Household Pollutant

Pollutant is anything that can disrupt the balance of the environment. Major problems have mentioned as kinds of pollutant such as sound, water pollutant, heap of trash, and dangerous gases in the air. These kinds of pollutant can be easily found in some exposed places like urban area, river, and industry area. But are they the only places where pollutants are spread?

Unfortunately, every day we live with pollutants, called the household pollutant. Household pollutant is anything that is released from the use of daily products. Daily products such as deodorizers, paints, detergents, fertilizers can release chemicals when they are used up. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is one of the most common contain that is released by those household products. On the other hand, Formaldehyde can be occurred from wood furniture and other wood-made product, foam, textiles product, and glues. Another useful yet harmful household product is waxes, antifreeze, nail polish, wet cell batteries, and rat poison. The intensive presences of those chemicals lead us to various health issues and death.

Nowadays, people prefer high isolated building and using the air conditioner to avoid outside pollutant. The fact is that the outdoor air quality is way better than the indoor air quality. In the closed area, the place becomes more air tight and hence, the pollutants are trapped. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, at least a dozen organic pollutants occur in concentrations two to five times higher in the home than outdoors, with concentrations of VOCs up to 10 times higher.

There are several ways to reduce the exposure of the household pollutants. Using the green or low-emission products can reduce the release of pollutant. In addition, some products have been tested and collected Greenguard Certification from GEI (Greenguide Environmental Institute) as eco-friendly products. Those products include daily basis such as detergents, cleaning fluids, cosmetics, sprays, and pesticides that do not contain chemicals that cause environmental issues. Using low-environmental-impact materials or recycled materials for furniture can be another way to reduce the exposure of pollutant. Since chemicals can be most released during the building process, we need to use the proper method and materials. Applying wet method for suppressing dust, using high-efficiency filter, and sealing the construction area must be done during the building process to prevent the release of pollutant. In addition, it is also important to avoid the use of materials that are made from toxic or hazardous chemicals.