Why Should You Care?

People spend over 90% of their time indoors and will be exposed to thousands of airborne pollutants. Products and materials indoors release volatile chemicals and particles into the air that may negatively affect human health or result in unacceptable odors. Inadequate ventilation, high temperatures, and high humidity levels increase concentrations of some pollutants, leading to indoor air pollution levels up to 100 times higher than those outdoors. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the American Lung Association, the World Health Organization, and other public health and environmental organizations view indoor air pollution as one of the greatest risks to human health. Poor indoor air quality can lead to allergies, asthma, reproductive and developmental problems, and cancer.

The economic impact of indoor air pollution is equally alarming. Poor indoor air quality can adversely affect employee health and productivity. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has estimated these costs to U.S. businesses to be in the "tens of billions of dollars per year" (USEPA Report to Congress on Indoor Air Quality, 1989). Improvements in the indoor air environment may substantially increase employee moral and productivity and reduce health care costs.

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Indoor Air Quality and Your Health

People can experience health effects from indoor air pollutants soon after exposure or years later. Immediate effects include irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Such immediate effects are usually short-term and treatable. Indoor air pollution may also trigger symptoms of some diseases, including asthma, dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis soon after exposure. More serious health effects may show up either years after exposure or only after long or repeated periods of exposure. These effects include some respiratory diseases, heart disease, reproductive and developmental problems, and cancer and they can be severely debilitating or fatal.

 

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What's That Smell?

Many complaints about the indoor environment are triggered by odors. Odors can severely impair people’s quality of life and their work performance. Odors result from the presence of volatile chemicals in the air and these chemicals may or may not be hazardous at the levels present. However, they do signal the presence of unacceptable air quality and may result in considerable concern and anxiety among building occupants.

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What Can You Do?

The best way to reduce indoor air pollution is to control the sources. The toxic emissions from many of these sources are not controlled or are only partially controlled by federal, state, or local law. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency encourages voluntary standards, such as those set by GEI, to help establish federal, state, or local regulations. The GREENGUARD Certification Program can help find low-emitting interior products and building materials. If certain products you are looking for are not represented in the GREENGUARD Product Guide, please let the manufacturer know you are concerned about his product’s emissions and tell them about the GREENGUARD Certification Program. Other helpful hints to reduce indoor air pollution include: Not to smoke indoors; to air out the building when new materials are brought in; to apply wet products such as paints and adhesives before the installation of dry products such as carpet and ceiling tile; to use exhaust fans when cooking; to avoid use of fragranced materials, deodorizers, and aerosol sprays; to store construction chemicals outside of the building.

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Reprinted from GreenGuard