Ninety four percent (94%) of all respiratory ailments are caused by polluted air according to the American Medical Association, which also reported that one-third of the American national health bill is for causes directly attributable to indoor air pollution. This is not surprising, when we consider that on average we breathe 17.000 litres of air!

Contributing factors are:

• Inadequate ventilation
• Contamination from inside the building
• Contaminants brought in from outside the building
• Microbiological contaminants  (mould, etc)
• Building material contamination
• The use of synthetic products such as air fresheners, cleaning products, perfumes
• Heating systems such as gas, kerosene or oil heaters
• Furniture finishes, paints, glues and varnishes (Volatile Organic Compounds)
• Smoking

According to the Australian Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and Arts, the occupants of buildings with poor indoor air quality can suffer from severe effects (asthma, allergic response, cancer risk) to mild and generally non-specific symptoms. Some health effects may show up years after exposure has occurred or only after long or repeated periods of exposure, and thus can be characterized as long-term health effects. These effects, which include respiratory diseases and cancer, can be severely debilitating or fatal. Long-term health effects are associated with indoor air pollutants such as radon, asbestos, and environmental tobacco smoke.

For more information go to the Australian government's environment website.

To improve the air quality in your home, you can take the following measures:

1. Keep windows open regularly
2. Remove sources of bad odour and open windows rather than using air fresheners.
3. Add Plants to your home, they are excellent living air filters and look great.
4. Replace filters for air-conditioning systems regularly to avoid build up of mould.
5. You could use an ionizer or air filter, but be aware of products that use or produce ozone in the process.
6. Use non-toxic cleaning product such as bicarbonate soda, vinegar and lemon juice.
7. Avoid products containing synthetic perfumes including air-fresheners; they may contain up to 3000 individual chemicals, some of them carcinogenic.
8. Use paints with low VOC emission, these are now available from larger companies such as British Paint and Dulux, or visit a specialized shop such as www.greenpaintshop.com.au.
9. Using gas, kerosene or oil for heating adds to air pollution, electric heating is preferable.