In a recent study, it has been noted that making the simplest breakfast of our beloved toast could contribute to a high level of indoor air pollution. Marina Vance, Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder mentioned that homes were never considered an important source of outdoor air pollution. However, now it should be considered as one.
It has been also noted that generic household tasks like boiling of water, cooking dinner, cleaning can leave the home as polluted as a major city.
The study was done over the course of a month, wherein advanced sensors and cameras were used to look after the indoor air quality of a 1,200 square feet manufactured home. Varied household activities were carried out inside this huge house, which also included a Thanksgiving dinner. The strange thing is that the measured indoor concentrations were so high that the sensitive instruments had to be re-calibrated immediately.
Boiling water over a stove top flame contributes to high levels of gaseous air pollutants and suspended particles which have negative impact over the health. Thus, it is very evident that the homes need to be well ventilated while cooking and cleaning.
In one of the papers presented at the 2019 AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, researchers explained that the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from shampoo, cleaning solutions and perfume escape outside, and they then contribute to ozone and fine particle formation. This results in a greater source of global atmospheric air pollution than cars and trucks do.
Airborne toxins like formaldehyde and benzene and compounds like alcohol and ketones originated from home are scanty in volume. Thus, more efforts are required, and it is time to re-think that how new houses can be re-designed with much ventilation facility, in order to look after the levels of gaseous air pollutants.
Image Credit: Archana's Kitchen
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