Whenever we talk about air quality and pollution, we tend to think about the great outdoors.
The reason we do this is very simple.
When we talk about the issue, we immediately see in our minds pictures of cars emitting dangerous fumes, giant plumes of smoke bellowing from power plants and the recent wildfires in the US and Europe.
These things are bad for the environment. We get it.
But as important as it is to improve outdoor air quality, particularly after so many heatwaves in cities around the world this summer, there is another pressing issue, which for many years has been overlooked – the air we breathe indoors.
Indoor air quality can be just as important, particularly when you consider just how much time we have all spent inside recently.
And there are a lot of items and issues that can pollute your home, or your office, including dust, pollen and fumes from everyday items.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – JANUARY 25: James Laurie, aged 8, is assisted in his online work by his … [+]
A recent report by the highlighted the risk that chemicals used in everyday items, like paint, pesticides and cleaning products can have on indoor air quality.
According to the study, air pollution caused by “anthropogenic secondary organic aerosols” has caused between 340,000 and 900,000 premature deaths, which is 10 times more than previously estimated.
“When we think about trying to do things to reduce smog in urban areas, like Los Angeles, we always talk about the car,” said Dr. Benjamin Nault, who co-authored the study.
“We can see what’s coming out cars. But when we’re inside, we do not see what is slowly coming off the carpets or the cleaning products we use in our household.”
Dr. Nault admitted indoor air quality has been a “very under-explored area”.
“When we burn toast, we can see the smoke, but we don’t think about everything else associated with the kitchen – cleaning products, what kind of stove top you are using or cooking oil – all these produce fine particles, which we inhale,” said.
“Covid-19 itself has brought more attention to indoor because we’ve been really pushing the idea of greater circulation and ventilation rates to try to reduce exposure, but that goes hand-in-hand with trying to reduce your exposure of everything else that is inside your house.”
And it is not just indoor air quality that household products can impact.
Another recent study by the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder found that personal care products like deodorant, sun block and bug spray are now responsible for a significant amount of the ozone pollution in major urban areas.
In New York City, for example, air samples collected during a 2018 field mission showed that fragrant personal care products generated about half of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by people but not vehicle exhaust.
VOCs are a primary ingredient in the formation of ground-level ozone, which can trigger a variety of health problems in children, the elderly, and people who have lung diseases such as asthma.
A study by Airthings earlier this year revealed indoor CO2 levels in the U.K. rose by 25% during the lockdown as more people lived and worked from home.
It found that in both Europe and the United States, there was a noticeable spike in March 2020 when the lockdowns began and another steady rise in the Autumn when many countries went into a second lockdown.
Professor Francis Pope, chair of atmospheric science at the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham admitted there are “far fewer measurements of indoor air quality compared to outdoor air quality”.
Experts at the University of Birmingham are part of a new research programme investigating how air pollutants in indoor spaces such as homes, schools and workplaces can adversely affect human health.
“This lack of data makes it difficult to quantify our indoor exposure to air pollution,” added Professor Pope. “Also, I think there just isn’t the awareness that indoor environments are important for exposure to air pollution even though we spend approximately 90% of our lives inside.”
One solution could be the installation of more air quality monitors indoors. After all, if smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are standard in many countries, then why not introduce similar regulations to monitor the air we breathe?
“Low cost monitors offer great potential for air quality sensing inside,” added the Professor.
“The sensors are still not perfect for all pollutants, in particular gas phase pollutants are still difficult to measure accurately with these devices. However, particulate matter (PM) air pollution is now easy to measure with cheap devices.
“Since PM is the air pollutant with the greatest associated health risks, the implementation of these PM devices into our homes would be very useful to change behaviour. When people realise what activities and devices are causing the greatest indoor air pollution they can modify their behaviour accordingly. Stop burning the toast!”
The recent IPCC report and images of wildfires in Greece and Turkey should help bring the issue of climate change into focus, but there still needs to be a concerted effort to ensure that the air we breathe is safe for all, both inside and outside.