Six Tips To Improve Indoor Air Quality

Just outside my window the ground is covered with a light dusting of fresh snow. Last check, the outdoor thermometer read a chilly two degrees Fahrenheit. Keeping the doors and windows tightly closed is a necessity as the winter months settle in.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) people spend 90 percent or more of their time indoors. Newer homes are designed to be well insulated and energy efficient, allowing for very few air exchanges between indoor and outdoor air. With the doors and windows of our homes tightly shut, another problem beings to brew inside: air pollution. We generally think of air pollution as an outdoor problem stemming from car exhaust, emissions and other toxins, however indoor air can be polluted too.

Indoor air pollution

There’s a growing body of scientific evidence confirming air pollution in our homes can be much worse than outdoor air pollution. Toxic chemicals are everywhere. As parents, most of us do our best to keep our kids safe, but unfortunately it’s not always easy or within our control. We are all exposed to toxic chemicals on a daily basis through a variety of consumer products found in our homes.

Hundreds of toxic chemicals, including pesticides, fire retardants and PCBs, can be found in the umbilical cord blood of newborns, according to studies by the Environmental Working Group. No surprise there – our homes are filled with toxins. Our mattresses are filled with toxic chemicals and our couches are filled with cancer-causing chemicals.