Indoor Particles 101

micron_chart

Indoor Pollutants Are Particles…

…about 90% of the time

Here is a quick course of particles (pollutants) in the home.

  • Particles are commonly measured in microns, a metric unit of measure. There are 25,400 microns in one inch.
  • Visible particles constitute as little as 1% of indoor air!
  • Particle visibility depends on the eye itself. In other words, light intensity and quality, background and particle type.
  • Particles on furniture and those in a shaft of light are approximately 50microns or larger.
  • It may be possible to see particles as small as 10 microns under favorable conditions.
  • The majority of harmful particles are 3 microns or less in size.
  • Particles of 1 micron or less adhere to surfaces by molecular adhesion. Scrubbing is generally the only way to remove them.
  • Larger particles tend to settle out of the atmosphere due to weight.
  • Smaller, “respirable” particles remain virtually suspended in the air until breathed in.
  • Approximately 98-99% of all particles by count are in the size range of 5 microns or less. These particles tend to remain in suspension or settle out so slowly that
    only quality air cleaners such as HEPA air cleaners are effective in removing these particles.
  • The average person breathes in about 16,000 quarts of air per day. Each quart contains some 70,000 visible and invisible particles. That’s over a billion particles
    per day that our bodies have to process!
  • The average home collects about 2 pounds of dust per week!
  • A 9′ x 12′ carpet or rug will collect an average of about 10 pounds of dust per
    year!

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Improve Your Indoor Air Quality

Here is a checklist of things you can do right now to improve your indoor air quality:

LEAVE POLLUTANTS AT THE DOOR
• Wipe your feet on a doormat or remove your shoes at the door.
• Reduce dust and dirt on your floors.
• Vacuum at least twice a week using a HEPA filter, and/or mop floors.
• Replace wall-to-wall carpeting with washable area rugs.
BREATH CLEAN AIR
• Make your home a no-smoking zone.
• Ventilate your home often: Open your windows to let polluted air out and let clean air in.
• Check the air in your home: Test for radon and install carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.
KEEP HUMIDITY LOW IN YOUR HOME
• Repair leaky plumbing and seal cracks in basement floors and walls.
• Open a window or turn on the exhaust fan when showering.
• Place dehumidifiers or air conditioners in damp rooms. Clean and/or replace filters regularly.
• Maintain the humidity level between 30-60%, using a moisture detector (hygrometer).
FRESHEN ROOMS NATURALLY
• Clear pollutants from the air with potted plants and cut flowers.
• Sprinkle baking soda on your carpet to absorb odors before vacuuming.
• Use natural herbs and essential oils instead of scented candles or air fresheners.
AVOID PRODUCTS WITH STRONG FUMES AND TOXIC INGREDIENTS
• Avoid all pesticides and chemical fertilizers in and around your home.
• Use non-toxic, mild, or least-toxic household cleaners.
• Stop using aerosol sprays, which can pollute the air with toxic solvents.
• Limit exposure to formaldehyde and other VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
• Ventilate, especially when you renovate.
• Use low or no-VOC paints and sealants.
• Avoid buying urea-formaldehyde (UF) pressed wood products (subfloors, doors, cabinets, etc.)
• Wash new clothing, bedding and draperies twice prior to use.
• Avoid permanent press fabrics and stain repellant sprays.
• Hang dry-cleaned clothes outside or in a well-ventilated area before bringing them inside.
LIMIT INDOOR BURNING OF FUEL AND WOOD
• Burn only hardwoods, not pine or pressed wood logs. Do not burn printed paper or particleboard.
• Clean the flue and chimney annually.
• Buy/use wood stoves certified after 1992. They emit less pollutants than older ones.
• Choose electric stove/oven over gas.
• Open a window or turn on the exhaust fan when using a gas stove.
• Avoid kerosene and gas space heaters.

HEPA=High Efficient Particle Air

Reprinted with permission by Children’s Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC). CHEC is a national nonprofit organization working to educate parents and others about preventable health and environmental problems caused by exposure to toxic substances.

