People spend, on average, 65 percent of their time inside their homes. A growing body of research suggests that indoor air pollution can be much more concentrated than pollution outside. Let's take a look at what precautions and suggestions health experts and industry leaders shared below to counter indoor air pollution which remains largely unregulated.
Dr. Akshay Budhraja, Pulmonologist, Aakash Healthcare, Dwarka states that "Indoor air is not always worse than outdoor. It depends on how aware you are about it and how to preserve indoor air quality at home & offices. Sometimes indoor concentration of some pollutants is 4-5 times higher than outside. The indoor air quality worsens by both the smog present outside and because of the pollutants generated inside like combustion sources (gas stove, cooking, fireplace, cigarette smoking), molds, pet dander, radon, pesticides, volatile organic compounds present in paint, carpets and upholsteries. People tend to keep the windows open during early morning hours when the level of smog is highest. Many people smoke inside the house. Sometimes people do not use exhausts, chimneys and there is poor ventilation of the rooms."
Adding, "Many people experience "sick building syndrome" that is experiencing respiratory symptoms when inside the building which resolves once the person is out of that particular building. That is caused by the pollutants/allergens present inside the building. Indoor pollutants can cause respiratory symptoms like asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, itching in eyes, nose, throat, headache, heart diseases, poor sleep quality, etc."
He advises, "Keep your windows closed during early morning and later evening hours. Use chimneys and exhausts wherever necessary. Minimize the use of chemicals. Avoid furniture polishing when at home. Keep your home and surroundings clean by keeping your footwear outside as they bring lots of soil and dust-dry cleaning/washing of bed covers, quilts, curtains at regular intervals. Use indoor plants, air purifiers."