4 things you should know about indoor air pollution

While we are all familiar with initiatives to improve outdoor air quality, such as low emission zones and electric vehicles, fewer of us are aware that indoor pollution is an issue that needs addressing.

From fashionable wood burning stoves to scented candles, here’s how we are compromising our indoor air quality and our health.

1. Burning wood is on the blacklist: there is mounting evidence to suggest enjoying a roaring log fire has a huge, fundamental flaw. In fact, a group of scientists found wood burners triple the level of harmful pollution particles inside the home, prompting them to claim they should be sold with a health warning.

When you burn wood, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, organic gaseous compounds and particulate matter (PM) are released as tiny particles that enter the bloodstream. Open fires are the worst polluters but wood burning stoves present their own issues, with spikes in pollution every time the door is opened.

2. Soot is the enemy: soot falls into the category of particulate matter – probably the most worrying emission when wood is burnt inside. The presence of particulate matter PM2.5 is the biggest concern. A 2020 University of Sheffield study found, on average, PM2.5 exposure from wood-burners ranged from 27.34 to 195.83 microgrammes per μg/m3. The Government’s safe target is 10. Although not in the same quantities as a wood burner, PM2.5 is also emitted when you burn candles or incense.

PM2.5 can increase the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, dementia and strokes. Additionally, a scientific study showed long-term exposure to PM2.5 air pollution significantly increases the asthma risk in both children and adults.

3. Scent is a silent pollutant: no one wants a pongy property so we turn to scented candles, plug-in air fresheners and reed diffusers to improve the aroma. Sadly, research suggests the ingredients may poison as well as perfume the air. Most air fresheners release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), with the chemicals used to create a fragrance (terpenes, alpha-pinene and beta-pinene) mixing with solvents such as ethanol, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, free radicals, benzene, toluene and xylene.

Even essential oils – deemed natural – can form polluting nanoparticles and pollutants when released into the air. Side effects from scent pollutants can include headaches, nausea, airway, eye and throat irritation, and respiratory distress.

4. Your gas appliance could kill you: before panic sets in, the majority of gas boilers and fires are perfectly fine, especially ones that are serviced annually or are professionally installed. Sadly, carbon monoxide poisoning is responsible for around 50 deaths in the UK every year – mainly because the gas is colourless, odourless and tasteless.

Carbon monoxide is produced in deadly quantities when gas appliances aren’t working efficiently or chimneys/flues are blocked but installing a carbon monoxide alarm will alert residents of a leak. Carbon monoxide poisoning may manifest as headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, to more serious symptoms such as vertigo, weakness, confusion, loss of consciousness and even death.

Tips for improving indoor air quality

• Naturally ventilate by opening doors and windows
• Use an air purifier with HEPA filterUse a Gas Safe registered engineer to service gas appliances on an annual basisHave chimneys and flues swept every year before you light the first fire
• Consider removing open fires and wood burning stoves
• Add house plants - NASA’s Clean Air Study found peace lilies, parlour palms, lady palms, variegated snake plants and dracaenas removed airborne pollutants including benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toluene and ammonia
• Buy low-VOC home products packaged in pump sprays and not aerosol cans
• If you buy candles, opt for unscented, colour-free options made from beeswax, soy or coconut

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