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Indoor Air Pollutant Quiz

How much do you know about Indoor Air Pollutants in the home? Try this brief quiz and find out.

Which of the following are reasons for concern about indoor air today?

  1. People spend most of their time indoors.
  2. The use of natural ventilation has decreased.
  3. Buildings and furnishings are produced from synthetic chemicals.
  4. All of the above are reasons for concern.

4. All of the above are reasons for concern.

Which of the following is an example of an irritant?

  1. Formaldehyde.
  2. Carbon dioxide.
  3. Carbon monoxide.
  4. Radon.

1. Formaldehyde.

Which of the following can affect the quality of indoor air?

  1. Vegetation surrounding the house.
  2. Quality of water supply.
  3. Geology.
  4. All of the above can affect indoor air quality.

4. All of the above can affect indoor air quality.

Which of the following is a potential carcinogen which can be emitted from water, some building materials and the soil?

  1. Lead.
  2. Trichloromethane.
  3. PCBs.
  4. Radon gas.

1. Radon gas.

Which of the following could be present in painted surfaces in older structures and could result in mental retardation?

  1. Benzene.
  2. Cadmium.
  3. Lead.
  4. Styrene.

3. Lead.

Through which of the following does the exchange of outdoor air with indoor air occur?

  1. Infiltration and exfiltration.
  2. Natural ventilation.
  3. Mechanical ventilation.
  4. All of the above.

4. All of the above.

Which of the following contaminants could result from air-conditioning or an evaporator cooler?

  1. Carbon monoxide.
  2. Carbon dioxide.
  3. Nitrogen dioxide.
  4. Microorganisms.

4. Microorganisms.

Which of the following air cleaning filters can remove small airborne particles with efficiencies of over 99%?

  1. Air filters.
  2. Pleated air filters.
  3. HEPA (High Efficient Particle Air) filters.
  4. Ion air cleaners.

3. HEPA (High Efficient Particle Air) filters.

Which of the following contaminants could result from the use of electronic air or ion air cleaners?

  1. Ozone.
  2. Microorganisms.
  3. Carbon monoxide.
  4. Carbon dioxide.

1. Ozone.

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Indoor Pollutant Fact Sheet

Because Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, it seems fitting that indoor air be a major concern inside the home. Asthma and allergic reactions are triggered or made worse by numerous environmental pollutants including fungi and molds, dust mites, pet and insect allergens, chemicals, dust and odors. Over 50 million Americans are affected by allergies and over 17 million suffer from asthma. Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children today.

Below are primary indoor pollutants that may affect the health of those in the home:

Mold and Fungi

  • 20% of homes have invisible molds.
  • Between 10% and 32% of all asthmatic persons are sensitive to fungal allergens, both indoors and outdoor.
  • Excessive moisture is the cause of most indoor mold.

Cockroach Allergens

  • Up to 60% of asthmatics in one study tested positive to cockroach allergen.
  • A cockroach expert at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture actually counted all the German cockroaches in about 1,000 low-income apartments in Gainesville, FL. The average number of cockroaches was 13,000 per apartment.

Animal Allergens

  • Many people think that pet allergies are triggered by the fur of household pets. Actually, the allergens are proteins secreted by oil glands in the animals’ skin and shed as dander or dead skin.
  • These allergenic proteins are also found in saliva and urine.

Dust Mite Allergens

  • It is estimated that exposure to mite allergen may trigger attacks in up to 85% of asthmatics.
  • Mite allergens are found in bedding, upholstered furniture, and carpeted floorings.

Formaldehyde and VOCs

  • It is estimated that 10 to 20 percent of the U.S. population, including asthmatics, may have hyper-reactive airways, which may make them more susceptible to formaldehyde’s effects.
  • Elevated VOC levels may cause headache, eye, nose and throat irritation.

Other Gases

  • Carbon monoxide in the home causes over 1500 deaths per year.
  • Ozone is a strong pulmonary irritant that can result in lung damage.
  • Combustion gases such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides are toxic and contribute to respiratory illnesses.

To learn more about indoor pollutants and how to make your home a haven, please sign up for our Free Email Mini-Course Newsletter in the upper right-hand corner of this page or click here to read more.


