Air quality in the environment

How does air quality affect your body?

• How your body is affected depends on what pollutant is in the air

Your body’s first line of defense is your nose• Nose hairs help slow air

flow and allow particle deposition before entering airway

• Nasal mucosa cell secretions (ie. snot) trap particles which are then swept out of airway by cilia

• Immune cells in nose

Irritants in the air can cause your nose to increase secretions

Air then enters your trachea and bronchi, which can swell if irritated or damaged

Alveoli are the air sacs covered by capillaries that carry blood.

Particles that are small enough can enter bloodstream through the alveoli and even eventually get brought to the brain.

• Normal air contains 1,000 up to 10.000 microbes/germs and 10 to 50 micrograms of fine and ultrafine dust particles per cubic meter.

• This means that an adult human who inhales 10,000 – 15,000 liters of air per day is in fact inhaling more than 10,000 microbes and more than 10 billion particles each day.

https://www.nanopartikel.info/en/nanoinfo/body-barriers/2388-nanoparticles-and-the-lung

Lung Tree

Different pollutants affect different areas of the respiratory system

• Studies have shown that people spend 65-90% of their time indoors

• Indoor air pollutant levels can be 2-5 times higher than outdoor levels

• Factors that affect levels of indoor air pollution are inadequate ventilation, temperature, humidity, andmicrobial contamination

What can improve indoor air quality?

• OPEN YOUR WINDOWS

• Consider opening your windows in order to let the polluted air escape and allow the fresh air to get inside

• You don’t need to leave the windows open the entire day. Opening your windows for a few minutes every single day is enough to improve the air quality inside your home.

• You may turn on a ceiling fan or portable fan while the windows are open in order for the indoor air to recirculate and push the stale air out.

USE NON-TOXIC PRODUCTS FOR CLEANING

• The chemicals coming from the household products that we use to clean our home are often the number one reason for the poor air quality indoors. So the next time you shop for household cleaning products, look for those products that don’t have any toxic chemicals in them.

• Or better yet, use natural cleaning products, such as baking soda, lemon juice, vinegar, hot water for cleaning your home.

https://wellnessmama.com/6244/natural-cleaning/

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CHOOSE YOUR PAINT WELL AND VENTILATE WELL WHEN YOU PAINT

• You’re probably familiar with that unpleasant odor that a room produces right after you paint the walls. The odor can sometimes be intense that it could make you feel dizzy.

• Avoid conventional paints that emit toxic fumes. Instead, choose safer paints that are labeled “low VOC” or “zero VOC”.

INVEST IN A VACUUM THAT HAS HEPA FILTER• Floors and carpets are capable of

producing chemicals and common allergens that get mixed with the household dust.

• Vacuuming your home for a few times a week is a great way to keep it clean, however, cheap vacuums may just make matters worse. These vacuums also have the tendency to suck some harmful chemicals in and then spew them back into the air, which adds up to the poor air quality.

• Therefore, when buying a vacuum for your home, always opt for something that has a HEPA filter. This unit is capable of suctioning all types of dirt, dust, and even the tiniest irritants.

a) Shark Navigator Lift Away Professional- This is the #1 reviewed HEPA vacuum (or vacuum of any kind really) on a bunch of online stores and comes with all the attachments you could need to get dust out of every nook and cranny. People love how the canister lifts away for easier stair and portable cleaning.b) Kenmore Pet Friendly Upright Vacuum- If you have cats or dogs this is the vacuum you need to be hair and dander free. Bonus, it's also certified to be allergy and asthma friendly.c) Hoover Wind Tunnel- This is an extremely affordable upright vacuum with a HEPA filter with thousands of good reviews. There's a HEPA vacuum for every budget.d) Dyson V10 Cordless Stick Vacuum- This is our luxe pick for an amazing cordless stick vacuum with a HEPA filter. Vacuuming after meal times with a messy toddler just got a lot easier! A stick vacuum is perfect for small messes or if you're short on storage space. Also, this vacuum has great attachments to clean all the hard to reach places in your house. Bonus, all Dyson vacuums are certified to be allergy and asthma friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation.e) Miele C2 Electro + Powerline Canister Vacuum- Miele vacuums are the crème de la crème of vacuums. This is the upgrade pick from product review site Wirecutter. We love the suction control settings on this vacuum, which makes it easier to vacuum dusty drapes and small area rugs.f) Ovente Bagless Canister Cyclonic Vacuum- This is our budget pick for a HEPA filter canister vacuum that will easily get the job done. High performance in an affordable compact package.g) Novete Handheld Vacuum- This is an affordable handheld vacuum that has a HEPA filter. Super convenient for small messes and vacuuming messes in the car.

https://www.becausehealth.org/6-hepa-filter-vacuums-2558446874.html