How to fight domestic pollution. From plants to the use of natural products for the home
An American university has identified the harmful chemicals circulating in the home: there are 45. Not a few. We need to reduce the use of some products, but essential help comes from plants. Here are the right ones
HOW TO FIGHT DOMESTIC POLLUTION
Nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter. Benzene and
xylene. You don't have to be alarmist, but neither should you play the
part of ostriches and put your head in the sand. Our homes are places with
a high rate of pollution, potential haunts of poisons. And to defend
health we risk wasting a lot of money, and doing damage to our bodies when we
focus on products to improve home air quality. Much better natural
products, starting from plants, which are really able to cope,
without wasting health, to those 45 harmful chemicals that George
Washington University has identified within the walls of homes.
Every year almost 7 million people die from pollution :
3.6 million from environmental pollution and 3.3 million for indoor pollution,
that is what develops inside homes, offices, and closed
places in kind. The data is reported by Pier Mannuccio Mannucci,
scientific director of the Ca 'Granda Policlinico Foundation in Milan.
CAUSES OF DOMESTIC POLLUTION
Most of the harmful substances with which we come into
contact, when we are outside, are also concentrated in the internal environments,
adding to the other polluting molecules coming from the chemicals used
in the house, from the stoves and from the bacteria that lurk on fabrics
and carpets.
But that's not all: in addition to fine particles,
among the other substances that threaten our health on a daily basis, we also
find mold, mites, and carbon monoxide.
RISKS OF DOMESTIC POLLUTION
In general, the research shows that the damage to health
still depends on several factors such as exposure to more pollutants, the
length of time spent in that specific environment and an individual
predisposition to different pathologies: children and older
people for example may be more vulnerable.
One of the biggest risks we can face at home is formaldehyde,
a colorless gas accused of promoting cancer of the nose and larynx and
leukemia. There are several everyday objects containing this substance:
glues, coatings, furniture, insulating foams, treatments and finishes for
floors and parquet, smoke from fireplaces and stoves, wallpaper, paints, detergents for cleaning the
house, insecticides,
appliances electronic such as computers and copiers or tobacco smoke.
Fortunately, the concentration present in
our homes are very low, even if this does not mean that exposure after
exposure, we do not end up developing a certain sensitivity.
HEALTH RISKS CAUSED BY ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
Even on the air pollution front, the dangers are well
present. The American Environmental Protection Agency (Epa) recommends a
limit of 12 micrograms: a threshold much more similar to that of the WHO rather
then the European one, and which underlines " the inadequacy of the
limits set for Europe ". The same goes for PM10, which affects
the upper airways: in Europe, the tolerable threshold is 40 micrograms, for the
WHO it is half.
HOW TO CONTRAST AIR
AND DOMESTIC POLLUTION
Even if at a national and international level it is the
institutions that have to implement new strategies to combat pollution, each
of us can follow some easy tricks to help pollute less and minimize the dangers
of atmospheric and indoor pollution. Even more valuable advice for those
suffering from cardiovascular diseases, since fine particles are among the main
risk factors for these diseases.
- Avoid practicing outdoor sports in particularly busy areas and especially during peak traffic hours.
- Similarly, if you travel on foot or by bicycle, prefer the less polluted routes, preferring early morning or evening.
- To best protect small children, during walks outside the home, opt for the baby carrier instead of the stroller, in order to keep them away from the most polluted layer of the air, which stops lower.
- Do not smoke in the house or in the car, especially if there are also children in the car.
- Change the air in the different rooms often in order to prevent the stagnation of harmful substances, but not during the hours when there is more traffic on the street. The windows should be opened at least two or three times a day for five minutes and continuously when cooking. If there are children, the air must be changed every four to six hours. Obviously always during the day.
- Renew the walls of the house by painting them with non-toxic and ecological paints.
- Save on chemicals for cleaning and replace them with those made at home in a natural way. Remember that vinegar and baking soda, natural products for domestic use, are harmless to health and unbeatable for cleaning. On the contrary, industrial hygiene products, which should never be mixed, can also contain harmful volatile substances.
- To avoid the unwelcome presence of mold and mites, make sure that the humidity level in the house does not go beyond 40-50 percent.
