09171 Air Pollution

Like a man who has been dying for many days, a man in your city is numb to the stench. — Chief Seattle

While the particulars of the air pollution problem in any given area may vary, the problem is universal.

Air pollution contributes to the ongoing degradation of the ecologies in which we live. It is harmful to human life and all the creatures with whom we share the planet.

The consequences of air pollution to humans include:

  • Asthma
  • Lung cancer
  • Coughing, throat irritation, chest pain
  • Ear infections
  • Carbon monoxide poisoning
  • Headaches
  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • High blood pressure
  • Breast cancer
  • Increased risks of heart attacks and strokes

During the “London Fog” of 1952, thousands of people in London, England died because of a toxic combination of smoke from coal fires, industrial pollutants, and weather circumstances. This helped spark a movement to regulate and eliminate sources of air pollution. While substantial progress has been made, the air remains polluted in many parts of the world. Air pollution contributes to mortality, illness, a general degrading of the quality of life, and is destructive of the natural ecologies.

Besides the pollution of the outdoor air, dirty indoor air is a problem. Sometimes the air inside our dwellings is worse than the exterior atmosphere.

Protect yourself from indoor air pollution.

Don’t smoke and don’t allow others to smoke in your house. Marijuana smoking is not an exception to this. No, using a bong does not make marijuana smoke less dangerous. By cooling the smoke, it allows you to suck it deeper into your lungs, where it can do even more damage. If you must use marijuana, make brownies. cookies, fudge, or cupcakes, don’t smoke it.

Get carbon monoxide, smoke, and radon detectors for your home.

If you use a wood burning stove, install and regulate it so that smoke does not enter the house but instead exhausts through the chimney. That pleasant smell of a wood burning fire is actually a signal of indoor air pollution.

Get rid of dust mites, mold, and mildew. This is a matter of basic cleanliness and maintenance inside the house. Make sure there aren’t any leaks around the plumbing that can provide a fertile ground for mold and mildew. If mildew or mold forms on frequently wet areas (like bathrooms), get rid of it immediately. Wash bed sheets once each week and use a dust-proof cover for the mattress. If you have carpets and fabric-covered furniture, vacuum them regularly. Keep the interior humidity below 50%.

Make sure any open flame heaters or stoves are properly vented to avoid accumulations of carbon monoxide gas in the living areas.

Use paints, finishes, and materials that are low in volatile organic compounds. When possible, avoid bringing items made from artificial materials into the home. Avoid anything made with formaldehyde. This list can include carpets, particle board, cheap paneling, pressed wood products (cabinets and furniture). Most products made with formaldehyde can release fumes for as long as eight years, with the worst emissions in the first year. Extreme heat or moisture can accelerate the emissions and restart emissions after the eighth year. Wrinkle free/permanent press clothing items are another source of formaldehyde. This is another reason for buying used clothing in the after market — after repeated washings, the formaldehyde residues will wash out of clothing. You’ll need to iron more. Isn't that better than soaking up formaldehyde through your skin? That “new car smell” that people love? It’s caused by the out-gassing of chemicals used in making a car and many of them are toxic.

Don’t use scented candles or sprays to hide odors. Find the cause of the odor and eliminate or clean it to stop the odor at its source.

Use less toxic, more natural cleaning products in your home.

Clean the filters on ventilation equipment regularly and replace as necessary.

Use lots of plants that clean air in your home. The rule of thumb is two plants per 100 sq. ft. of living space. The best plants for cleaning your indoor air are (in order starting with the best):

The NASA List

  • Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescans), ranked "best indoor air cleaner and humidifier."
  • Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa), ranked "second best indoor air cleaner."
  • Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifnzii), benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde
  • Rubber plant (Ficus robusta), especially good with formaldehyde
  • Dracaenas (Dracaena deremensi), combats pollutants associated with varnishes and oils
  • English ivy (Hedera helix), filters airborne fecal matter particles, mold, and formaldehyde
  • Dwarf date palm tree (Phoenix roebelini), filters chemical toxins in the air
  • Ficus alii (Ficus macleilandii)
  • Boston fern (Nephrolepis exalta), mold and toxins
  • Peace lily (Spathiphyllum), filters formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, toluene, xylene

Other plants good at filtering indoor air:

  • Dracaena (Dracaena marginata), filters xylene, tricholoroethylene, and formaldehyde
  • Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina), cleans formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene
  • Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum), cleans benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, xylene
  • Golden pothos (Scindapsus aures), great for filtering formaldehyde
  • Gerber daisy (Gerbera jamesonii), filters trichloroethylene, benzene
  • aloe vera, cleans formaldehyde and benzene
  • Snake plant, or Mother in Laws Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii'), best for formaldehyde
  • Azalea (Rhododendron simsii)
  • Chrysanthemum/Pot mum (Chrysantheium morifolium), filters benzene

Protect yourself from outdoor air pollution.

Monitor the air quality index for your area. If you don’t know where to find that information, try a Google for “air quality index” of your city. See also http://www.airnow.gov/ for reports on 300 cities.

On days when the air quality is poor, limit outdoor activities if possible.

The hotter it is outside, the worse the air quality (generally speaking). Stay inside if you can manage it when it is hot outside. Alternatively, do your outdoor activities earlier in the morning when it is cooler and the air is less polluted.

If you walk or ride a bicycle, avoid doing so along heavy traffic roads.

If you are working, playing, or exercising outside during bad air episodes, and feel a tightness in your chest, or if your eyes get teary and/or red, don’t push it. Stop and go inside.

Eat foods that are high in oxidants that remove free radicals which help cancer-causing substances do their evil work on your body.

During periods of heavy air pollution, drink plenty of fluids (water especially) to keep your respiratory system hydrated.

Do your part to stop air pollution.

Use less energy. All forms of fossil fuel energy production and distribution pollute the air as a consequence. The less energy you use, the lower your contribution to the air quality problem.

Drive less. Walk, take public transportation, ride a bicycle, carpool more.

Encourage your local and regional governments to convert fleets (public transit, school bus, police cars, etc.) to run on natural gas, which has fewer pollution emissions than gasoline or diesel powered engines. NB: This recommendation is based on current information about the emissions of natural gas engines. It does not take into consideration issues with natural gas production. There are some indications that if those are taken into consideration, due to the problem of methane releases associated with natural gas production, it may be more dirty than coal! Before acting on this, check the current research to find out if more data has become available on emission problems associated with natural gas production.

Never fill your gas tank during the day. Always fill up at night.

Don’t use two-stroke engines for mowing lawns, trimming, leaf blowing etc.

Buy wind generated electricity from your utility.

Oppose any proposals to build coal-fired generating plants for your utility.

Don’t burn wood for heat unless it is an emergency or you have no other alternatives. If you must burn wood, use an efficient wood stove.

Plant trees, which help to clean the air.

Support public policy initiatives and proposals that lessen the amount of pollution in the air.