What Exactly Are You Putting on Your Skin?

12/29/2016

How Your Home May Be Making You Sick



Indoor pollution
                                Photo via Pixabay by Pexels


It used to be the word “pollution” brought to mind images of factories and car emissions, dirty lakes and overfull landfills, while “detoxification” was something associated only with cleansing the body of drugs. 

Now, however, there is a very different type of pollution happening, and many people aren’t even aware of it ... or the fact that it might be making them sick.

“The whole concept of indoor pollution is quite new. For a long time, our focus was on what was going on in the environment outside our homes. But in the last decade or so, we’ve realized that the indoor environment can be making you sick,” says author Jeffrey May.

The problem lies not with how clean your house may be, but with all the hidden places you may not think to clean, like the air and heating ducts. 

The average home has several little spaces that are breeding grounds for bacteria and mold, so it’s important to know where to check if you or your family begin exhibiting symptoms consistent with indoor pollution, such as headaches, constant sinus issues, or trouble breathing.


How Your Home May Be Affecting Your Health

HVAC System

The air ducts in your home are likely filled with traces of water -- condensation which forms every time your air conditioning unit kicks on -- that can breed germs, bacteria, and mold. Have the vents and ducts professionally cleaned every two years if possible.

It’s also important to not forget the heating system. Furnace filters can attract copious amounts of lint, dust, and debris, that not only keeps your heating system from working properly, and hikes up your utility bills -- but also sends those particles back out into the air, where you breathe them in. Change the filter as often as every month to keep your furnace working properly.

Smart Meters

Smart meters -- small devices usually installed on the outside of a home to measure utility usage -- have become a popular fixture for many homeowners, as they send data automatically to a utility company using radio frequency waves

However, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified smart meters as “possibly carcinogenic” to humans, and while it's impossible to do a true study on just how dangerous they may be, it’s important for those who are already at risk for cancer, to know the risks associated with these meters.

The Bathroom

Your bathroom may appear to be clean at a glance, but the one thing many people overlook is the bottom of the bathmat. If you step out of the shower to dry yourself, your bath mat will take on quite a bit of water, and when it soaks through to the bottom and stays up against the floor, conditions are perfect for mold and bacteria

Wash your mats in hot water once a week and, after your shower, pick it up and lay it over the shower rod to air dry. Better yet, dry yourself while you’re still standing in the tub to cut down on the amount of water that will hit the mat.

While it can be alarming to think about, knowing the issues your home faces will help you to become proactive in keeping you and your family safe and healthy. 


~ by Charlotte Meier, Guest Author



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