeding, but also for dispensing the tiny microbes into the air you breathe.

CHEMICALS

Beside being strong pollutants, many common household products contain petrochemicals and other nonbiodegradable ingredients and may have an effect on our health by depressing us physically.

Oven cleaners, air fresheners and disinfectants, furniture and floor polishes, fabric cleaners and stain repellents, drain cleaners, and bleaches all contain an astonishing array of organic compounds, solvents, and toxic chemicals that pollute indoor air. That's why they all say the same thing: "use in a well ventilated area!".

CARPET SHAMPOO - It contains a respiratory irritant. Outbreaks of flu-like symptoms have frequently been reported after carpet cleaning in Day Care Centers, Schools, Offices, Motels, etc...

DRAIN, TOILET AND OVEN CLEANERS - These contain sodium hydroxide (Lye), a powerful toxin and mucous membrane irritant.

LAUNDRY DETERGENTS - These may contain liver-damaging chemicals, and bleaches that irritate both lungs and skin. Read ALL Labels!!! If it must be used in a well ventilated area, it is a RED FLAG!!!

AEROSOL SPRAYS AND AIR FRESHENERS

The Consumer Federation of America estimates that the average home has 45 aerosol spray products. These generally contain 3 sets of ingredients - the propellant, the active ingredient, and miscellaneous additives. The propellants are usually flammable hydrocarbons (propanem nitrous, and methylene chloride, which are both neurotoxic and carcinogenic.)

What makes matters worse, the propellant gas from aerosol sprays remain airborne for very long periods of time scattering the product in a fine easily breathable mist.

Paradichlorobenzene, which has recently been found to be a potent carcinogen in animals, is found in solid and aerosol air fresheners. In addition, a few air fresheners contain chemicals that diminish the ability to smell.

PLASTICS

Plasticizers are additives that make plastic products flexible. Sometimes you can identify them by their "plastic smell". Soft plastics present a greater hazard than hard plastics do. The reason is that soft plastics are chemically unstable - they outgas into the air, whereas hard plastics are chemically inert. So plastic soda bottles, for instance, may release vinyl chloride compounds into the liquid contained in the bottle (known as leaching). Similarly, any pliable plastic will release invisible, toxic vapors into the air, particularly when the plastic is heated.

Now you know why you can NEVER get that plastic smell out of your childs soft plastic drinking cup! Remember, what ever the liquid is in it, the cup outgases into it, then, you drink it! If it has to be plastic, get a HARD plastic cup.

The problem of plastics becomes more apparent in small spaces, such as inside an automobile with soft plastic seats, especially when the car is new. Vinyl Chloride is what gives a car that "new car smell". In some cases, you can even taste residues of vinyl chloride in your mouth or see a dull film of the substance on the inside windshield. This occurs frequently when a car sits in direct sunshine with the windows rolled up. Breathing air polluted with Vinyl Chloride fumes can make you miserable. It's been known to cause migraines and upset stomachs and to change a cheerful day into an irritable one.

BIOAEROSOL

A bioaerosol is something airborne which is a living thing; was living; or was a product of something living. Some bioaerosols are human dead skin flakes, viruses, bacteria, mold spores, algae, yeasts, protozoa, pollen, dust mite allergens, cat and dog allergens, human and animal dander, etc.. ALL of these bioaerosols can affect people's health.

Continue reading here: The Role of Environmental Education in Creating Eco-conscious Students

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