"Indoor Pollutants"

With homes full of potpourri, scented candles, and plug-in air fresheners, we escape inside, leaving the air pollution caused by smog and smokestack emissions outside. Wrong. We actually retreat from the smog into an environment that may smell better but is actually potentially five times worse than the air outside. And the very sprays and scents we use to make our homes smell clean are actually affecting the quality of our inside air. It is not only the sweet-smelling products that affect our air's purity but many of the cleaning products we use every day. If you are badly affected by allergies to certain chemicals, you may want to examine your utility closet and under your sink for products that you could replace with less toxic alternatives.

Potential Indoor Pollutants:

• Bleach and other chemical cleansers
  A great many cleansers contain environmental pollutants. Look carefully at their labels and try to substitute natural cleansers whenever you can. You can often find natural cleaning products at health food stores, or you can make them yourself out of non-toxic cleaning ingredients like pine oil, baking soda, vinegar, and lemon juice.
• Mothballs
  Not only do they smell bad, they are unhealthy - to moths as well as people! There are a lot of ways to repel moths, not the least of which is simply protecting wool items with a moth-proof barrier. You can also use cedar chips, which repel moths just as well.
• Cooking and heating appliances
  Gas stoves and appliances release fumes into the air. If you use gas, make sure that rooms containing gas appliances are well ventilated.
• Candles
  Candles release soot and other pollutants into the air, and those made with metal wicks may release lead into the air. Paraffin is a petroleum-based ingredient use to make candles and is a known pollutant. Try natural, paraffin-free, beeswax candles instead.
• Perfumes
  Perfumes made with other than natural oils may smell like flowers but breathe like chemicals. Look for perfumes that use only natural ingredients, or try creating your own scents from natural oils instead.
• Incense
  Smoke is an air pollutant, even when it smells sweet. Use dried-flower potpourri and fresh air to get the same effect.
• Dry cleaning
  Many professional dry cleaners use a carcinogenic cleaning agent. Hand-wash your delicate clothing with a gentle, natural cleanser instead. If you must dry clean a piece of clothing, hang it outside to fumigate before you wear it or store it in your closet.
• Furniture and rugs
  Think natural - avoid plastics as much as possible and use all-wool or silk rugs instead of wall-to-wall carpeting. Synthetic fibers give off toxic fumes.
• Teflon coated cookware
  Respected natural health advisor, Dr. Andrew Weil, cautions against using pans with a non-stick Teflon surface. He says Teflon emits toxic fumes when heated to high temperatures, and caged birds in kitchens have been poisoned from overheated Teflon-coated cookware. Never overheat Teflon-coated pans or leave them on the stove with nothing in them.

  ....More on Teflon....

  Recently, the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit organization in Washington, D.C., asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission to require cookware coated with Teflon and similar chemicals to carry a label describing potential health risks of the non-stick coating. They found that Teflon-like coatings on pans could reach 700 degrees F. in three to five minutes, releasing their toxic chemicals far more quickly than was suspected.

  Internal documents from the DuPont Company, which produces Teflon, show that toxic particles which kill birds are given off at temperatures as low as 464 degrees F.

  The EWG's research suggests that consumers often do not use temperatures in excess of 500 degrees F. when cooking. Dr. Weil recommends stainless steel pans with copper bottoms for better heat conduction, and advises all cooks to keep kitchens well ventilated.

  Increased Ventilation Helps

  To further increase your indoor air quality level, open windows and doors for ventilation whenever safety and weather conditions permit. Also consider installing a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in your favorite room to create a pollution-free zone. This is especially important if you live in a big city, where there just is not as much fresh air to go around.

  The issue of ventilation is a huge one, according to the Virginia Home Inspection Code. Ventilation is required in the kitchen, laundry, and bathrooms to exhaust warm, moist air to the outside. It is required of some appliances like the clothes dryer and stove to exhaust lint or smoke and grease to the exterior. It is required in the under floor crawl space and attic spaces to evaporate moisture, and is especially needed in winter months, the very time when so many people attempt to close off those vents.

  Without adequate ventilation, moisture begins to rust the metal, dampen the wood, and grow mold. The crawl spaces of your home should have enough screened vents so that you can see to get out on a sunny day.

  In conclusion, even if you do not have allergies, these tips can help make your home safer for your lungs.

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  Be Healthy!

  The Culbreths

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  Please note: the information contained herein has been compiled from various sources. The above statements have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. We make no claims, either expressed or implied, that any treatments mentioned in this newsletter will cure disease, replace prescription medication, or supersede sound medical advice.

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