Essay On Indoor Air Pollution

Everyday, society is inside. We eat, sleep, go to school, play sports, shop inside. In these places we cook, paint, clean, wear perfume, and sweat. But where do all the pollutants of these items go? They stay inside of the home or in a school building, until people start to realize a problem. This problem is indoor air pollution and it is growing concern worldwide not only because of the health effects, but the increase of pollutants indoors. Just like outdoor air pollution can be controlled and reduced, so can indoor air pollution.
Air pollution does not just include the pollutants outside. Indoor air pollution is a major concern, especially since we spend 90% of our time indoors everyday. Indoor air pollution is referred to as

Health effects may show up soon after the exposure, or it could take weeks to years. Immediate effects include “irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue” (EPA indoor air quality). Also, exposure to the pollution could cause other health effects to be more severe, like asthma. Treatment is usually available for short term health effects and usually includes eliminating exposure to the pollutants. When exposed to pollution, some people may show symptoms while others do not. All of this depends on age, sensitivity, and medical conditions. Long term exposure may take years to show. Effects resulting in long term exposure include respiratory disease, heart disease, and cancer. Specific types of indoor air pollutants also have health effects associated with them. Radon causes lung cancer in about 20,000 people per year. Formaldehyde causes allergic reactions, sinus irritation, nausea, dizziness, coughing, and possibly cancer. Environmental tobacco smoke causes sinus irritation, respiratory irritation, bronchitis and pneumonia, and increased risk of cancer. Asbestos have no immediate effect, but can cause chest, abdominal, and lung cancers. “600 to 1,000 U.S. deaths yearly are asbestos-related--mostly from workplace exposure” (ca.uky). These are just the most common indoor air pollutants and there are many

In the United States, the Clean Air Act was put into place to control air pollution as a nation. Today, all states have laws in place to help with indoor air pollution. In most states, smoking in public areas are no longer allowed, helping decrease first, second, and third hand smoke. In Colorado, there is a new law that requires facilities that care for children to be tested for radon and does not allow them to use scented products and other states like Colorado are starting to implement the law too. In North Carolina there is a law that “Requires that landlords repair or remedy, within a reasonable period of time, any imminently dangerous conditions