Clearing the Air: How To Avoid Indoor Air Pollutants

When the weather outside is frightful and the fire inside delightful, it's so tempting to curl up on the couch and avoid the nasty winter air. But after a few hours, you may feel the beginnings of a dull headache, perhaps a raspy throat or a stuffy nose, maybe a little nausea. You might think it's just another bout of flu or common cold, but if the symptoms persist, they may actually be due to allergens, irritants or toxins you're inhaling indoors.

Allergy sensitivities have doubled over the past 29 years, and the number of self-reported asthmatics has increased about 74 percent since 1980. "Whereas you could expect a cold or flu to just get better, allergies by definition are recurrent and get triggered by exposure [to the allergen]," says Luz Claudio, Ph.D., associate professor of community medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. As untreated allergies can lead to other illnesses like sinusitis and ear infections, it's important to treat the symptoms while ridding your space of allergens such as dust mites and cockroaches.

Complicating matters, there are some indoor air pollutants, such as chemical vapors or fine particles of soot, that you may not be allergic to but that can still irritate your eyes, nose and throat. They can pose other, less obvious health risks in the long term. So evicting these sneaky houseguests is extremely important during the short days and long months we spend cooped up inside.

Following is an overview of the kinds of pollutants likely to be encountered in any home. For how to avoid them, see "What You Can Do," (below).

Biological Pollutants

Pesky yet omnipresent biological matter —mold, mildew, animal dander, dust mites, cockroaches and pollen, to name just a few— can spell misery to the more than 50 million Americans suffering from asthma and allergic diseases, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

If you have recurrent cold or flu-like symptoms, see a doctor. "Having a test done to find out what you're allergic to is a critical first step," says Janice Nolen, M.S., director of national policy for the American Lung Association. And a thorough vaccuuming, wet mopping/dusting and bedding wash will remove a host of microscopic invaders right off the bat.