Living in a Healthy Home: 10 Indoor Environmental Pollutants

We spend 90% of our time indoors, whether at home, work, or school; we live most of our lives in enclosed spaces whose environment can be contaminated for various reasons.

Did you know that indoor pollution in a home can be more harmful to our health than outdoor pollution?

As always when discussing health topics, it is important to remember that no single factor determines the onset of an illness. Instead, multiple causes, whose prolonged incidence can negatively affect our bodies, are usually at play.

In our homes, various toxic products present in construction materials, insulation, or fabrics, combined with chemical products such as detergents, insecticides, or even components of shampoos or shower gels, accumulate toxins in our bodies. If we add to this insufficient fresh, clean air and temperature and humidity conditions conducive to the growth of mites, fungi, or bacteria, our home can become an unhealthy cocktail for those who live in it.

Let’s examine in detail the main indoor environmental pollutants in our homes and how to avoid them to achieve a healthy living space.

#1 Air Quality

The levels of temperature, humidity, and fresh air supply inside a home are among the main factors to consider when discussing a healthy indoor environment.

A person needs between 30 and 60 ^cubic meters of fresh air per hour. To ensure this, it is necessary to guarantee the renewal of this volume inside the home, either through natural or forced ventilation.

Furthermore, a home is considered healthy when humidity levels are between 30% and 50%. Higher humidity promotes mold growth, while lower humidity can cause respiratory problems.

It is important to note that humidity levels vary throughout the year. In winter, heating dries out the air, requiring a greater contribution of humidity. Sometimes, hanging a damp towel on a radiator or placing a glass of water nearby is enough to humidify the environment. It is also possible to use humidifiers, although caution is advised, as poor maintenance can turn them into breeding grounds for bacteria that are expelled into the air when in operation.

Inadequate humidity, temperature, and fresh air conditions can lead to respiratory, ocular, or skin problems.

#2 Construction Materials

Insulation inside walls and in ventilation systems can decompose and release particles that reach our lungs. If the insulation material is not natural, these particles will be toxic to our bodies.

Materials that release harmful dust particles include, for example, fiberglass or asbestos—a carcinogenic material currently being removed.

However, working with natural materials is not only about being free of toxins; natural materials also breathe and regulate humidity naturally.

For instance, painting a wall with conventional plastic paint containing heavy metals harmful to the environment and toxins is not the same as painting with natural paint or a natural render based on clay and sand, which naturally regulate humidity and temperature, creating a healthy and toxin-free environment.

#3 Furniture, Carpentry, and Plastic Objects

#4 Toxins in Cleaning Products and Cosmetics

The toxic components in cleaning products and cosmetic ingredients affect us either through gas inhalation or direct skin contact.

Through inhalation, we absorb gases released by cleaning products and household materials. Through direct skin contact, we absorb toxins from most shampoos, bath soaps, and body creams found in supermarkets. These contain harmful petroleum-derived compounds such as benzene, parabens, and liquid paraffin, which are directly absorbed by our skin. These are toxic and carcinogenic products that accumulate in our bodies.

There are over 300 toxic substances harmful to our bodies present in household cleaning products, which the University of Alcalá de Henares has compiled into an exhaustive list of toxins found in cleaning products and cosmetics.

Greenpeace has also created a compilation of the most dangerous ones in the Guide to Buying Toxin-Free Products, organized by Brands and products. (Highly recommended reading)

Alternatively, ecological cleaning products are available that use components safe for people and the environment. Homemade cleaning products, as our grandmothers used to make, are also becoming common—an economical alternative for achieving a healthy and clean home.

Finally, we also recommend reading Elisabet Silvestre’s book, “Living Without Toxins: How to Gain Well-being and Health in Your Daily Life” (INTEGRAL). Elisabet discusses how toxins in construction materials, cleaning products, cosmetics, clothing, and food affect our health. She also explains other effects such as electromagnetic waves and lighting.

