We deal with worsening air pollution every single day, especially if we live in the city. Whenever we go to work, school, or to the mall, we inhale polluted air, so much more so when we’re stuck in traffic.

Unfortunately, air pollution isn’t limited to the outdoors. Believe it or not, even the air quality inside our homes and the workplaces, schools, and shopping centers that we go to regularly can be polluted. And if we believe the findings of several scientific studies, indoor air quality may be even worse.

You read that right: indoor air quality can be worse than that of outside air. Then again, if you think about it, it’s entirely possible.

Sources of Indoor Air Pollution

Do you use a gas stove or oven for cooking, or a gas-fired heater to keep you warm during the winter? If so, then your home is at risk for carbon monoxide contamination.

Do you use air fresheners to keep the rooms in your house smelling good? When cleaning the house, do you use bleach and other commercial cleaners and disinfectants? If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then you may want to know that all of them contain harmful chemicals, and they easily disperse in your indoor air.

The smell of paint can also be an indoor air pollutant. The same goes for mold, which forms when there is excess moisture inside your home. If you or anyone in your household is a smoker and there is no smoking ban in place at home, then the thousands of toxins in every cigarette stick maybe severely polluting your indoor air. For pet lovers, the dander that they leave behind does the same thing.

Considering the many pollutants that we use inside our homes, there is, indeed, a very high possibility that the air inside your home may be worse than the air outside it.

According to the American Heart Association, poor indoor air quality is linked to heart disease. The American Lung Association also says the same for lung cancer. Asthma attacks, allergies, eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue are just some of the health problems associated with breathing poor quality air indoors.

What makes things worse is the possibility that we actually spend most of our time indoors. Think about how you spend your typical day, and you’ll realize that we’re inside our homes, workplaces, schools, and malls for the better part of the day.

Then again, spending most of our time indoors—especially at home—shouldn’t really be a problem if we only make an effort to improve indoor air quality.

Improving Indoor Air Quality

There are many simple things that can be done to improve the quality of the air inside your home. If you or someone in hour household smokes, smoking ban would be an excellent place to start. Do some research on plants that act as air filters and place them inside your home, which is an absolutely great way of going green.  You should also open your windows from time to time to let in fresher air.  Vacuum frequently and don’t forget to change out the filters in your vacuum often.

To learn more about the importance of good indoor air quality, check out the infographic below.