33 Allergy Tips

Allergy Tips from President Ronald Reagan’s Allergist!

President’s Ronald Reagan’s former allergist, Ralph Bookman, M.D., has earned the respect of doctors and patients by developing effective ways to minimize allergy problems. He is an ‘old school’ scholar with a tremendous amount of valuable information for allergy sufferers.

While Governor of California, Ronald Reagan came looking for Dr. Bookman for some allergy relief. Ronald Reagan liked what he saw With Dr. Bookman it’s not hard to like, what you see is what you get.

Here, are a number of treatments, tips, explanations and opinions culled from a series of interviews and from Dr. Bookman’s excellent book, The Dimensions of Clinical Allergy.

1. To Understand Allergy, Look Beyond The Symptoms.
“In medical school you learn to look for the cause of a disease based upon the location of its symptoms. But allergy is not a disease — it’s an inherited condition that cannot be understood from the medical school point of view”. “It doesn’t matter if the symptoms show up in the nose, chest, eyes, ears, skin or somewhere else — the problem isn’t in that one area. Allergy is a lifelong condition that affects the entire individual”.
2. Nobody ‘Outgrows’ Allergies
“The lifetime of the allergic individual is one in which symptoms will wax and wane in intensity and shift from one part of the body to another. This shifting of symptoms is poorly understood and leads many people to mistakenly believe that one can ‘outgrow’ their allergy symptoms”.
3. Example: Eczema
“An example is the child with a severe case of incredibly itchy eczema who suddenly improves without apparent reason”. “The most recent symptom of the child’s allergic nature — the eczema — has disappeared, but it is invariably replaced by another allergy symptom. In most children, the shift is from eczema to nasal symptoms”. “But the parents and physician are generally so relieved that the eczema is gone that they don’t even notice the runny, stuffed-up nose that wasn’t there before!”
4. Irritants, Not Allergens
“A large number of non-protein substances like Kleenex, paper dust, paint fumes, perfume, newsprint and cigarette smoke are erroneously called allergens, but they’re not. They do produce symptoms in many people, but it’s because they’re irritating, not allergic”.
5. Victory through Ventilation
“Many patients observe that they feel bad in the morning, but not until they get out of bed and start moving around. “That’s because dust has settled during the night and they only react when it’s disturbed. High efficiency filtration of incoming fresh air and of recirculating air can help lessen exposure to allergens”.
6. Growing Up Allergic
“An infant’s first exposure to proteins is primarily through foods, which is why food allergies are so common in allergic infants. As the infant grows, his ‘protein world’ expands, and he begins to react to the indoor allergens he’s inhaling”. “Exposure to pollen generally comes later, which is why outdoor allergies rarely appear in children before the age of 3. As the child grows older, the food allergies so common to infants gradually disappear — only to be replaced by inhalant allergies”. “The food allergies weren’t outgrown — they were replaced!”
7. Positive Reactions Not Positive Proof
“The first thing that happens when an allergic person inhales, ingests or physically contacts an allergen is that they become ‘sensitized’ to it. All that means is that their body now recognizes that substance distinctly — it doesn’t mean that exposure is going to cause them to experience symptoms”. “But it will cause them to react to that substance when skin tested. These positive reactions tend to convince people that they’re allergic to many more things than they really are”.
8. Thresholds
“Even when people are allergic to a substance, there is a certain level they can tolerate before symptoms will appear. Exceed that ‘threshold’ and up pop the symptoms”. “Most people already understand that the same amount of pollen can bother one allergic person and not another. What they often fail to understand is that thresholds can also vary widely in the same person from one day to the next”.
9. Where’s Your ‘Dial’ Set Today?
“Generally these changes occur gradually during a person’s lifetime. Without changing a thing around them, some people’s sensitivities to one substance can all but vanish, while other allergies will reappear after years of absence”. “I like to say that the ‘dial setting’ of their allergic responsiveness has changed. Most times, this occurs slowly and subtly, but some events can cause immediate changes in a person’s ‘dial setting’”.
10. Shots and Sickness Work the Same
