We’ve all heard about smog hanging over cities, but what about the air inside your home? It might surprise you to learn that the air you breathe within four walls can be just as, if not more, polluted than the air outside.
Think of your home as a cozy haven? Think again. A silent thief could be lurking, impacting your health without you even realizing it. That thief is indoor air pollution.
So, who are the culprits? Let's pull back the curtain on the common offenders:
The Combustion Crew: That flickering fireplace, the gas stove simmering dinner, even the kerosene heater keeping you warm – they all release combustion byproducts like carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter into the air you breathe. Cozy can be costly when it comes to your lungs.
VOCs: The Chemical Cocktail: Our homes are often filled with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from everyday products. Think paints, cleaning agents, pesticides, even that "new car smell" emanating from your furniture. These chemicals can evaporate into the air, creating a cocktail of potential health hazards.
Formaldehyde: The Sneaky Gas: Formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, can off-gas from building materials like particleboard and plywood, and even from dry-cleaned clothes. It can linger in the air for years, slowly impacting your health.
The Biological Brigade: Our homes are also battlegrounds for biological contaminants. Bacteria, viruses, mold, pet dander, dust mites, and pollen thrive in the cozy environment of our homes, especially if they’re circulated through central heating and cooling systems. These microscopic invaders can trigger allergies, asthma, and other health problems.
Second-Hand Smoke: The Lingering Threat: Despite widespread awareness of its dangers, environmental tobacco smoke, or second-hand smoke, remains a significant indoor air pollutant in many homes. It's a health risk that no one should be forced to endure.
Radon: The Invisible Enemy: Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, can seep into homes from the ground and accumulate to dangerous levels. It's odorless, colorless, and tasteless, making it a particularly insidious threat.
The Usual Suspects: Common air pollutants like nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and lead can also find their way indoors, affecting air quality in enclosed spaces.
The problem is compounded by the fact that we spend the vast majority of our time indoors – at home, at work, at school. This prolonged exposure to indoor air pollution makes it a serious public health concern.
Impacts on health
Millions die prematurely each year from indoor air pollution caused by burning solid fuels and kerosene for cooking, which damages lungs, weakens immunity, and reduces blood oxygen.
Heart Problems: A significant portion of heart disease deaths are linked to breathing in this polluted indoor air. 12% of all deaths due to ischemic heart disease can be attributed to exposure to household air pollution
Stroke: Indoor air pollution also plays a role in many stroke deaths. About 12% of all deaths due to stroke can be attributed to the daily exposure to household air pollution arising from using solid fuels and kerosene at home
Lung Infections: Children are especially vulnerable. Indoor air pollution drastically increases their risk of serious lung infections, like pneumonia. Adults are also at risk. 23% of all deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults in low- and middle-income countries are due to exposure to household air pollution
Lung Disease: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a serious lung condition, is often caused by breathing polluted indoor air over long periods.
Lung Cancer: The smoke from burning solid fuels contains cancer-causing substances that can lead to lung cancer. Approximately 11% of lung cancer deaths in adults are attributable to exposure to carcinogens from household air pollution caused by using kerosene or solid fuels like wood, charcoal or coal for household energy needs
What Can We Do? Taking Action for Cleaner Air
We need a multi-pronged approach to tackle this issue:
1. Developing Guidelines and Protocols: We need specific building guidelines and protocols for monitoring and managing indoor air pollution, ensuring healthier living spaces for everyone.
Developing evidence based guidelines based on studies to understand the specific pollutant mix, particle composition, and exposure patterns and estimation of the burden of disease attributable to use of solid fuels especially in adult women and young children, who are especially vulnerable due to their traditional household roles
Additionally, planning a robust method for evaluating the effectiveness of these measures is essential.
2. Expanding Clean Cooking:
Developing alternate cooking fuel like bio-gas, solar cookers etc.
Initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), which provides access to clean cooking fuels, need to be expanded to more cities and villages, reducing reliance on polluting fuels.
3. Healthy Homes by Design:
Ensuring adequate ventilation in households
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) should integrate guidelines and provisions for building designs that prioritize proper ventilation, clean cooking areas, and healthy living spaces. Good ventilation and smart design are key weapons in the fight against indoor air pollution.
4. Most importantly:
Studies focusing on biomass-using households are essential to understand the specific pollutant mix, particle composition, and exposure patterns. These studies should include a thorough estimation of the burden of disease attributable to solid fuel use, particularly among adult women and young children. These groups often experience the highest exposures due to their traditional household roles, making them especially vulnerable to the health impacts of indoor air pollution from biomass combustion. Targeted interventions and solutions are crucial to mitigating these risks.
Indoor air pollution may be a silent thief, but we don't have to be passive victims. By understanding the sources of pollution and taking proactive steps, we can reclaim our homes as the healthy havens they’re meant to be.
Reference:
NCAP, NATIONAL CLEAN AIR PROGRAMME. Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change Government of India, 2019 available at: https://mpcb.gov.in/sites/default/files/air-quality/National_Clean_Air_P... accessed on 28th October 2024.
Household air pollution; WHO website: available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/household-air-pollution... accessed on 19th February 2025
Smith KR. National burden of disease in India from indoor air pollution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 Nov 21;97(24):13286-93. doi: 10.1073/pnas.97.24.13286. PMID: 11087870; PMCID: PMC27217.
National Clean Air Program (NACP): https://ihatepsm.com/blog/national-clean-air-program-ncap-2019-2025
Indoor Air Pollution: https://ihatepsm.com/blog/indoor-air-pollution-silent-thief-your-living-...