Air quality affects us all

Created By RISC | 2 years ago

Last modified date : 2 years ago

Air is vital to us at every moment. If we can't breathe for 2-3 minutes, we fall unconscious. After 5 minutes our hearts beat irregularly. After 8 minutes, our hearts may stop.

The quality of the air we breathe affects us all the time.

So, how can we be certain it’s clean and safe? Air pollution is always around us, including dust, gases, and small solid particles. These impurities have both short- and long-term effects. Over 160,000 people died from air pollution in 2020, primarily from heart disease and respiratory conditions, according to one study. Another study found that indoor air and is two to five times more polluted than air outdoors.

Outdoor air brings PM2.5, PM10, and ozone into buildings, where pollution also gathers from detergents, cooking, and building materials. Some rocks emit radon gas. Some materials emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Indoor air quality should be monitored regularly because we spend more than 90% of our time in buildings. We should keep our homes clean and open our windows to remove polluted air. When outdoor air is poor, however, we should close our windows. We can use indoor air purification systems. High-efficiency filters can remove PM2.5 and ensure the air coming into buildings is safe for us to breathe.

Story by Dr. Jittapat Choruengwiwat, Senior Vice President, RISC

References: ​
https://www.doctor.or.th/article/detail/5409
https://www.iqair.com/en/newsroom/outdoor-air-pollution-effects-on-indoor-air
Landrigan PJ, et al. (2017). The Lancet Commission on pollution and health. The Lancet. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32345-0