Indoor Pollution: Why it Matters & What You Can Do About it
When you hear the word pollution what image comes to mind? Perhaps it’s oil washing ashore the gulf coast, or power plants spewing black smoke, or smog hovering over congested freeways.
Back when I was a kid we learned that pollution was a threat to the great outdoors: damaging habitats, rendering waterways unsafe for swimming, and sullying the beauty of the natural world. We also learned that we could do something: Woodsy Owl encouraged us to “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute!” We picked up trash and learned to recycle; and our government passed groundbreaking legislation—such as The Clean Air Act—that has gone a long way towards cleaning up our outdoor air and waterways.
But while we’ve been cleaning up the outdoors, another form of pollution has reared its head. It’s called indoor pollution and it has seriously compromised the health of our homes, schools, offices and other indoor spaces. Here are the grim facts:
- Air pollutants are frequently 2-5 times higher indoors than out and in some circumstances are hundreds of times higher.
- “Body Burden” studies conducted by the CDC have detected over 200 industrial chemicals in the blood and urine of test subjects. Many of these chemicals—including the now infamous BPA—are common in consumer products.
- Almost every week a new study comes out linking chemical exposure to a wide range of health risks from asthma and allergies to cancer to developmental disorders. Click here and here for examples.
While we no longer behave like the Drapers in Madmen, shaking picnic remnants onto the ground, we still have a serious pollution problem on our hands.
The good news is that Congress is finally acting to protect our health. The Safe Chemicals Act of 2010 would require safety testing of all industrial chemicals and give EPA greater authority to pull chemicals that are deemed a threat. You can voice your support for a strong bill by calling your representatives in Congress.
And here’s another piece of good news. When we change our behavior we reduce our exposure and our body burden. We don’t need to and shouldn’t wait for Congress to act. We can begin right now to make choices that will make a difference for our health & the environment. Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Choose organic produce to avoid ingesting pesticides. If/when you can’t choose organic, follow the Environmental Working Group’s recommendations for avoiding fruits & vegetables with high levels of pesticides.
- Follow The Green Guide’s recommendations for safe plastic for food storage.
- Use The Cosmetics Database to find safe personal care products.
- Switch to all-natural, non-toxic cleaning products. The Good Guide is a good resource as is The Green Guide’s Buying Guides for Cleaning Products. You can also make your own cleaning products (click here and here to learn more).
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