Have you ever heard of air pollution? The majority of people think that it is caused by the outdoor pollutants, but you should know that it can occur even indoors. Your health can be affected by four main pollutants, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and particulate matter. You might not know, but more than 3 billion people suffer from a health issue caused by indoor air pollution. If you are a parent, then it is important to know that babies are more at risk of becoming sick when they are exposed to air pollution, than adults. If you are living in a house where you use sold fuels, then your house is poorly ventilated, and this leads to pollution. If you use a wood-burning stove, then you expose yourself and your children to high levels of particulate matter.

What risks do you face due to air pollution?

Air pollution is extremely harmful to people’s health, and it can lead to lung and breathing health issues as allergies, asthma and chronic pulmonary diseases. In addition, some heart conditions as hypertension, heart attack, heart failure, arrhythmia and angina are caused by indoor and outdoor air pollution. There are studies that show that if you expose yourself to air pollution, you increase the risk to experience a stroke. The pollutants found indoors can cause you, health problems as legionnaires’ disease and asbestosis. Because you are an adult, your reaction to air pollutants might vary according to your age, your health state and the type of contaminants found inside your house.

What symptoms can you experience if your house is air polluted?

In case you are exposed to air pollution, you may experience one of the following symptoms, and in this case, you should contact air quality testing experts, because they could offer you help.

• You are tired the most of the time
• You experience headaches and dizziness
• You cough and sneeze repeatedly
• You have difficulties breathing
• You feel more mucous in your throat and nose
• You have irritated and dry skin, throat and eyes

In the majority of the cases, you experience these symptoms a few hours you get inside your house, and you feel better after you spend some time, out of the affected area. Because you are an adult, you can identify these symptoms easier, but children, and especially babies, have difficulties in sharing when they do not feel well. So, you should pay attention and check if their health state changes in time.

Is your baby at risk if you are pregnant?

Doctors state that air pollution has a great impact on your pregnancy, and on the health of the baby, you are waiting. They compare it to smoking during pregnancy, even if the pollutants from air are filtered. The developing lungs of your unborn baby are susceptible to the effects of air pollutants and they may experience health issues when they are born. If you notice that you do not feel well when you stay inside your house, you should check it for air pollutants.

How indoor air pollution affects your children’s health

The quality of the air inside your house has a great impact on the health condition of your children. Your children’s safety and wellbeing should be your priorities, so you should check your house for pollutants regularly. In case airborne toxins and pollutants are present indoors, they can lead to respiratory issues and to more complex health issues than the ones, an adult can experience. The risks are even higher if you have a newborn, because they have vulnerable lungs.

It is recommended to check your children’s breathing often, because it is important to notice if there are any changes. If they breathe air that contains toxins, they might develop multiple respiratory diseases and problems. Studies show that polluted air leads to an increased risk of hospitalization and bronchitis. If it were to check the studies, a child who is exposed to toxins in the air is more likely to need hospitalization when they experience a bronchitis infection. And you should know that the children who experience bronchitis are more likely to suffer from asthma when they become adults.

If you have never heard of bronchitis, you should know that it is a respiratory virus that can be caused by poor indoor air quality. Polluted air can also be the cause of RSV diseases and croup, so you should pay attention to it. The allergens and toxins found in the air, your children breaths could lead to asthma. Some of the indoor pollutants that can cause this disease are mold, dust mites, animal dander and cockroach debris.

In case you have a premature baby, then you should know that they are at a high risk of experiencing respiratory issues, and this means that they have difficulties to breathe. A premature baby would have under-developed lungs and this means that air pollutants are quite dangerous for them, and they can experience long-term respiratory issues for to them.

What are the effects of pollutants on your children’s health?

The impact these pollutants have on your little ones’ health is enormous, and this is why you should pay attention to symptoms as croup, common cold, flu, and bronchitis. If they experience these health issues repeatedly then the quality of the air inside your house should be checked.

Tips to improve the air quality inside your house

• One of the causes that leads to air pollution is smoking, so if you or other member of your family have this habit, you should quit smoking. The less smoke is inside your house, the few are the chances your children to experience health issues.
• Also, you should check the ingredients the cleaning supplies are made of, because some of them are not environmentally friendly and you do not want to use a dangerous product in a house where babies are present.
• It is important to check your house for asbestos, especially if your property is an old one. Ask a professional company to come and assist you in this case.