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Environmental Illness - Toxins in Our Environment
Indoor air pollution
Indoor air pollution can affect you at home, work, or even places you visit. It is a common source of respiratory diseases, including asthma, allergies, and lung cancer. It can be worse in winter, when windows are shut tight and less fresh air can circulate.
See tips for reducing indoor air pollution, such as not allowing anyone to smoke in your home.
- Cigarette smoke
One of the most common and toxic indoor air pollutants is cigarette smoke. Experts believe more than 87% of lung cancers are caused by cigarette smoke.1 Smoking, or even inhaling secondhand smoke, increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.2
Tobacco smoke is a mixture of more than 4,700 compounds. Smoke from the smoldering end of a cigarette contains more cancer-causing chemicals than the smoke exhaled by a smoker.3 If you are a nonsmoker and household members or coworkers will not stop smoking around you, ask that they smoke only in well-ventilated or isolated areas. Never smoke around children or allow them to be exposed to cigarette smoke, especially if they have asthma or allergies.
Exposure to cigarette smoke causes wheezing, coughing, and extra mucus (phlegm) in many children. Secondhand smoke also can cause fluid to build up in the inner ear, which can cause ear infections. Lower respiratory infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis, are also risks. Sometimes these types of infections become serious enough to require hospitalization, especially when they develop in babies and young children.4
Babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).5
Cigarette smoke may cause thousands of children each year to develop asthma.5 Also, children with asthma who are exposed to cigarette smoke have more attacks and more severe symptoms than other children with asthma.5
See information on the increased impact of environmental illnesses on children. For example, in recent years, the number of children with asthma has more than doubled, and environmental causes are suspected.
- Woodstoves and gas ranges
Woodstoves that are not properly maintained and vented can give off gases, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen, particulates, and hydrocarbons. Children in homes heated with woodstoves are at increased risk for respiratory problems. Gas ranges, particularly when they are not well-vented or when they are used as a source of heat, may produce nitrogen dioxide, which can cause respiratory problems. Consider changing to an electric stove.
If your gas stove has a persistent yellow flame, it may be improperly adjusted. Ask your gas company to adjust the burners so the flame tips are blue. If you're planning to buy a new gas range or stove, consider one that does not use a pilot light.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Environmental Illness Topics
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