Good ventilation is probably the single most important step you can take toward making your home healthier, experts say. For the most part, the air you breathe while you're at home isn't nearly as clean as the air you breathe while you're outside (even if the outdoor air is fairly smoggy).
Even if you don't notice any ill effects right now, it's a good idea to try to clean up the air in your home, says Robert Phalen, founder of the Air Pollution Health Effects Laboratory at UC Irvine. Chronic exposure to allergens may lead to sensitivities over time.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday, July 31, 2009 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 National Desk 1 inches; 37 words Type of Material: Correction
Cleaner air: An article in Monday's Health section about how to clean the air inside your home identified Dr. Paul Blanc as a professor of medicine at UC Berkeley. Blanc is a professor at UC San Francisco.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Monday, August 03, 2009 Home Edition Health Part E Page 3 Features Desk 1 inches; 38 words Type of Material: Correction
Cleaner air: An article in last Monday's Health section about how to clean the air inside your home incorrectly identified Dr. Paul Blanc as a professor of medicine at UC Berkeley. He's a professor at UC San Francisco.
We asked a number of doctors, researchers and building consultants to tell us about possible home air hazards and how some of them can be eliminated -- maximizing effectiveness and minimizing expense.
What we're breathing
Carbon monoxide: You can't see it, smell it or taste it, but that doesn't mean it's not there. At lower exposures, it can cause headaches, dizziness and nausea, and is easily mistaken for the flu. At higher exposures, it can kill you within minutes. To be safe, make sure all your gas appliances (furnace, stove, water heater, etc.) and fireplace are working properly. If you have a space heater, make sure it's vented to the outdoors. As an extra precaution, install a carbon monoxide detector. And never keep the motor running in a car or truck inside your attached garage, even if the garage door is open.
Radon: Like carbon monoxide, radon is colorless, odorless, tasteless and deadly. Unlike carbon monoxide, it takes a while to do you in. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers, the EPA estimates, and the second-leading cause, behind smoking, of all lung cancer cases in the country. Formed naturally from the radioactive decay of uranium, the gas often seeps into basements through cracks in walls and floors -- and from there it makes its way upstairs. "In general, it's not much of a problem in California," says Dr. Jonathan Samet, professor of preventive medicine and director of the Institute for Global Health at USC. "But nationally it's recommended to have houses checked, and that's a reasonable thing to do." In fact, you can get a kit and test your house yourself. If you find radon in dangerous levels, hire a professional who can determine the best treatment.
