Clear The Air

The quality of the air you breathe inside your home has a significant impact on your health. Here’s a look at managing indoor pollution

- Simone Wu

We sometimes focus so much on finding time to get outside to enjoy the fresh air that we neglect thinking about the quality of the air in our indoor living spaces.

The quality of the air in your home can have a significant impact on how you feel, the ease of which you can breathe, and your overall health and well-being. According to immunopharmacology professor Stephen Holgate, many people are unaware that the air inside homes is often more polluted than the atmosphere outside. This is due to the accumulation of dust, mould, allergens and chemicals indoors. A joint report from Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) in the UK warns that toxic fumes from air fresheners and cleaning products could emit carbon monoxide emissions, which in high doses, can pose fatal threat at home.

Indoor pollution can increase your risk of asthma, colds, hay fever, sinus irritation, headaches and nausea. It can also cause your skin to become more sensitive and trigger skin conditions like eczema. In the long term, polluted air has even been linked to liver or kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and damage of the central nervous system.