In most developed or developing countries, people spend approximately 90% of their time indoors. Our homes, businesses, offices, gyms, cars, and meeting or leisure venues are examples of indoor environments where we breathe constantly. It is therefore crucial to understand the chemistry that takes place in these spaces, air quality, and what it means for our health and wellbeing. Air pollutants are those particles suspended in the air in gaseous form or as solid particles. These are divided into the following categories: Persistent Organic Pollutants Biocides, flame retardants, plasticisers, PCBs, PAHs Volatile Organic Compounds Solvents: hydrocarbons, adhesives, varnishes, paints, insulation, plastics Formaldehyde: wood chipboard, glued products, sandwich panels, synthetic resins Isocyanate: Glues, polyurethane Fibres and particles, often found in the form of aerosols and dust. Radon gas, coming from the subsoil or from materials used in construction such as pumice stone, granite, or clay, depending on the extraction area. Microbial contamination, mould, yeast, bacteria. Carbon dioxide.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air. Pollutants come from various sources, such as floors, walls, countertops, furniture, textiles, etc., but what most affects our air quality are cleaning or personal hygiene chemical products, which have been linked to immune system disorders, liver damage, among other things, and the act of cooking, which generates gases comparable to those from traffic in a large city, according to Marina Vance, a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder in the United States –HOMEchem collaborative project-. We already know that inhaling something instead of ingesting it doesn’t make it harmless; particles breathed in through the lungs also reach the bloodstream, and many of them are harmful and are found throughout our indoor spaces. As we mentioned in our blog post “Our body’s chemical burden”, over the last 100 years 150,000 new chemical products have been introduced into the environment, of which only 10% have been evaluated. That doesn’t mean that 10% is safe, since there is no data on how they interact.
That’s why @lacompanyiaverda recommends observing our surroundings, reading labels, staying informed, minimising the use of cleaning or personal care chemical products, ventilating the kitchen while cooking or cleaning, and introducing natural products, whether when buying textiles, painting, or replacing furniture.
