What’s secretly polluting the air inside YOUR home? spritz of perfume, cooking breakfast, a spring clean, our unique test helps reveal all
- An expert claims indoor air pollution is responsible for 9,000 UK deaths per year
- Professor Stephen Holgate, says these homes are often poorly ventilated
- Pollutants can come from new furniture, cooking with gas and cleaning products
- Claire Coleman measured pollution at home using Dyson’s Pure Cool air purifier
- She saw soaring levels from spraying deodorant, lighting a candle and cooking
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Have you ever wondered what happens to the air quality in your home when you light a scented candle, cook dinner or open a window?
Diesel fumes and smog aside, experts are increasingly suggesting that air pollution within our homes could be a cause for concern.
‘Research indicates that indoor air pollution has a significant impact on health,’ says immunopharmacology professor Stephen Holgate, of the University of Southampton, who is an expert in the impact of air pollution on health.
‘We estimate that it is responsible for up to 9,000 deaths per year of the estimated total 40,000 deaths from air pollution in the UK,’ he says.
Claire Coleman recorded the levels of pollutants around her home throughout the day using Dyson’s Pure Cool air purifier
According to him, this is because we spend 90 per cent of our time indoors. ‘This is often in poorly ventilated homes, where people are exposed to toxic air pollutants including formaldehyde (given off by wooden furniture, paint, certain fabrics and fragranced products) and a cocktail of volatile organic compounds,’ he adds.
‘The most significant sources of these pollutants come from cooking on gas, solid-fuel burning stoves, cleaning products, paints and new furniture and furnishings.’
Exposure to these types of pollutants can cause skin reactions, dizziness and headaches, aggravate allergies and exacerbate respiratory and heart problems. In certain extreme cases the pollutants can even impair brain function or be carcinogenic.
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It’s a worrying prospect that made me want to know what was getting up my nose in my home. So I enlisted the help of Dyson’s Pure Cool air purifier (from £399.99, dyson.co.uk) to record levels of pollutants, including PM10, PM2.5, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) — see the box above right.
So what happened when I went about my day? The results are fascinating…
8.15AM: MAKING THE BED
By shaking out the feather duvet and pillows, I caused a serious spike in levels of PM10, the bigger particles found in the air. So should I be concerned? If this level were measured outside over a sustained period, it would be considered poor air quality.
Frank Kelly, professor of environmental health at King’s College London, points out that most of the research has looked at outdoor air pollution rather than indoor.
Claire measured high levels of large particles after making her bed and was advised to open a window in the future to ensure the room is well-ventilated (file image)
‘We don’t yet know whether similar compounds found inside the home will have the same effect on health as those found outside, or whether one source is more or less harmful than another. But it would seem sensible to avoid excessive exposure to these types of pollutants,’ he says.
Score: High levels of large particles; the other readings are normal.
Tip: Try to open a window when you’re making the bed to ensure the place is well-ventilated.
8.45AM: SPRAYING DEODORANT
Within seconds of using the spray, the levels of particulate matter shot through the roof. I asked Professor Kelly to explain the difference between these particle types.
‘Any particles over 10 microns won’t enter the airways, but anything smaller than 2.5 microns [such as those from the deodorant] will go deeper down into the lungs,’ he says.
‘Research to date suggests that exposure to high levels of PM2.5 is associated with exacerbating asthma, lung cancer and pulmonary disease, as well as heart disease, and most recently Alzheimer’s and dementia.
‘We now think any pollution you breathe in could affect any organ if you’re exposed to enough of it for a long enough period.’
Score: Soaring levels of large and small particles. The other readings are normal.
Tip: Switch to a solid version of deodorant rather than a spray.
Research shows a link between exposure to high levels of PM2.5 and health conditions including dementia, asthma and lung cancer (file image)
What are the four worst pollutants?
- PM10, large airborne particles that measure under 10 microns (about a tenth of the diameter of a human hair), such as pollen and dust. This is measured in micrograms (a millionth of a gram) per cubic metre of air. According to EU standards, this should not exceed an average reading of 40.
- PM2.5, small airborne particles measuring under 2.5 microns, such as cooking gases and smoke. This is measured in micrograms per cubic metre of air. The EU says this figure should not exceed an average reading of 25.
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs or solvent fumes), such as those given off by paint. Dyson’s air purifier doesn’t measure absolute figures for this. Instead it gives the levels a score from 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest levels of VOCs.
