Let’s put a pin in breathing for a moment. Oh, we’ll get there, don’t you worry.
But air. The stuff you hopefully cannot see.
While I and most of my readers live in countries that enjoy fairly good air quality, many folks around the world are not so lucky. Air pollution is one of the world’s top health burdens.
Most worrisome as a contributing factor is particulate matter - its burden is on the rise. (Data fans, click on the image to the source site where you can see the chart change over time and explore each contributing factor.)
Particulate matter is coming from places like factories and cars and, of course, these are “regulated.” But, if I believed we could count on government regulations to protect us from harm and keep us healthy, would I be writing you today?
To learn more about this issue and become more cognizant about indoor air, the air we are breathing most often, I invite you to check out Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Can Make You Sick or Keep You Well by Joseph G. Allen and John D. Macomber. This book describes Sick Building Syndrome, something I had never heard of, which is on the rise and in need of proactive design to prevent. It also goes into ways we can improve indoor air beyond opening windows and doors everyday, especially as many large buildings can be entirely sealed.
For today, here are some practices I have picked up to improve my chances of delicious, fresh air and making it to 100:
Say thank you, goodbye to candles.
At the very least, this one’s for Sophia. The universe is speaking to you directly, Soph. I want you to make it to 100 as vibrant and even more fit than you are now. Please stop burning candles so we have a fighting chance to get there!
You can see the smoke. Candles contribute particulate matter, particulate matter decreases life expectancy. This applies to incense as well.
Consider the gezellig ambiance that a lava lamp brings to a room instead.
Ventilate the bathroom.
This is a prime location for mold to develop. Run the fan in the ceiling if you have one. Opening a window often draws in more moisture into the home rather than dispersing it; instead, consider placing an additional fan in or near the bathroom for post-shower and bath air circulation.
Ventilate the kitchen.
Whenever you cook, stove or oven, run the exhaust fan.
And if you have a gas stove, do some research about the methane and benzene it is likely putting into your air. Consider replacing it, and your gas water heaters and furnaces. In northern California, there is a program called Electrify Marin offering rebates for replacing gas appliances. Maybe get your local government to do something similar.
After starting the car, open the windows.
Yup, more hazards abound. The foam that the seats are made of can pollute the air.
Make it a habit to roll down the windows at the start of a journey.
And on longer trips, makes sure to refresh that cabin air.
Replace your HVAC filters.
I’ll be making a maintenance request after hitting publish. Perhaps you also need to order a new filter for your central air unit? These need replacing every six months.
Buy portable air filters.
I started using plug in air filters in bodywork sessions during the pandemic. Most therapists keep them running in their treatment space.
With the rise of fires, they are crucial to own as an insurance policy for good health if you live in certain places. And the recent train derailment and chemical accident demonstrates our air is vulnerable and it would be a good idea to have filters on hand.
If you live in a building that has little ventilation, air filters can be a tool to help keep your indoor air squeaky clean. Keep an eye on replacing the filter components depending upon how often you use them. Consider setting a calendar reminder to remember.
I have Levoit units - they were in the set other therapists recommended at the time and I like the look of the white cylinders I chose.
More plants.
House plants do more than just reduce our blood pressure, they cleanse the air. Snake plants are especially good at this job (but are not good for pets or kids to eat, careful).
Algae, the new house plant.
I live in a building where the windows barely open. So I was a prime candidate for the AlgenAir Aerium, an algae air filter gadget, when I saw an Instagram ad.
This glass beaker set up has a light and small air pump in the base. You fill the beaker with distilled water, nutrients and baby algae and for two months it will pull up to 1.6kg or carbon out of the air.
They claim this is similar in power to 25 houseplants.
Yes, it’s a subscription. They want you to clean the beaker and restock with fresh algae every 2 months. I’m on my second refill.
In reading the reviews, no this thing is not going to take a noticeable amount of CO2 out of the air.
But, there are other chemicals in the air.
And I enjoy the white noise of the bubbling and the soft night light it provides in the living area of my apartment.
I feel I am voting with my dollars so that AlgenAir and others can design a larger, more impactful unit in the future.
In Spain, Law 38/1972 on the Protection of the Atmosphere provided the first significant step towards addressing air pollution problems by enabling objectives to be set on air quality and emissions restrictions, and reducing pollution (in particular sulphur dioxide) from both fixed and mobile sources. Integrated environmental authorisation ("Autorización Ambiental Integrada") under Law 16/20021 which implements the EU IPPC Directive has also begun to help address air pollution problems. However, despite the progress made through these laws, further legislation has been called for to provide additional measures given persistent air quality problems, particularly in densely populated urban areas in Spain. As a result, Law 34/2007 on air quality and the protection of the atmosphere was published on 17 November 2007, ("Ley de calidad del aire y protección de la atmósfera" or "LCAPA"). The aim of LCAPA is to consolidate protection in relation to air quality based on the following principles: (i) taking preventive steps using the precautionary principle; (ii) remedying pollution problems at source; and (iii) the "polluter pays". Under LCAPA, the owners of installations where potentially air-polluting activities are carried out are required to comply with a number of administrative obligations relating to their operations as set out below.