Pollutant Sources
There are various sources of indoor air pollution in any home.
These include:
-
Asbestos from
building materials, such as insulation or tiles.
-
Carbon monoxide
from combustion sources, such as oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, and tobacco products.
-
Formaldehyde from
furniture made of certain pressed-wood products.
-
Lead from
lead paint or contaminated soil/dust.
-
Meth
(Methamphetamine) residues from of production labs.
-
Mold, mildew, bacteria, and pet dander.
-
Radon,
an
odorless, radioactive gas that results from the breakdown of uranium.
-
Secondhand smoke emitted from cigarettes, pipes,
cigars, or exhales from the lungs of a smoker.
The importance of any single source is relative and
depends on how much of a given pollutant it emits and how hazardous those
emissions are. In some cases, factors, such as how old the source is and
whether it is properly maintained, are significant.
Some
sources, such as building materials, furnishings, and household products
like air fresheners, release pollutants more or less continuously. Other
sources related to activities carried out in the home release pollutants
intermittently. These include smoking, furnaces, the use of un-vented or
malfunctioning stoves, space heaters, the use of solvents in cleaning and
hobby activities, the use of paint strippers in redecorating activities,
and the use of cleaning products in housekeeping. High-pollutant
concentrations can remain in the air for long periods after some of these
activities.
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