“Allergy injections don’t get rid of your allergy to a substance — they raise your threshold, so that you can tolerate more of the substance before you experience symptoms”. “But a virus will have almost the same effect, temporarily. It’s not unusual to see allergic skin lesions clear or respiratory symptoms disappear during a virus attack. Surgery or a major trauma, such as breaking a bone, almost invariably shuts down allergy symptoms as well”.
11. Allergy Symptoms: There Are Only Three
“When you do exceed your threshold, symptoms appear. All allergic symptoms are a combination of three basic effects, and nothing more”. “There is edema (swelling), particularly of the skin and mucus membrane. There is an increase in the secretion of mucus, especially in the respiratory tract. And there is spasm of smooth muscle where smooth muscle exists”.
12. Swelling Tops The List
“Edema is the most common result of an allergic reaction, but the actual symptoms it produces depend entirely upon the area where the swelling occurs. In the upper respiratory tract, for instance, swelling can cause nasal obstruction or sinus obstruction, close the ear’s Eustachian tube, or cut off a person’s sense of smell by obstructing their olfactory recess”.
13. The Most Serious Edema
“If you’re lucky enough to have your allergic edema show up in the nose, you can always breathe through your mouth. But when the same edema is experienced in the bronchial tree, there aren’t any breathing alternatives”.
14. Eczema? Just Abused Edema
“The only allergic response the skin can have is edema. It doesn’t have smooth muscle and it can’t secrete mucus”.
15. Smoke: Not Allergic
“There are cases of true tobacco allergy, but they always involve physical contact with the raw leaf. Cigarette smoke can make you cough, sneeze and wheeze, but it’s not an allergy and allergy treatments won’t prevent it or clear it up”.
16. Alcohol Augments Allergies
“Alcohol is also not an allergen. But it does act to congest the nasal passages. In someone with allergic rhinitis (a runny, stuffed-up allergic nose) it adds to the edema already present due to allergies”.
17. Allergies and Emotions
“It has been a tedious burden to have to constantly explain that emotions have no effect whatsoever on allergy symptoms — especially to people who are absolutely convinced this is true because they read it somewhere or heard it on TV. I am far more impressed by the effect that allergy symptoms have on a person’s emotional state. People who think that allergic symptoms are the result of emotional problems obviously have the cart before the horse! A nose that’s blocked up constantly day and night can’t help but cause a person to be irritable and lessen their ability to cope with life and its daily problems”.
18. Pollen Alone?
“Probably Not . . Close questioning of patients who insist that they only have seasonal complaints invariably reveals that most of them are not completely symptom-free the rest of the year. Their year-round symptoms may be minor — occasional sneezing, a productive cough, some slight nasal stuffiness — but they are there if you look for them”.
19. Too Much Dander And Nothing Works!
“The amount of dander deposited on a home’s rugs and furniture by a pet is usually far greater than allergy injections can overcome. The shots won’t help until the pets are moved outside and the dander has been cleaned out of the rugs and furniture”.
20. Skin Test Tips
“You can’t predict the severity of a person’s symptoms by their skin tests alone. I often see large skin test reactions in people with mild hay fever and small reactions in people who have severe allergy problems. And not all people with allergic disease react when skin tested. Occasionally you’ll see a person with a classic history of spring hay fever whose skin tests are negative. Such people generally respond well to injections of the pollens that are in the air when their symptoms are worst”.
21. Seniors Can Be Skin Tested
“Some doctors claim that elderly people don’t react at all when skin tested. This is just not so. Older people tend not to flare (the redness that appears around a positive skin test), but the wheal (the actual hive-like welt that springs up when a test is positive) can be read if you look at it in oblique light and feel around to determine its size”.
22. When Not To Test
“It’s pretty much useless to skin-test someone when their asthma symptoms are severe or when they’re recovering from surgery or other trauma. Just as these conditions temporarily relieve allergy symptoms, they also shut down skin test responses. If you want to really learn what you’re allergic to, wait till you feel better”.
23. Bad Marks in History
