So you think your air indoors is clean!
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air on average.
The EPA states that 1500 hazardous substances are found in the average US home. Typically these include airborne pollutants from cleaning and personal care products, second hand smoke, radon, formaldehyde from pressed wood products, biological agents such as fungi, mites and bacteria, and nitrogen oxide from gas appliances. The EPA also states that many homes have airborne pollutant levels 25 to 100 times that of the air outside the home and that ‘airborne pollutants from cleaning and personal care products used in the home are three times more likely to cause cancer than pollutants from outside.
The EPA estimates that 50 per cent of all illnesses are caused, or aggravated, by indoor pollution – including allergies, asthma and a variety of cancers. (see also As Safe As Houses )