- Nitrogen dioxide (NO2 or exhaust fumes), produced by gas stoves and cars. Again, rather than measuring absolutes, levels of NO2 are scored from 1 to 10.
We tracked the levels of all these compounds on a single day in my home. The baseline tests I did at 8am show that the air quality in my flat was pretty good initially, with low levels of each pollutant.
9AM: USING HAIRSPRAY
hairspray caused the levels of VOCs (the sort of chemicals often found in paint and solvents, which catch in the back of your throat and can give you headaches) in my flat to reach the highest possible reading.
‘Less is known about the VOCs, as they are traditionally harder to measure than particulate pollution,’ explains Professor Kelly.
‘We know that at high levels they can cause itchy eyes, coughing and tightness in the chest in the short term.
‘And, in the long term, because they’re a pollutant, the gas will enter the lungs and lead to inflammation.’
Score: Highest possible levels of solvent fumes. High levels of small and large particles. Exhaust fume reading is normal.
Tip: Think about switching to an unscented styling product in a form such as fixing putty or gel.
10AM: OPENING THE WINDOWS
I don’t live on a very busy road but, nevertheless, when I open the windows the levels of NO2 shoot up. In fact, the 20 highest NO2 levels that the Dyson purifier picked up in the day were all during the half hour that the windows were open onto the road.
Nitrogen dioxide comes from the burning of fossil fuels. It inflames the lining of the lungs and can reduce immunity to lung infections, causing wheezing, coughing, colds, flu and bronchitis. If you’re prone to asthma, it can cause more frequent and more intense attacks, especially in children.
Score: Mid-range levels of exhaust fumes. The other readings are normal.
Tip: If you have a choice, ventilate your home by opening windows that don’t overlook a road. Invest in an air purifier which can remove gases such as NO2.
Claire saw soaring levels of small and large particles after cooking bacon in a pan and was advised to use the extractor fan every time she cooks (file image)
11AM: LIGHTING A SCENTED CANDLE
Lighting the candle led to a significant rise in the levels of PM2.5 and PM10. The initial strike of the match and flare of the flame caused a surge and, as the candle burns, levels of these particles remained high.
As Professor Alastair Lewis of the National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of York explains, anything fragranced has the potential to cause problems. ‘Fragrance compounds on their own aren’t harmful, but almost every fragrance compound —whether natural or synthetic, in a candle, an air freshener, a deodorant or a perfume — breaks down over a few hours and days into fine particles and formaldehyde, a potentially long-term irritant in the air.’
Score: High levels of large and small particles. The other readings are normal.
Tip: Cut down on scented products and open your windows (if they don’t overlook a road) to freshen things up instead.
12.30pm: COOKING
When I popped some bacon in a pan, the PM2.5 and PM10 levels rocketed.
‘Although we don’t yet know for sure, I’d anticipate that the types of particle pollutants you get from any cooking situation are likely to be most similar to the types you get outdoors, which also come from burning or combustion,’ says Professor Kelly. ‘It’s therefore possible they will also have the same long-term effects.’
Score: Soaring levels of large and small particles. The other readings are normal.
Tip: Make sure you use the extractor fan in your kitchen every time you cook.
Experts advise applying perfume in a well-ventilated room and investing in house plants (file image)
2.30PM: USING CLEANING PRODUCTS
Although the levels of particle pollution went up when I dusted and polished, it’s the levels of VOCs — the volatile chemicals found in paint and solvents which can cause irritation — that are a potential cause for concern. Only hairspray and perfume (see below) recorded higher levels of VOCs.
This is mostly because almost all of the cleaning products we buy these days are highly perfumed.
Score: Mid-range levels of solvent fumes. Low rise in large particles.
Tip: Switch to unscented cleaning products. Bear in mind that even ‘natural’ formulas that have naturally derived scents still contribute to formaldehyde levels in the home. Use microfibre cloths which have been proven to clean effectively with water alone.
4PM: APPLYING PERFUME
If I look at all the VOC readings taken that day, and take the 50 highest readings, 17 of them are down to me spraying perfume (the rest are hairspray, while one is due to cleaning products.)
Score: High levels of solvent fumes. The other readings are normal.
Tip: Always apply perfume in a well-ventilated room, but think about getting some house plants, too.
Although there’s some controversy over how well they can help, laboratory-based research suggests plants such as the Boston fern and the golden pothos can help remove volatile gases, such as formaldehyde, from the air.
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