“Taking a person’s history accurately is more important in allergy practice than in any other medical specialty. Many people’s allergies go undiagnosed simply because most doctors don’t ask enough questions, don’t know the right ones to ask and don’t know which answers actually point to a diagnosis of allergy”.
24. Medical Forms Miss the Mark
“Forms interfere with getting a good idea of a person’s medical history for two reasons. First, they’re created by doctors, using terms that doctors are familiar with but that many patients aren’t. You get a lot of wrong answers simply because most people are going to misunderstand at least some of the words on the form. Second, all forms, no matter how carefully they are written, are extremely rigid in structure. This prevents a doctor from learning of unusual events that may be important for correct diagnosis”.
25. Doctors: Ask More Questions!”
“A doctor should always ask a patient what they mean when they say they ‘have a lot of colds’ or when they complain of frequent infections. Are these really infections, or just short-term worsening of the person’s allergic symptoms? Most doctors think that the only allergy symptom is sneezing, and if you don’t sneeze you don’t have allergies. People in cold climates will often report having lots of colds and infections in the winter. The real problem is that they’re spending more time indoors — surrounded by indoor allergens”.
26. How to Catch A Mouth Breather”
Don’t bother asking people if they’re mouth breathers, because they’re just going to say no. Ask them instead if they wake up with a dry mouth or a sore throat in the morning — both are sure signs of mouth breathing! Hot drinks will relieve the problem quickly”.
27. Not All Seasonal Allergies Are Pollen
“Steer manure, a popular springtime lawn fertilizer, contains copious amounts of cattle dander, which is a very potent allergen. Because it’s generally only applied in the spring or fall, people often mistake the seasonal symptoms as an allergy to pollens”.
28. If The Plant Is Pretty, Don’t Worry
“Many people tend to look at a colorful field of flowers as a producer of airborne pollen. But those bright colors are there to attract insects, which carry the heavy pollen from plant to plant. In most cases it’s safe to say that flowers whose blossoms are easily visible and colorful are insect pollinated and won’t cause problems”.
29. Pets — or Pollen?
“Cats and dogs that are allowed to roam often play in grassy and weed-strewn areas, where they can pick up quite a bit of pollen in their pelts. The only allergen in cat saliva is dander. Cats are always licking themselves and their saliva is heavily contaminated with the skin scales they’re licking off! Some people who think they’re allergic to pets are actually reacting to the pet borne pollen and not to the pet”.
30. Minor League Symptoms Can Cause Major League Fatigue
“Constant low-grade allergy symptoms can often be more detrimental than symptoms that are severe, but occasional. Constant, annoying symptoms can really wear away at a person’s sense of well-being. They can destroy their ability to get a good night’s sleep or concentrate at work”.
31. Goat Hair? In The White House?
“Most people have a lot more animal dander in their environment than they realize. If they have a true Oriental rug, for instance — one actually made in the Orient — then it is certainly loaded with sheep, goat and camel dander. President Reagan tells me he feels much better when he’s at Camp David than at the White House, and I’m not surprised. The White House is full of antique furniture stuffed with animal hair. When someone plops down in one of those old chairs or overstuffed couches, a ton of dander comes blowing into the room. Camp David has all new furniture. And new furniture isn’t filled with dander”.
32. Wool Worries
“Good quality domestic wool is processed to be dander-free; it is not allergenic. However, it is irritating to many people — and not just those with allergies. Wool from third-world countries is not treated after it’s taken from the animal. This kind of wool can contain a lot of dander and cause serious allergy problems”.
33. Outdoor Pets Are No Problem
“Pets that remain outdoors at all times can be dismissed as an allergy problem. In fact, the pet itself isn’t the problem at all — it’s the dander that saturates the carpets and furniture, especially in the bedroom, that causes constant, annoying symptoms. But be warned — removing a pet won’t show benefits for a long time; you have to get rid of the leftover dander first. Vacuuming the carpet daily for a month will remove it, and the room will remain dander free as long as the pet never enters again”.

