Contrary to what one might think, indoor air quality is not necessarily better than outdoor air quality. A problem all the more important for public health as we are used to spending some 80% of our time locked inside a building, whatever it is.
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[EN VIDÉO] Interview 1/5: air pollution is everywhere We are constantly confronted with an invisible and insidious threat: air pollution. Philippe Hubert, Director of Chronic Risks at Ineris (National Institute for the Industrial Environment and Risks), explains the causes and describes the standards for air pollution.
In 2014, thehandles (National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety) estimated at close to 20,000 per year the number of premature deaths caused by indoor air pollutants the most famous. L’air that we breathe inside our homes may indeed turn out to be of lower quality than that which we breathe outside. Blame it on a few specific pollutants that emanate from the materials we use for the construction, decorating or furnishing our homes. Also responsible for this indoor pollution, some of our activities: smoking, DIY, cleaning, etc.
The main indoor air pollutants
Chemical pollutants are part of the list of those found abundantly in the air we breathe at home:
- the carbon monoxide (CO) released by defective heating production devices, in particular. This gas colorless and odorless is deadly in high concentrations;
- the volatile organic compounds (VOC) – such as the formaldehyde, the benzene where the solvents organic – diffused by paints, perfumes or markers. Some are carcinogens ;
- semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) – such as phthalates and bisphenols – are found in biocides or coatings;
- the cigarette smoke, the pesticides – insecticides, for example -, etc.
We must add to them some living organisms evolving in our homes and which can also be sources of pollution. So mold spores can cause infections. And some allergens are regularly issued by plants, the insects, the mites or pets.
As for the dust, it may be composed of various contaminants such as pollen or spores. In suspension in the air, these can be inhaled by the inhabitants of the house, in particular during certain activities such as DIY or cleaning.
Finally, a polluting agent that is perhaps less known: the radon, a natural, colorless and odorless radioactive gas. It can accumulate in homes and even more so in poorly ventilated basements. So be careful in regions with granite subsoil such as Brittany or the Massif Central.
Indoor pollution: humidity, an indirect factor
As for thehumidity, if it is not intrinsically considered polluting, it can be the cause of a deterioration in the quality of indoor air. Cooking, drying laundry, shower, heaters mobiles and even breathing: there are many sources of humidity in the home. However, it is not recommended to live in a dwelling that is too humid, because the humidity promotes the development of mites and mould, for example, but also the release of VOCs by degradation of the glues on the furniture.
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