Common Pollutants, Sources, and Steps to Reduce Exposure
Common
Pollutants
Sources Steps to Reduce Exposure
Radon • Earth and rock beneath home
• Well water
• Building materials
• Test your home for radon.
• Contact state radon office for more information.
Environmental
tobacco smoke
(ETS)
• Cigarette, pipe, and cigar
smoking
• Do not smoke in your home or permit others to do so.
• Do not smoke if children are present, particularly infants and toddlers.
• If smoking indoors cannot be avoided, increase ventilation.
Biologicals • Wet or moist walls, ceilings,
carpets, and furniture
• Poorly maintained humidifiers,
dehumidifiers, and air
conditioners
• Bedding
• Household pets
• Install and use fans vented to outdoors in kitchens and bathrooms.
• Vent clothes dryers to outdoors.
• Clean humidifiers and refill with clean water daily.
• Empty water trays in air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and refrigerators.
• Clean and dry or remove water-damaged carpets.
• Use basements as living areas only if leak-proof/adequately ventilated.
• Use dehumidifiers to maintain humidity between 30-50 percent.
Carbon
monoxide (CO)
• Unvented kerosene and gas space
heaters
• Leaking chimneys and furnaces
• Back-drafting from furnaces, gas
water heaters, woodstoves, and
fireplaces
• Gas stoves
• Keep gas appliances properly adjusted.
• Consider purchasing vented space heater when replacing unvented one.
• Use proper fuel in kerosene space heaters.
• Install and use an exhaust fan vented to outdoors over gas stoves.
• Open flues when fireplaces are in use.
• Choose properly sized woodstoves that are certified to meet EPA emission
standards. Make certain that doors on all woodstoves fit tightly.
• Automobile exhaust from attached
garages
• Environmental tobacco smoke
• Have professional inspect, clean, and tune-up central heating system (furnaces,
flues, and chimneys) annually. Repair any leaks promptly.
• Do not idle the car inside garage.
Nitrogen
dioxide (NO2)
• Heaters, including kerosene heaters
• Unvented gas stoves
• See steps under carbon monoxide (CO).
Organic gases • Household products including
paints, paint strippers, and other
solvents
• Wood preservatives
• Aerosol sprays
• Cleansers and disinfectants
• Moth repellents and air
fresheners
• Stored fuels and automotive
products
• Hobby supplies
• Dry-cleaned clothing
• Use household products according to manufacturer’s directions.
• Make sure you provide plenty of fresh air when using these products.
• Throw away unused/little-used containers safely; buy usable quantities.
• Keep out of reach of children and pets.
• Never mix household care products unless directed on the label.
Respirable
particles
• Fireplaces, woodstoves, and
kerosene heaters
• Environmental tobacco smoke
• Vent all furnaces to outdoors; keep doors to rest of house open when using
unvented space heaters.
• Choose properly sized woodstoves, certified to meet EPA emission standards;
make certain that doors on all woodstoves fit tightly.
• Have a trained professional inspect, clean, and tune-up central heating system
(furnace, flues, and chimneys) annually; repair leaks promptly.
• Change filters on central heating and cooling systems and air cleaners according
to manufacturer’s directions.
Formaldehyde • Pressed-wood products
(hardwood plywood wall
paneling, particleboard,
fiberboard) and furniture made
with these pressed-wood
products
• Urea-formaldehyde foam
insulation (UFFI)
• Combustion sources and
environmental tobacco smoke
• Durable press drapes, other
textiles, and glues
• Use “exterior-grade” pressed-wood products (lower-emitting because they contain
phenol resins, not urea resins).
• Use air conditioning and dehumidifiers to maintain moderate temperature and
reduce humidity levels.
• Increase ventilation, particularly after bringing new sources of formaldehyde into
the home.
Pesticides • Products used to kill household
pests (insecticides, termiticides,
and disinfectants)
• Products used on lawns and
gardens that drift or are tracked
inside the house
• Use strictly according to manufacturer’s directions.
• Mix or dilute outdoors.
• Apply only in recommended quantities.
• Increase ventilation when using indoors. Take plants or pets outdoors when
applying pesticides to them.
• Use non-chemical methods of pest control where possible.
• If you use a pest control company, select it carefully.
• Do not store inside home; dispose of unwanted containers safely.
• Store clothes with moth repellents in separately ventilated areas.
• Keep indoor spaces clean, dry, and well ventilated .
Asbestos • Deteriorating, damaged, or
disturbed insulation,
fireproofing, acoustical
• Leave undamaged material alone if it is not likely to be disturbed
• Use trained and qualified contractors for control measures/cleanup
• Follow proper procedures in replacing woodstove door gaskets that may contain
materials, and floor tiles asbestos
Lead (Pb) • Lead-based paint
• Contaminated soil
• Dust
• Drinking water
• Keep areas where children play as dust-free and clean as possible.
• Leave lead-based paint undisturbed if it is in good condition; do not sand or burn
off paint that may contain lead.
• Do not remove lead paint yourself.
• Do not bring lead dust into the home.
• If your work or hobby involves lead, change clothes and use doormats.
• Eat a balanced diet that is rich in calcium and iron.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Available at: www.epa.gov.
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