Indoor air pollution has as catastrophic effects as outdoor pollution

Rajkumari Sharma Tankha

This World Environment Day, be very, very worried about the indoor air pollution.

You are very concerned about the air quality on the roads, in the factories and other public areas. You roll up the windows of your car when you near a traffic intersections or if you are in an auto you quickly put on a face mask, just so that the polluted air does not get inside your body.

Good enough.

But have you ever thought about the quality of air you are breathing when inside your home?

I’m sure you don’t give even a wee bit of thought to this. You take it for granted that the air quality inside your homes is of excellent quality.

But this is not true.

Scientific studies over the last few years have found that the air within our homes can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air. Studies show that air pollution is not something that exists only outside. Outside it is at least seen in the form of smog, ozone, or haze hanging in the air, especially in summer. Inside the homes, the pollution is not even seen, and that is more worrisome.

All the pollution that exists indoors is due to the excessive use of chemicals (detergents, room fresheners, incense sticks, cooking gas, perfumes, deodorants, paints, varnishes etc) as also due to presence of dust, the air inside the homes contains formaldehyde, dust mites, molds and pet dander inside our homes. Further, since most homes are air-conditioned, there is little or no circulation of fresh air from outside. The result: we are exposed to a greater degree of pollutants indoors than our parents were.

It goes without saying that the health of children, the elderly and the chronically ill, especially those suffering from respiratory or cardiovascular diseases are the worst affected by indoor air pollution.

Since all of us spend approximately 90 % of our time indoors, for many people, the risks to health may be greater due to exposure to air pollution indoors than outdoors.

As they say, extreme situations demand extreme measures. It is time we start thinking about installing air purifiers inside our homes.

A number of companies are making indoor air purifiers, and you can chose from these depending upon your requirements. These include Honeywell, Blueair, Dr Aeroguard, Kent, Amway, Electrolux, Febreeze etc.

Another path-breaking air purifier comes from the home of Sharp, the Sharp Plasmacluster Air Purifier. It is beneficial for asthma patients, pet-owners and new born babies as well. Equipped with highest class H14 HEPA, it can capture 99.97% of 0.3 micron dust particles, neutralise harmful and toxic gases, generate fresh indoor air by emitting the same positive and negative ions that occur in nature, kill harmful microbes, remove static electricity that traps dust particles and pollen and also helps the skin retain moisture and improve its elasticity and texture.

“Sharp is using Plasmacluster Technology which can best be described as the next generation of Air Purifiers. I prefer to use and recommend Sharp since it has 24 Global Certifications to confirm the Safety and Effectiveness.” said Barun Aggarwal, CEO at Breathe Easy Consultants Private Limited, a Paharpur Group Company.