While everyone is concerned about exposure to a virus while they are out of doors, they are ignoring another severely harmful invader inside their homes: indoor air pollution. 

Indoor air pollution is one of the world’s largest single environmental health risks. Now that the majority of individuals are working from home, isolating, or quarantining due to the COVID-19 outbreak, indoor air pollution should be even more concerning. 

Indoor air pollution is when harmful particles enter the indoor air quality and can become detrimental to one’s health.  

There are many factors that can lead to poor air quality, including mold, smoke or gas burning particles, and chemicals in cleaning products. 

According to Indoor Air Quality Infographics, Americans spend 90% of our time indoors, and the indoor air quality can be worse than the air pollution outside. So, it is important to have clean air indoors since the pollutants are invisible to the naked eye. 

According to the Global Burden of Disease, studies show that people who are premature and are elders are more vulnerable to health risks, which include lung cancer, heart disease, pneumonia, stroke, and even death. 

For years, indoor air pollution has led to a devastating amounts of deaths; millions annually. In 2017, 1.6 million people died prematurely from indoor air pollution, which is four times more than homicides. 

However, poor countries like India are unable to afford clean fuels for cooking. They suffer the most deaths worldwide. Even cooking the simplest meals in their households is dangerous to their health. 

Here are some ways to improve the indoor air quality in your home:

Buy an Air Purifier  

An Air purifier is an item that cleans indoor air with a range of filters. It is recommended to have one since it can remove 99% of small particles of healthy, clean, and allergen-free air. 

Routinely Clean your Clothing & Sheets                                                                                  

Since dust mites are another cause of indoor quality, it can linger into fabrics in your homes and leave you exhausted with how it can irritate your nose and throat. So, it’s important to clean them regularly. 

Purchase or Replace your Air Conditioner

Air conditioners can also provide clean air quality. They can replenish stale air inside homes and eliminate pollen.  However, according to the manufacturer’s instructions, it is also important to clean the filters that are inside of AC’s to eliminate the poor air quality more. 

 Overall, Indoor air pollution can be harmful to many people without them being aware of it, and it’s important to be aware of your surroundings of your home. As well as to prevent any permanent health risks that can kill you. 

To read more about Indoor Air Quality, visit the website Indoor Air Pollution – Our World in Data