To learn more about indoor pollutants and how to make your home a haven, please sign up for our Free Email Mini-Course Newsletter in the upper right-hand corner of this page or click here to read more.


Household Chemical Incompatibilities Chart

Read labels carefully to identify specific chemical compounds and chemical family before using this chart. Certain household chemicals can be dangerous if stored next to incompatible chemicals. Be aware that certain chemical reactions can actually start a fire when adjacent to combustible materials. Other chemical reactions may produce poisonous gases.

How to use this chart!
Chemicals listed in bold should not be stored or used in the presence of chemicals or compounds listed in italics.

Acetone
Concentrated nitric and sulfuric acid mixtures, hydrogen peroxide.

Ammonia
Mercury, chlorine, calcium hypochlorite, iodine, bromine, hydrogen fluoride.

Bromine (hot tub, pool chemical)
Ammonia, oil, acetylene, butadiene, butane, other petroleum gases, sodium carbide, turpentine, benzene, finely divided metals.

Chlorine (hot tub, pool chemical)
Ammonia, oil, acetylene, butadiene, butane, other petroleum gases, sodium carbide, turpentine, benzene, finely divided metals.

Herbicides
Oils, other herbicides, other pesticides.

Hyrdrocarbons (benzene, butane, propane, gasoline, turpentine, etc.)
Fluorine, chlorine, bromine, chromic acid peroxides.

Hydrogen peroxide
Copper, chromium, iron, most metals or their salts, any flammable liquids, combustible materials, aniline, nitromethane.

Iodine
Acetylene, ammonia (anhydrous or aqueous)

Oil-based (motor oil, general purpose oil)
Fluorine, chlorine, bromine, chromic acid peroxides.

Oxygen (oxygen tanks)
Oils, grease, hydrogen.

Pesticides
Oils, other pesticides, other herbicides.

Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach)
Ammonia, drain cleaners, other acids.

Sulfuric acid
Chlorates, water, perchlorates, permanganates.

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Home Safety Tips

Making your home safe and secure is important to maintaining your ability to perform activities of daily living. Many of us are unaware of some common sense guidelines that can help ensure the general safety of your home. Here are some tips to identify safety improvements may which be needed in your home, or the home of a loved one.

General Safety

  • Emergency phone numbers are posted by each telephone.
  • Throw rugs have nonskid backing and are not used in high traffic areas.
  • Electrical appliance cords are untangled and in good condition.
  • To prevent scalding, the water heater is set to 120 degrees or lower.

Kitchen Safety

  • Cleaners and chemicals are stored out of reach of children and confused individuals.
  • Pan handles are turned to the rear or side when cooking.
  • Knives are secured in a knife rack or drawer.
  • Curtains are clear of the stove or open flame.

Bedroom Safety

  • A flashlight or lamp is kept within easy reach of your bed.
  • Night lights are used to illuminate the way to the bathroom at night.
  • A mobile phone is accessible in addition to land-line phone.
  • Quartz area lights are at least two feet from curtains.

Bathroom Safety

  • Bathtub or shower has non-skid mat or strips.
  • Grab bars are installed on walls by bathtub and toilet for seniors.
  • Towel bars and soap dish n shower are made of durable materials but are not used as grab bars.
  • Electrical appliances (radio, TV, heater, hair dryer) are kept away or are not used from/in the tub/shower area.

Fire Safety

  • Family and caregivers are familiar with emergency 911 procedures.
  • Check fire extinguishers regularly and replace as recommended by manufacturer.
  • If your fire escape route is cut off, remain calm. Close the door, seal off cracks to withhold smoke and signal for help at the window.
  • Install smoke alarms and check batteries when you change your clocks for daylight savings time in the spring and fall.

Stairways/ Hall Safety

  • Stairs have non-skid strips or carpeting which is securely fastened and free of holes or fraying.
  • Doors do not swing out over steps.
  • Hallways are equipped with nightlights.
  • A smoke detector is installed in hallway.

To learn more about indoor pollutants and how to make your home a haven, please sign up for our Free Email Mini-Course Newsletter in the upper right-hand corner of this page or click here to read more.