What Is Clean Air?
Clean Air, both indoor and outdoor, is vital to lung health. Our Clean Air Initiative is focused on air quality problems that have a direct impact on lung health.
Secondhand Smoke
Secondhand smoke has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of cancer in humans, a Group A carcinogen.
Secondhand smoke exposure causes disease and premature death in children and adults who do not smoke. Secondhand smoke contains hundreds of chemicals known to be toxic or carcinogenic, including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic ammonia and hydrogen cyanide, and causes approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 46,000 heart disease deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United States each year.
Secondhand smoke is especially harmful to young children. It is responsible for between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children under 18 months of age, resulting in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year, and causes 430 sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) deaths in the United States annually.
Click here to see a map of smoke-free laws in the United States.
Radon
Radon comes from the natural or radioactive breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and finds its way into the air you breathe. Radon is found all over the U.S. It can get into any type of building – homes, offices, and schools – and result in a high indoor radon level. But you and your family are most likely to get your greatest exposure at home, where you spend most of your time.
Radon gas is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and the first leading cause of lung cancer in individuals who have never smoked. EPA estimates that 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year are radon-related. Radon causes no immediate health symptoms, but long-term exposure can be deadly. EPA estimates that as many as one in 15 homes across the U.S. has elevated radon levels.
Home Cleaning products
There are many choices for cleaning in your home or place of work. Some products people may be accustomed to using can be harmful to health, but there are many common household products that can be used to clean, are cheaper and are easier on health, too. Baking soda is a good example. It can be used instead of abrasive and caustic cleaners. Click here for a list of lung-friendly cleaning products.
Air Filters
Air cleaning devices are either central filtration, often called “in-duct” systems put into the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system of a home or portable units with an attached fan to assist in reducing indoor air pollutants.
What choices do I have?
- Mechanical Filters draw air through a flat, pleated or high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) surface to trap particles.
- HEPA Filters are the most efficient mechanical filters for removing small particles, which can be breathed deep into the lungs. The highest efficiency air cleaners, widely available today, remove 0.3 micron (1 micron = 1 millionth of a meter) sized particles at a minimum of 99.97% efficiency.
- Electronic Air Cleaners in the simplest form, include negative ion generators that charge airborne particles so they become attracted to and settle on room surfaces. Activity within a room, however, may stir up and release the settled particles back into the air. More effective units called electrostatic precipitators electrically charge airborne particles and then trap them on oppositely charged metal plates. The plates must be cleaned regularly for proper performance.
- Hybrid Filters are made up of two or more of the above filters. An example is the “electret” filter which uses electrically charged flat or pleated fabric to attract airborne particles. This are efficient when clean, but as they fill with particles the efficiency decreases and they must be replaced.
- Gas Phase Filters are often attached to air cleaning devices to filter specific gases, vapors and odors.