The biggest cause of indoor pollution in India is smoke, which is produced by burning wood, cow dung and charcoal to cook and generate heat.
They have many side effects on health. In addition, asbestos and glass fibers used in construction materials such as roofs and tiles, fibrils present in rock wool, ceramic fibers, can cause lung cancer and mesothelioma.
People may be at risk of COPD when inhaling harmful pollutants such as fine particles, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide present in smoke.
This is especially the case with women, as they use bio fuel most of the time in the kitchen. Household items and construction materials also exacerbate the problem.
Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen, which originates from paint, wood lamination, and wall coverings.
They have many side effects on health, such as irritation in the eyes, nose and throat, nausea and damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system.
In addition, naturally occurring radon gas may be present in the underground part of homes, which can damage the cellular DNA of the respiratory epithelium and cause lung cancer.
Even dust that appears harmless if present in large amounts can cause asthma.
Many household items such as furnishings, printers, glue, paint, paint strippers, wood preservatives, aerosol sprays, cleaners and antimicrobials, moth repellents and air fresheners, fuels and automotive products and pesticides, etc.
produce volatile organic compounds, which harm health. Can deliver. There is still a lack of tested and cost-effective solutions to prevent non-smoking household pollutants.
Proper ventilation is often proposed when working with smokeless pollutants in homes, but this may not be an adequate measure in places like Delhi, where outdoor pollution is very high.
Another solution is to choose better alternatives to products that release such pollutants. For example, using plant-based derivatives and water-based paints instead of traditional paints.
However, the number of currently available options is very limited.
Cleaning the pollution is another solution. Recently, many middle class and upper class Indians are getting air purifiers.
However, most of them are expensive, such as 677 sq ft air purifying air purifiers cost around Rs 10,000 and the air purifiers are yet to be tested.
