Following the American Psychological Association’s Guidelines
sTRATEGIE
Indoor air pollution may be caused by inadequately controlled combustion that includes fireplaces, wood stoves, kerosene heaters, furnaces, natural gas stoves and water heaters. When these are worn out or badly maintained, they can produce deadly carbon monoxide gas and other substances. It is critical to conduct periodic inspection by qualified technicians in buildings in order to maximize appliance efficiency and correct air ventilation inside.
Second-hand tobacco smoke and diesel exhaust are two other frequent indoor pollutants. The first is known to cause higher and severe incidence of asthma attacks in children while the latter aggravates respiratory disorders. Indoor pollution may result when ventilation system air intakes are located near busy loading docks or diesel-powered generators. Truck drivers should be strictly warned to turn off the engines when using the loading dock or the building air intake duct can be routed away from where the contamination is sourced.
Other sources of indoor air pollution are paint and cleaning products and household chemicals. Containers can deteriorate or leak so it is prudent to limit how many of these are stored for a reasonable time period. Aging containers and excess products should be disposed of properly.
Because modern building systems seem to seal off buildings from the outdoor environment, the best way to minimize air pollution is to adopt stern safety measures to reduce the amount of polluting sources by using furnishings that emit low levels of volatile organic compounds, operating ventilation systems effectively or improving venting conditions and conducting routine maintenance and venting of equipment and appliances that can produce air contaminants (NACAA, n.d.). Safety is first.
References
National Association of Clean Air Agencies. N.d. Indoor Air Pollution. Clean Air World. Retrieved from http://www.cleanairworld.org/TopicDetails.asp?parent=20.
Wilson, Eric. 2013. Monitoring Air Quality for a More Sustainable Future. Green Conduct. Retrieved from http://www.greenconduct.com/news/2013/01/30/monitoring-air-quality-for-a-more-sustainable-future/.
