Today we know much about indoor air pollution, but many people think that if they don’t have any immediate health problems such as allergies or strange syndromes, the air in their house is clean.
You may not know it, but air pollutants may either give a result soon, or show up years later.
Immediate results usually appear after a single or repeated contacts. Those are irritations of eyes, nose and throat, headaches, dizziness, fatigue. These symptoms don’t last long and are easily treated – sometimes only a removal from the pollutant is needed. Some symptoms of well-known illness, such as asthma, hypersensitivity, and pneumonitis and humidifier fever may show up if a person is exposed to an indoor air pollutions.
There are several factors that determine if the reactions are immediate or will appear later. Age and already excising health problems are two of them. There’s also the personal sensitivity to different pollutants, which greatly varies with each person. Some people become sensitive to some pollutions only after a repeated exposure to them -that includes chemicals too.
Some of the immediate results are seen in normal colds and other viral illnesses, so it’s usually difficult to recognize the symptoms of indoor air pollution. It’s important to note where the symptoms appear at their strongest. If they fade when leaving the house and return with entering the house, then there’s no doubt what the problem is. An effort should be made to determine where exactly the problem lies.
The later-appearing results may take years to surface, and may take either only one exposure, or a repeated one. They include serious diseases such as heart disease or cancer – those are often fatal. Even if you don’t feel that you have any problems with the air in your home, you should still try to improve its quality. Research the potential dangers of certain air pollutants.
The indoor air pollution is common, and causes many negative health effects. However, no one is sure yet what pollutants and what periods of exposure cause each health problem. There’s also the difference in the reaction of different people. Much more research is needed before we know the effects of each pollutant.