Health & Wellness
Family and purifier: Getty Images.
Clear the Air
SIMPLE WAYS TO CLEAN INDOOR AIR
Learn strategies to keep your family breathing better air By Kelly Smith
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nyone who stepped outside this past summer to a glowing orange sunset or hazy gray sunrise can attest that the air quality looks bad—and they’re right. In our case, wildfire smoke from California and Oregon inundated Colorado with tiny particles of ash, dust, and soot, while ozone levels from cars (among other things) have spiked to create those familiar whitesky days. According to the air quality tracking website IQAir, Denver’s air quality on August 9, 2021, trailed only Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, for the worst air quality among any major city on Earth. “The air quality has been in the moderate to very unhealthy range for much of the summer,” says Dr. Anthony Gerber, director of research, pulmonary division at National Jewish Health. Poor air quality can affect children in multiple ways,
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Colorado Parent | October 2021
such as causing shortness of breath, coughing, and worsening symptoms of any lung-related diseases such as asthma. “Children breathe more, relative to their body weight. Also, their lungs are developing, so we do list children in the more sensitive population group.” Though we can’t control many of the air pollution factors, there are ways to ensure that your family breathes better air, both indoors and out. IMPROVING AIR QUALITY AT HOME While conditioning your air inside does not change the air conditions outside, using an air purifier in the home may offer some relief from the smoke, as well as other known indoor air pollutants like volatile organic compounds, allergens, pet dander, and mold. Gerber says it’s important to note that the amount of smoke getting into your home varies
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), recommends these simple ways to keep the air inside your home as clean and particulate-free as possible: · Avoid smoking cigarettes, pipes, and cigars indoors. · Dust or mop surfaces in the home often to keep settled particles from getting back into the air. · Minimize the use of gas, propane, or wood-burning stoves and furnaces. · Refrain from spraying aerosol products such as air freshener. · House dust mites, pollen, animal dander and other allergy-causing agents can be reduced, although not eliminated, through regular cleaning. · Reduce frying or broiling food, as the smoke and steam add particles into the air. · Don’t burn candles or incense. · Ensure that your vacuum cleaner has a HEPA filter. Also, the NASA Clean Air Study researched ways to clean the air in space stations, and its results suggested that certain common indoor plants may provide a natural way of removing pathogenic viruses, bacteria, and organic chemicals. Look for spider plants, peace lilies, and bamboo palms, which don’t require a green thumb to keep alive.
