These symptoms include itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, dizziness, and fatigue. They're often short-term and easily treatable.
The Short Answer:
Air pollution is caused by solid and liquid particles and certain gases that are suspended in the air. These particles and gases can come from car and truck exhaust, factories, dust, pollen, mold spores, volcanoes and wildfires.
Poor air quality can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, cause shortness of breath, aggravate asthma and other respiratory conditions, and affect the heart and cardiovascular system.
How Does Poor Indoor Air Quality Affect Health? The “immediate” symptoms of poor indoor air quality can often resemble a cold or allergies. You can feel fatigue or dizziness and may frequently get headaches and experience eye, nose, or throat irritation.
Household air pollution exposure leads to noncommunicable diseases including stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer.
The specific disease outcomes most strongly linked with exposure to air pollution include stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, pneumonia, and cataract (household air pollution only).
They can increase the risk of heart and respiratory diseases, as well as lung cancer. Ozone is a major factor in causing asthma (or making it worse), and nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide can also cause asthma, bronchial symptoms, lung inflammation and reduced lung function.
A variety of DIY testing kits are available to check for formaldehyde, mold, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), radon and more. However, knowing what to check for could save you time and money. An air quality monitor can identify and alert you to an issue in its early stages.
Most indoor air pollution comes from sources that release gases or particles into the air. Things such as building materials and air fresheners give off pollution constantly. Other sources such as tobacco smoke and wood-burning stoves also cause indoor pollution. Some indoor air pollutants have been around for years.
On a clear breezy day, the air smells fresh and clean. Clean air is air that has no harmful levels of pollutants (dirt and chemicals) in it. Clean air is good for people to breathe. On a hot day with no wind, the air can feel heavy and have a bad smell.
A 2017 study found that people who lived in areas with high levels of outdoor air pollution were 60% more likely to sleep poorly than those in regions with less pollution. Another study found poor ventilation can also lead to restless nights and groggy mornings.
Exposure to high levels of air pollution can cause a variety of adverse health outcomes. It increases the risk of respiratory infections, heart disease and lung cancer.
Irritation of the nose and sinus from these pollutants, resulting from direct contact with the nasal mucosa, leads to inflammation, edema, swelling, and blocked sinuses. The result is acute and chronic sinusitis. Absorption of these chemicals into the body produces systemic effects.
The most common diseases caused by air pollution include ischemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer and acute lower respiratory infections in children. Particulate air pollution has been linked with strokes, which occur when the blood supply to the brain is cut-off.
Pesticides. Radon (Rn) Indoor Particulate Matter. Secondhand Smoke/ Environmental Tobacco Smoke.
Opening Windows Can Help Indoor Air Quality
When you open your windows you will flush out a lot of the pollutants and allergens that build up within your home. Newer homes are built to be air-tight to conserve energy and money, but as a result this prevents pollutants from naturally escaping your home.
This is because, as the temperature drops during the nighttime hours, the atmosphere traps car emissions, CO2, and other pollutants in the house and down near the ground – and the effect is much worse if spaces inside the home are poorly ventilated.
Poor indoor air quality can cause a stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing or wheezing, headache, burning eyes, or skin rash. People with asthma or other breathing problems or who have allergies may have severe reactions.