Air Purifiers Filters and Cleaners > Air Purification Resource Center > Homes Filled Toxic Chemicals

Most Homes and Apartments Are Filled With Toxic Chemicals and Hazardous Airborne Particles

By Newstarget.com

New research on indoor air quality reveals the startling fact that merely walking on your home's carpet can release potentially harmful particles into the air. These particles, when inhaled, lodge themselves in your lungs, potentially contributing to health problems like asthma. The most surprising finding of the research? That walking on carpet and sitting on furniture released as many fine particles as vacuuming.

This research hints at a much larger problem: poor indoor air quality in the homes of most consumers. Most homes harbor an alarming assortment of potentially toxic chemicals and substances. Carpet particles, as mentioned in this research, are usually made from synthetic fibers derived from petroleum. Their impact on the lungs is largely unknown.

Carpets are only the beginning, too: carpet glue and carpet padding can both give off toxic fumes (especially when new). Memory foam mattresses emit toxic fumes that have been associated with a variety of medical symptoms. Paints, varnishes, and fire retardants can also emit a steady flow of toxic, airborne chemicals. As a result, homes that are poorly ventilated become toxic enclosures for their owners, who unknowingly inhale a cocktail of toxic chemicals with every breath.

These problems aren't limited to homes, of course: they can and do exist in apartments, hotel rooms, trailers and other dwellings. So what's a person to do? First, opt for natural fibers throughout the house wherever possible: wool and organic cotton are the best choices. Replace synthetic fiber carpets with natural fibers like wool. Open windows to circulate the air whenever possible, and use HEPA air filters to capture airborne particles. Stock your house with more plants, since plants naturally remove toxic chemicals from the air and replace them with oxygen.

Finally, don't contribute to poor air quality by using toxic products: don't use furniture polish sprays, avoid hair spray and airborne cosmetic products, don't use volatile cleaners or lubricant sprays indoors (like WD-40), and certainly don't use chemical fragrance products (so-called "air fresheners" or "carpet fresheners") which are actually made from chemical ingredients known to promote liver cancer. If you want your house to smell nice, use only essential oils or other natural fragrances.

Most of all, get outside. The indoors will never be as healthy as fresh air and natural sunlight. If you enjoy this article, you may also be interested in an article entitled 'Popular shampoos contain toxic chemicals linked to nerve damage.'

This article has been syndicated from: http://www.newstarget.com/
Author: Newstarget.com

Back to Top