Home is a safe and comfortable place – the walls, doors, and windows of a house are essential for comfort, whether to let in the breeze or keep out the heat, offering essential protection. Even so, indoor environments can be just as dangerous as the outdoors due to poor indoor air quality.
A study on indoor air quality (IAQ) has indicated that exposure to poor IAQ and increasing levels of indoor air pollutants were associated with respiratory symptoms, particularly wheezing, among toddlers in Malaysia1.
Philips Domestic Appliances has recently released a white paper that has been independently reviewed by an expert panel of academicians and clinicians in disciplines relating to air pollution and respiratory health, establishing the need for healthcare providers to be more aware of indoor air pollution and its detrimental impact to healthy living.
The white paper has revealed that there is a lack of awareness on the impact of air pollutants among healthcare professionals (HCPs) as well as the public, particularly in areas where the air pollution is not tangible2.
Children are at particular risk of health issues due to poor IAQ when they are younger and their bodies are still developing. Children breathe in more air, eat more food and drink more liquid in proportion to their body weight than adults resulting in a greater exposure to pollutants.
The adverse effects of poor IAQ extends beyond health and can have repercussions on child education and their ability to learn. Symptoms include headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, sinus congestion, coughing, sneezing, dizziness, nausea as well as irritation of the eye, nose, throat, and skin.
Professor Wojciech Feleszko, Associate Professor of Paediatric Pneumonology and Allergy at the Medical University of Warsaw, has expressed, “Neonates, premature infants and young children are highly exposed and highly vulnerable to the toxic and long-term effects of environmental pollution”.
There are many sources of indoor air pollution in the home environment. Air pollution inside homes consists of a complex mixture of agents penetrating from outdoor air – through doors, windows and gaps which are major contributors to poor indoor air quality.
Other than that, household air pollution borne from the use of solid fuels in stoves for cooking or heating is a critical concern and contributes to a high burden of disease in that environment. It is estimated that indoor air can kill more children globally than outdoor air pollution, especially in regions such as Africa and Asia3.
Due to the fact that children and the elderly spend most of their time indoors, there is no doubt that these groups are exposed to this environmental risk.
Where source control is not possible, other strategies to improve indoor air quality are required to combat indoor air pollution and improve air quality in homes and at schools.
Philips Domestic Appliances’ Clean Air white paper has concluded that reviews and studies conducted so far suggest that in almost all cases, air purification systems do reduce indoor pollution concentrations significantly2.
Supporting the suggestion, Professor Wojciech Feleszko said, “Air purifiers can improve indoor air quality and supplement asthma treatment to help allergy and asthma patients keep their symptoms under control”. However, there is a vast difference between the quality of different devices on the market in terms of its technology, operation, energy usage and maintenance requirements.
As time spent indoors increases in modern society, the impact of indoor environmental quality on comfort, health, and productivity of occupants also increases. It’s clear that the air quality will affect children’s development and ability to thrive to maximize their growth potential.
Hence, an early effective measure is crucial – controlling air pollution levels in your home is an essential part of that equation.
By Philips Domestic Appliances
References:
- Indoor Particulate Matters, Microbial Count Assessments, and Wheezing Symptoms among Toddlers in Urban Day Care Centers in the District of Seremban, Malaysia https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6997519/
- Clean Air white paper, Philips Domestic Appliances 2022
- 3 Clean the air for children, UNICEF https://www.unicef.org/reports/clean-air-children
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