#5 Stoves

It is estimated that in developed countries, around 50% of homes are heated by carbon-combustion stoves, a percentage that approaches 90% in developing countries.

In our country, fossil fuel stoves are mainly found in rural homes or homes heated by wood-burning boilers or fireplaces.

When these stoves are in poor condition or in poorly ventilated rooms, an excessive concentration of carbon monoxide can occur. This is a colorless and odorless gas produced by the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing substances.

At low concentrations, carbon monoxide causes respiratory and cardiovascular ailments. At high concentrations, it can lead to asphyxiation by reducing oxygen supply to tissues.

#6 Dust, Fungi, and Mites

The levels of so-called biological contamination, produced by bacterial endotoxins, mites, and fungi, largely depend on the location and cleanliness conditions of the home.

Fungi and bacteria are produced by the accumulation of dust, which, combined with adequate humidity and temperature conditions, creates the ideal environment for microorganism formation. These conditions occur when the house is poorly ventilated and when the construction materials and furniture themselves do not breathe sufficiently to prevent humidity concentration. Therefore, it is important to build with natural, breathable materials.

Ventilation systems are also a source of microorganism accumulation, and it is important to keep them disinfected.

In any case, most organic pollutants come from dust mites and fungi, present in bedding, carpets, and furniture, and cause immune system disorders (allergies), infections, and irritations, especially in children.

#7 Radon Gas

It is the great unknown; it is a radioactive gas emitted by the natural disintegration of uranium underground, and its incidence varies unevenly depending on the geographical area where we live (for example, in Galicia, there are large concentrations of emitting areas).

It is found in the subsoil or water and has the peculiarity of being colorless and odorless. In better-ventilated homes, radon gas is distributed in the indoor air, and although its concentrations are usually relatively low, it is a carcinogenic gas whose effects can appear after several years of exposure.

Radon gas concentration levels depend on the geographical area, the construction system and insulation of the home, as well as the proper ventilation of the interior space.

The effect of radon on human health is produced by the decomposition of the gas itself into radioactive elements, such as polonium, releasing alpha particles which are a form of radiation that damages human DNA.

In Spain, there is a map developed by the Nuclear Safety Council through the Marna project that defines areas with natural radiation incidence due to radon gas. The map is organized by provinces; however, although it gives us an approximate idea of the areas where we should be careful before building, a soil study will be necessary to define the specific incidence of radon gas.

#8 Noise and Light Pollution

Especially in urban areas, outdoor noise pollution disturbs rest, even if we have become accustomed to it. Noise pollution is usually linked to traffic accumulation, which also entails pollution from harmful engine combustion gases.

Regarding light levels in a home, it has been determined that an adult would need to sunbathe for at least 10 minutes a day, exposing 20% of their body, to absorb the vitamin D necessary for calcium absorption for bones.

For this reason, solar incidence is one of the most valued factors in a home; the entry of natural light, the presence of terraces, balconies, or gardens is a source of health for our home.

On the other hand, artificial light incidence must also be considered. We spend many hours watching television, mobile screens, computer screens, etc. Excessive screen brightness causes dry eyes and eye strain. It is important to limit our exposure to them, and if working with a screen is necessary, use filters or dark backgrounds that reduce brightness. Also, remember to take breaks every hour by focusing your gaze on a distant point.

#9 Pollen

Although it is an agent that comes from outside, pollen must be considered, as its accumulation in poorly ventilated homes increases allergy-related ailments.

#10 Telluric Radiation

Finally, there is an invisible source of pollution that depends on the location of our home: telluric radiation. These are geomagnetic currents originating from the Earth’s subsoil, caused by geological faults, underground water currents, or mineral deposits.

To detect them, a geobiological study of our house is necessary. It is advisable to conduct a geobiological study before buying land, but if the house is already built, telluric radiation can be avoided with simple adjustments to the orientation or placement of beds and resting areas.