The Analogy Between Indoor Air Pollution Exaggeration and the Anti-vaccination Movement

The so-called concept of "indoor air pollution" has recently been on the rise. Since other cooked up notions, how serious is it, literally?

We're not discussing the old-as-dirt things we've all too often heard of, to name a few, our keyboards are filthier than the toilet, wherein bacteria overwhelmingly reign, even on our toothbrushes and soap bars. Heinous as it might seem (that our toothbrushes have the taste of our butt, to demonstrate), these were once shared all over the internet a couple of years ago, then vanished. Like water off a duck's back, it could hardly ever strike any note of warning to us. The keyboard still is a keyboard, and we still use it precisely as we previously did forasmuch as we've never conserved our toothbrushes in glass boxes and exhibited those at the museum.

We still are breathing, vigorous, and kindhearted.

Indoor air pollution, from what's so far been fanned out, seems even more hideous and tucked away in all quarters.

1. Every little thing is awful.

Our first stop is the living room.

A cozy room with a comfortable leather cushion sofa, gorgeous walls, and a corner essential oil/scented candle burner filling the entire space with a sweet aroma. Why on earth could this be dangerous?

Remember the pungent smell of your new sofa? The malodor is derived from either flame retardants or other volatile chemicals, many a time, utilized during the manufacturing processes, which have the potentials of breeding cancer, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), thyroid disorder, deteriorating IQ and so on.

At close quarters, those gorgeous walls can as well contain lead and mercury, which exert several detrimental health impacts: as mild as anorexia nervosa, dull abdominal pains, anemia, headache, as acute as seizures, coma, or even kidney failure. Traditional paints might, withal, contain such volatile organic compounds (VOC) as toluene, xylene, and glycol. Either of which adversely affects the indoor air quality and health, especially children's.

Still, you have art paintings. Let alone lead; they might contain cadmium or arsenic, which are both toxic to humans. A 2001 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report has it that either scented candles or agarwood was a source of indoor pollution, which, without recourse, ran people into health problems, to demonstrate, eye, nose irritation, sore throat, headache, concentration lack, and nausea. More severely, those can even dog you with liver, kidney, and central nervous system problems.

Oil burner offers a less smoky, yet more accessible, alternative. The pleasant aroma might, on the one hand, give you some sense of relief, on the other hand, run you into skin irritation or itching and as well negatively impact asthmatic.

In a great attempt to run away from such a dangerous place, you rush to your bedroom, turning on the air-conditioner, dropping yourself on the thick, cozy cushion, taking off the bookshelf the novel you're reading and yourself immersing in a fantastic adventure. Why on earth would the most peaceful place on earth be hazardous?

Your air conditioner, without regular maintenance, would, to all appearances, fan out the mold, bacteria, and even refrigerated chemicals. Take Freon as an example. This tasteless, odorless gas, after inhaled, could suffocate the lungs and breed gas poisoning.

When was the last time your mattress dried, or your sheets and blankets washed?

While you can answer those with specific "milestones," you could hardly ever know precisely how filthy those are (which might "award" you with allergies and asthma), or how many tiny dead skin cell devourers are lying by your side—pondering your monstrous scalp fungal? It's due to, in all likelihood, your "cultivating" fungal on your comfortable pillow.