- Avoid sprays and cleaning products containing formaldehyde.
- Use a vacuum cleaner with efficient filters. That is anti-particulate (HEPA), suitable for removing even the smallest particles of dust.
PLANTS AGAINST
DOMESTIC POLLUTION
But that is not all. Do you know that there are some
types of plants that can absorb and neutralize pollutants?
You can place them in the living room, bathroom or
kitchen. Thanks to a series of small pores on the leaves, they are able to
capture the polluting molecules and gases and convey them to the
roots. These, in turn, release harmful substances into the earth where
there are microorganisms capable of metabolizing and neutralizing them.
HOW TO PURIFY THE AIR
WITH PLANTS
They are able to clean the air from ammonia and formaldehyde
but also from cigarette smoke and carbon monoxide that forms when you cook or
turn on the gas water heater. Here
are some of them:
- SANSEVIERIA
It is one of the most effective plants for purifying the air
of formaldehyde.
- FALANGIO
It is an easy plant to grow at home and does not require
much water and grows quickly, able to purify the environment of formaldehyde.
- FICUS
Like Sansevieria, Ficus is also able to clean the air from
formaldehyde and is also effective against trichloroethylene and benzene.
- ANTHURIUM
Anthurium is a plant capable of fighting ammonia, a
substance used in house cleaning but toxic to the lungs.
- DRACENA
Dracena is perfect against substances such as xylene,
trichloroethylene, and formaldehyde present in lacquers or paints.
- GERBERA
It is able to remove the trichloroethylene often present in
dry-cleaned clothing.
- IVY
Ivy is great for capturing the formaldehyde found in
household cleaning products.
- POTOS
If you have a fireplace at home, to protect yourself from the carbon
monoxide that exhales from fireplaces and wood stoves, grow Potos, a plant with
large, oval, glossy leaves.
- CEREUS PERUVIANUS
The Cereus peruvianus or Peruvian cactus is a plant with
thorns capable of creating a real natural barrier against the magnetic waves
caused by smartphones and wi-fi.
- SINGONIO
Very effective in capturing and capturing formaldehyde and
solvents such as xylene, Syngonium is a perfect plant for the visual arts
ateliers, schools, and institutes where brushes and highlighters are used
extensively.
- CHLOROPHITE
Capable of absorbing toluene and formaldehyde, it is the
perfect plant for a children's room. Remember that Chlorophyte loves
bright environments but not direct sunlight.
- SPATYPHILLUS
Even the spatifillo is perfect for absorbing the organic
compounds that release glues, paints, and varnishes. Very decorative, it is
perfect for offices and living rooms.
PLANTS THAT PURIFY
THE AIR
In the book Plants that purify the air by Ariane Boixière-Assay
and Geneviève Chaudet (Edizioni Il Punto di incontro), 20 plants to be used in
the home against pollution are examined, one by one and in the most important
details. They are beautiful plants to look at: Ivy, Antonio, Pothos, Fico
beniamino, Gerber, Spatifillo, but they are also plants that make the home
environment welcoming and warm, and thus help to find, in the family, the path
of sustainability. In the book, there are also many practical cards that
help to take care of the plants in the right way to keep them always
flourishing.
CHILDREN DOMESTIC
POLLUTION
And finally, here is a whole series of useful measures to
protect children from domestic pollution. Let's start with the items to
avoid:
- Plastic bottles made of polycarbonate : they contain and release bisphenol-A, a chemical substance capable of altering the endocrine system. Find the indications relating to polycarbonate with the words PC7 or simply with the number 7. Check that the substance is not also contained in plates, forks, and glasses.
- Plastic toys containing phthalates: for those suitable for children under 3 there is an EU law prohibiting their use. However, toys for older children can contain them.
- The diapers bleached with chlorine and perfumed.
- Disposable wipes and cleaning products in general containing parabens, EDTA, butyl hydroxyanisole (BHA): these are additives that can interfere with the endocrine system. Remember that reading labels is the only way to avoid substances that are harmful to our health.
- Perfumes for children: they are absolutely useless.
Let's see now what is better to use:
- The glass baby bottles.
- Washable diapers in cotton or alternatively, disposable ones in the organic version.
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