A new study published claims that the air indoors, in our own homes, may sometimes be more polluted than the outdoors. (Read article here) The study does not cover India, but considering the rising levels of air pollution in our country, we ought to take a good look at how clean the air inside our homes is.
For example, in a crowded place like Mumbai, our homes are almost bang in the middle of the same town areas which complain of high traffic and pollution levels. Green areas - playgrounds, parks are few and far between, even in the residential areas. Inside our homes, potted plants are slowly becoming a rarity as societies discourage keeping of plants to maintain the external looks of the building. In our kitchens, a good majority of homes do not have a chimney or an exhaust fan to eliminate the fumes. Air purifiers? A vast majority does not either know of the product or see the need for it in their homes.
And that is just for a city. In rural areas, they still use gas stoves and stoves fuelled with coal, that lead to generous amounts of fumes. There are no exhaust fans or chimney hoods. Within the home, one can imagine the level of air pollution, although the outdoors are still cleaner than crowded cities.
So what do we do about it - pay attention to the air in our homes and surroundings. Grow some plants, use exhaust fans in kitchens, and try to avoid disposing anything by burning. (Well you can give up on smoking too, but that is a different matter altogether). Try to find out about the causes of indoor pollution, even the uncommon ones (dry-cleaned clothes maybe) and do everything that you can possibly do to keep your families healthy. Time to open the windows of your home and mind.
For example, in a crowded place like Mumbai, our homes are almost bang in the middle of the same town areas which complain of high traffic and pollution levels. Green areas - playgrounds, parks are few and far between, even in the residential areas. Inside our homes, potted plants are slowly becoming a rarity as societies discourage keeping of plants to maintain the external looks of the building. In our kitchens, a good majority of homes do not have a chimney or an exhaust fan to eliminate the fumes. Air purifiers? A vast majority does not either know of the product or see the need for it in their homes.
And that is just for a city. In rural areas, they still use gas stoves and stoves fuelled with coal, that lead to generous amounts of fumes. There are no exhaust fans or chimney hoods. Within the home, one can imagine the level of air pollution, although the outdoors are still cleaner than crowded cities.
So what do we do about it - pay attention to the air in our homes and surroundings. Grow some plants, use exhaust fans in kitchens, and try to avoid disposing anything by burning. (Well you can give up on smoking too, but that is a different matter altogether). Try to find out about the causes of indoor pollution, even the uncommon ones (dry-cleaned clothes maybe) and do everything that you can possibly do to keep your families healthy. Time to open the windows of your home and mind.
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