Dangers of Indoor Air Pollution and How Best to Protect Yourself

It’s common to consider air pollution whenever we go outdoors, however, since humans spend nearly 90% of our time inside, why is it so uncommon to consider the potential dangers of indoor air pollution? Given how an estimated 3.8-million people die worldwide each year from indoor environments such as homes, workplaces, schools, shopping centers, gyms, and much more, it’s now more important than ever to consider this largely unspoken issue. Keep reading below to learn common sources of indoor air pollution, how it can negatively affect one’s health, and what you can do to best protect yourself and your family.

Causes of Indoor Air Pollution

Indoor air pollutants can emanate from a host of various sources. To start, depending on the materials used in the construction of your home, deadly chemicals derived from asbestos, building products, paint products, lead, formaldehyde, and particles in the carpets can all makes its way into the air. Additionally, fuel-burning appliances, such as stoves, water heaters, and fireplaces can all launch harmful emissions into your home such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other dangerous particulate matter.

If a home has been improperly cleaned or ignored entirely, harmful indoor air pollution can rapidly be introduced to the environment. Excessive indoor moisture, if left uncleaned, can cause mold problems which feeds the presence of cockroaches, dust mites, viruses, and bacteria. It’s also important to carefully approach cleaning your living space as household chemicals and various cleaning supplies can introduce volatile compounds into the air, so make sure to research before you purchase.

Common Health Symptoms of Indoor Air Pollution

It’s known that children, elderly people, and those with preexisting health conditions are more vulnerable to the dangers of indoor air pollution. Out of the 3.8-million people who die from indoor air pollution each year, the following breakdown represents the most common health symptoms:

• 32% suffer from heart disease which develops over time due to long-term exposure.
• 27% experience either lung cancer or low respiratory infections. 
• 23% suffer from fatal strokes.
• 18% die from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

How To Best Protect Yourself from Indoor Air Pollution

Shockingly, levels of air pollution indoors can often be higher than outdoor levels. Some way you can improve your indoor health quality includes:

• Occasionally open your windows and ventilate the indoor air.
• Consider purchasing an air filter for your HVAC system.
• Lessen indoor moisture by fixing water leaks.
• Install carbon monoxide alarms.
• Vacuum at least once per week.
• Use less toxic cleaning products and don’t mix chemicals.
• Avoid smoking indoors.
• Wear O2 Nose Filters.

O2 Nose Filters

While we may never be able to fully protect ourselves from all the different types of indoor air pollutants, we can at least find solace in the fact that O2 Nose Filters are available to protect us. O2 Nose Filters helps prevent harmful particulate matter from entering and potentially affecting your nasal cavities. O2 Nose Filters has been proven in controlled studies to help protect wearers from inhaling airborne particles such as bacteria, viruses, dust, exhaust fumes, smoke, and other pollutants. Independent laboratory tests demonstrate that 3M’s Advanced Electret Media in O2 Nose Filters block 90% of particulates at PM10 and 65% of particulates at PM2.5. Additionally, O2 Nose Filters are comfortable to wear due to their latex-free design and medical-grade Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) materials.

3M’s patented AEM™ (Advanced Electret Media) filter technology relies on the principles of electrostatic attraction. The high capture ratios and extended breathability attributed to 3M’s AEM™ material allows airborne particles from indoor air pollution to be captured within the filter. Rather than using a ”˜screen’ approach to block the passage of particles, the charged fibers act as ”˜magnets’ to retain particles while still allowing air to pass through, making O2 Nose Filters both breathable and effective.

O2 Nose Filters provides inexpensive and effective security to protect people from harmful indoor air pollution. While our nasal passageways try their best when it comes to filtering harmful particulate matter, they aren’t perfect. That’s why O2 Nose Filters are such an effective solution when it comes to improving our mental and physical health. Nose filters are a discreet, effective option to protect against air pollutants. The O2 Nose Filter uses 3M’s patented AEM™ electrostatic technology to capture allergens, viruses, and other particulates, making them a valuable tool for anyone who wants to drastically limit the pollutants they breathe in daily.