Drug Medical Information

CLEANING UP YOUR ACT: COLOR THE AIR DIRTY

The air in the U.S. is getting dirtier and dirtier. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates 110 million Americans breathe air unfit for human lungs. Dismal as this report is, more alarming is the likelihood the stats are understated, since an estimated 200,000 'new' synthetic chemical agents (some 150 million tons) enter the environment each year. The toxicity of many newer compounds is completely unknown. All that is known is that our bodies can only tolerate just so much contamination before an overload triggers immunological dysfunction.
To lower the level of toxic fumes at home:
• Ventilate your house periodically. Open windows and doors and let fresh air circulate;
• Store leftover paints and paint thinners in an outdoor shed. If that's not possible, discard them;
• Have your wood stove, fire place, furnace inspected and cleaned annually;
• Vent stoves to the outside or use charcoal filters in units that throw fumes back into the kitchen. Install a window fan;
• Air dry-cleaned clothes outdoors for a day before wearing them or bringing them into the home;
• Replace aerosol spray cans with pump-activated products;
• Use disinfectants, chlorinated compounds, harsh cleaners, paints or thinners in well ventilated areas;
• Don't start or warm up' your car in an attached garage;
• Seal cracks in basement walls and floors;
• Install a fan in your basement to vent radon contamination outside;
• Decorate with spider plants. National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientists have found that the long tendrils on this species of house plant absorb formaldehyde and other toxic gases from the atmosphere.
• Invest in an air cleaner. Today's High Efficiency Particular Air filters (a huge advance over the old-style electronic air cleaners) is no luxury if you love your lungs enough to want to protect them against airborne assaults. A high quality HEPA can remove about 99.97 percent of the particles from the air, and works well against the many allergens: viruses, fungi, pollens, molds, yeast and bacteria, also dust and mites. It will keep your home environment as clean as you can get it for some two to five years. A high quality air conditioner, equipped with an electronic filter, also will help clean the air and minimize allergies. To protect yourself out of the home:
• When gassing up at a self-service station, set the nozzle latch on automatic and stand clear of the fumes;
• When possible, park in outdoor parking lots rather than underground facilities;
• Insist on the 'no-smoking' section when dining out;
• Travel on 'smoke free' airlines; reserve 'smokeless' hotel rooms.
• For on-the-road protection, install an air cleaner in your car.

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