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Air pollution causes asthma, growth of cancers and interferes with immunity

What are the primary sources of air pollution causes invading our life?

Also find on this page:
* Studies on air pollution right at our homes
* What is the primary major air pollution toxin found in our homes?
* Less obvious causes of Air Pollution
* What can we do about air pollution in our homes?


Air pollution causes, such as auto exhaust (especially diesel exhaust), industrial chemicals, and pesticides/herbicides are all known to trigger chronic inflammation within many body's tissues including the brain, lungs, heart, and blood vessels.

This page is about air pollution causes at the least expected among surrounding us places to be hurt – our homes.

Our general air pollution statistics and air pollution facts are very discouraging, but when coming back to our own home we expect to be protected from most of air pollution causes. We hope to breathe clean, warm and totally safe from most toxins air.

After decades-long struggle with pollution, overloaded with chemicals in foods and water we are still faced with a potential for many toxins in our bodies, which can be explained specifically by air pollution causes.

Studies on air pollution causes right at our homes

A number of studies by independent laboratories and government regulatory agencies documented surprising air pollution facts, suggesting a largs number of chemical toxins in our homes' air. On this page we list at least several most important air pollution causes specifically in our homes and suggest practical ways to protect our families.

In a large part, this is because today houses are better sealed than they were in the past, so more effectively trap toxins inside.

For example, in the past we didn’t have air conditioning and at least in the spring, summer and autumn, we usually kept our windows open. Windows and doors had screens to keep out the bugs, and fresh air constantly flowed through the rooms.

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Today, most homes have central air, re-circulating stale, contaminated air throughout the houses. In essence, we breathe toxins released within our homes over and over, accepting them as one of supported by the new technology air pollution causes.

What is the primary major air pollution toxin found in our homes?

      Formaldehyde

Sadly, this major toxin is often coming from construction materials. If we have a house or plan to have a pre-constructed one, there is very little we can do about materials which were used to build it, in spite of them being in a group of major air pollution causes.

Recent studies have shown that formaldehyde, mostly as a gas, is present in virtually every home, leaching from most building materials and carpet pads. Urea-formaldehyde or UF, is used in foam insulation and practically in all particle board and pressed wood products. It is not easy to imagine a house without these very popular components.

The particle boards tainted with formaldehyde are used in many products from flooring and trim to the finest furniture. Toxins escape them constantly, when rooms are warm or hot, and in the winter, being quite damaging air pollution causes.

Less obvious Air Pollution Causes

Besides construction materials formaldehyde is also used in items that are less obvious, such as

* wrinkle-free clothing
* bedding
* dry cleaning chemicals
* as a water repellent for many fabrics
* self-care aerosol sprays and
* food additives.

UF-treated fabrics out-gas this toxin - Formaldehyde, right into face of our skin.

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Formaldehyde can also be found in aerosol and butane propellants used in hair sprays and starch, as well as in some shampoos. With continuous out-gassing of formaldehyde, all the rooms throughout the house, as well as many items in them, collect formaldehyde residues. All of them also become air pollution causes.

This is is a very damaging toxin. Several studies have shown that very high incidence of brain tumors can be linked to exposure to formaldehyde. Such exposure also significantly increases the risk of developing leukemia and lymphoma. Air pollution causes asthma symptoms as well, according to numerous studies.

If artificial sweetener aspartame is a part of our diet, when it is metabolized by our body, formaldehyde enters the system. Numerous studies have shown that this toxin damages DNA of cells and inactivates a number of proteins and enzymes in our bodies.

In addition, formaldehyde in our homes can cause -

* irritated burning eyes
* respiratory problems
* memory difficulty, and other
* neurological symptoms.

A growing number of studies are finding that exposure to sufficient levels of formaldehyde can trigger a hypersensitivity reaction to other chemicals as well, producing the so-called multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome, which is also a result of known air pollution causes.

Our mainstream medical establishment rejected the existence of such a syndrome, but extensive studies have confirmed that it is quite real.

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What can we do about air pollution causes in our homes?


1. Furniture and Flooring. If we are buying a new furniture it can help, because portions of a new one made of particle board or press board can be coated with a non-toxic sealant. The same is true for flooring. Try to check with the manufacturer.

2. Avoid products that contain UF or other formaldehyde compounds.

A number of manufacturers make environmentally safe building materials these days, and some construction companies specialize in building homes according to these guidelines. If you are preparing to build a new own house or you are in a construction business, using such materials can help all of us.

3. Choose formaldehyde-free cleaning products, disinfectants, furniture polishes, and fabrics.

In order to do it, we need to learn how to read labels. Obviously, our manufacturers are trying to hide toxic ingredients as air pollution causes in their products, but we need to try avoiding the following statements –

* crease resistant
* durable pressed
* no iron
* shrink-proof
* permanent pressed
* stretch-proof
* waterproof
* permanently pleated
and others which are recommended in The Nontoxic Home & Office book.

In addition, we need to know that most upholstery fabrics are coated with a formaldehyde resin and virtually all polyester/cotton blend fabrics have the same finishes.

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4. Reduce consuming certain foods, like farmed mushrooms, because many mushrooms farms use a formaldehyde gas as a pesticide. Mushrooms also contain high levels of excitotoxin glutamate which is a known carcinogen.

If you have to be on medications, try to avoid gelatin-containing ones. Talk to your doctor.

Regular gelatin capsules can contain formaldehyde and we included them as another reason for air pollution causes. If we use a good number of food supplements, a need to check with the manufacturers is quite obvious. Non-Gelatin V-caps® are a better choice.

5. Reduce or avoid using spray aerosol products, such as deodorants and hair sprays. Instead, we can use bottles with simple finger pumps. Many people, especially women, inhale tremendous amounts of toxic sprays every day.

6. Develop your family’s habits to detoxify toxins.


Not just the liver, but every cell in our body has the capacity to detoxify a great number of poisons. Such supplements as -

* Silymarin
* vitamins E
* vitamin C
* vitamin D-3
* vitamin B
* curcumin
* indole-3 carbinol
* DIM
* alpha-lipoic acid
* taurine, and
* MSM
also enhance natural process of detoxification.

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7. Have as many decorative house plants as possible. A research conducted by NASA, in conjunction with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America, found that several common house plants detoxify household chemicals.Another research by Dr. Bill Wolverton, retired senior scientist at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space center in Bay St. Louis, Miss. found that the most effective plants for removing formaldehyde were

* philodendron
* spider plant, and
* golden pothos.

Gerbera daisy and chrysanthemum plants effectively removed benzene, while -

* bamboo palm
* peace lily
* ficus
* dracaena massangeana cane
* sanseveria (mother-in-law’s tongue) and
* Chinese evergreen
were also effective at removing a number of toxic pollutants.

This study found that virtually every part of the plant participated in the clean-up process — the leaves, roots, and soil bacteria.

8. Use a researched brand air purifier. It has to be specified to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The HEPA filters and ionic plate types do not remove these toxic fumes. The best purifiers for removing VOCs are ones with activated carbon filters.

9. Let the sunshine and fresh air inside for as many hours every day as possible.

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10. Replace carpeting with real hardwood floors anywhere possible.


Many people notice that when new carpeting was installed, their eyes would be red and irritated for several months. Some people also experience headaches, lung irritations, worsening of asthma, and even difficulty thinking. On rare occasions, people suffered permanent health problems.

An EPA study found that carpets release a number of extremely dangerous organic compounds, including

* formaldehyde
* pesticides
* ethylbenzene
* methyacrylic acid
* toluene
* amines
* xylene and
* benzene.

All of them are well known member of air pollution causes family.

The latex backing on carpets emits a compound called 4-phenylcyclohexene, which EPA scientists determined caused neurologic and genetic damage.

These conditions are especially dangerous to babies and small children. Children, being closer to the ground, are more exposed to higher concentrations of these harmful chemicals, especially crawling babies.

Environmentally safe carpets are available, need to be researched and should be used, especially if you have small children.

If we already have carpet, treating it with a vapor barrier sealant, which keeps the chemicals from being released into the air should be seriously considered.

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Most carpet cleaners also contain a multitude of harmful chemicals. A stain remover - Perchloroethylene has been shown to be a human carcinogen and can produce damage to the nervous system and liver.

Cleaners also often contain naphthalene, styrene and toluene - other suspected carcinogens that can cause headaches, confusion, urinary irritation and sweating.

Instead, we can create our own safer carpet cleaners using baking soda as a base ingredient. The unscented baking soda deodorizes carpets without adding toxic chemicals. There are also some safe commercial carpet cleaners – we just need to be careful, research and find them.

11. Beware of Dry Cleaning

Many of us use Dry Cleaning quite often. We need to know that the same, already mentioned above very damaging carcinogen and neurotoxin – perchloroethylene is released into our room or closet as soon as we remove our cleaned clothes from plastic bags.

The only simple solution is to remove the plastic bag and let the clothes air out on the porch or some other well-ventilated area for an hour or more before putting them in our rooms or closets.

A number of studies have linked leukemia and lymphoma to children living in houses using mothballs. This chemical is so volatile that it will circulate throughout the house, even if we try placing mothballs in our closets.

Mothballs are made of almost pure paradichlorobenzene, a very powerful carcinogen that is also used in many solid air fresheners.

If we don’t have a cedar closet and can’t buy a cedar chest, controlling moths can be done by storing clothes in sealed bags with cedar blocks or bolls. Cleaning clothes before sealing them practically kills any present moth eggs.

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12. Toxic molds in our houses and the Workplace.

Usually present in areas with high humidity - molds are another air pollution causing toxins - black, lightly colored or colorless - can create a sinusitis, asthma and/or other respiratory problems. They can also cause severe, permanent neurological damage as well as immune system abnormalities.

Leaking pipes, especially if hidden in walls and leaking roofs are the major culprits and must be repaired soon, especially if mold is an issue of a health concern. Al of the above are very nasty air pollution cases.

Purchase of a humidity monitor measuring the humidity in our house or office, which should be at or slightly below 55%. If the humidity in our home is above this optimal level, we should plan buying a dehumidifier.

In any event – any mold source shouldn’t be untreated. Look for a professional help if you are not a lucky handyman capable of doing it yourself.

Many cases of a “sick building syndrome” have been traced to toxic molds. Some of these molds secrete highly volatile toxic gases that can spread throughout a house or workplace building, usually by the ventilation ducts of the central air conditioner/heating system.

Most mainstream doctors know very little about this "sick building syndrome", so if you need to know more, this Richie Shoemaker’s Mold Warriors book is providing very useful information about it.

You should also visit our Hydrogen Peroxide Theropy page for a very effective way to cleanse yourself from various foreign invaders.Some of these invaders are coming to our bodies from polluted air.

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