Environmental toxins hide in a wide variety of materials, such as building products, furniture or other furnishings, and emit harmful pollutants into the ambient air. This is a health hazard, especially in closed rooms. We clarify the most important questions around the toxins:
- What are environmental toxins or residential toxins?
- What are the residential toxins?
- Where do residential toxins lurk?
- What ailments are triggered by residential toxins?
- How can you protect yourself from residential toxins?
1. what are environmental toxins or residential toxins?
The pollution of our ambient air is increasing. New products and modern materials are given supposedly more attractive properties with the help of chemical additives: for example, they are more durable, more resistant, more colorful or easier to maintain. The reason for these amenities lies in the chemical treatment of the objects. However, the products release the substances again in small doses - into our indoor air and thus into our bodies through our breathing. This quickly adds up to concentrations that are harmful to our health.
Residential toxins are all substances that occur in inhabited rooms and impair the well-being of people who spend time indoors or even damage their health.
2. what are the residential poisons?
Mold spores
Mold is one of the most widespread indoor pathogens. The development of spores is favored by moisture and insufficient air exchange. If moisture accumulates on cold surfaces and walls, there is a risk of mold growth. A musty smell as well as dark speckles announce the residential poison, which usually appears in damp rooms such as the bathroom, in unheated rooms such as the bedroom or in cold bridges at the window frame.
Reading tip: Do you notice a musty smell in your home, but can't find the cause? In our article you will learn how to detect hidden mold.
Formaldehyde
The universal solvent formaldehyde (CH₂O) is used in the production of plastics, such as urea and phenolic resins. The cosmetics industry uses the substance as a preservative. It is also used as a smoothing agent in textile finishing. Formaldehyde compounds are volatile. This means that they are gradually exhaled by their carrier material. The home toxin enters the interior primarily via wooden furniture. But carpets and other home textiles can also be contaminated.
Plasticizer
Plasticizers are used to make brittle materials such as plastics more pliable. The most common harmful substances are phthalates (phthalic acid esters) nonylphenol. When exposed to sunlight, humidity, room temperature and physical stress, the chemical compounds become gaseous and escape. The substances can also be absorbed through friction and contact with the skin. This is how plasticizers from toys or PVC and linoleum flooring enter our bodies. As plasticizers have a special molecular structure, they can act in the body in a similar way to hormones. The environmental toxins even enter the groundwater via wastewater.
Volatile organic compounds(VOC)
Solvents make paints and varnishes brushable and sprayable. They are also contained in other household products, such as cleaning agents, adhesives and dyes. Solvents often consist of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Due to their very low boiling point, VOCs become gaseous at room temperature and evaporate into their surroundings. How dangerous the substance is depends on the boiling point of the solvent used. The lower the boiling point, the faster the toxin becomes gaseous and enters the room air. The small particles then enter the bodies of humans and animals through respiration.
Flame retardant
Flame retardants occur primarily in textiles and insulation materials. They are used to reduce the flammability of products. They are therefore also used in the manufacture of upholstered furniture or electronic devices. Agents containing phosphorus or halogen are harmful to health.
Wood preservative
Wood preservatives are generally more of a legacy. Up until the 1980s, wood preservatives were still enriched with the chemicals PCP and lindane, which are classified as carcinogenic and damaging to the nerves. If you are planning to convert the roof of your existing property, you should urgently wear mouth and nose protection when sanding it down. This is because you could kick up and inhale toxic dust. In addition, the particulate matter could spread throughout the house and contaminate other rooms.
Even today, some wood preservatives contain substances that are harmful to health, such as PCP. In addition to wood, the residential toxin is also used to treat other materials such as leather. But wood treatment products based on linseed oil or wax also release components into the ambient air, which can combine with oxygen and oxidize to form alarming aldehydes. There are also natural solvents such as terpenes that are emitted from untreated woods. Sensitive people can also react to these.
Pesticides
Pests such as moths like to infest textiles and nest in upholstered furniture, food or carpets. To prevent this, furniture is treated with appropriate protective agents. Actually, pyrethroid is of natural origin. However, many insecticides consist of chemically modified variants and are harmful to health, for example the variants falsely labeled as bio-insecticides that are used for pest control in carpets.
Tobacco smoke
Cigarette smoke is harmful. And not just when you smoke, but also for a long time afterwards. This is because the tobacco residue spreads throughout the room with the smoke and settles on various surfaces. From here, they are repeatedly released into the room air. Incidentally, this does not only affect standard cigarettes. Our practical study shows that e-shishas also have a major impact on indoor air quality. If you want to know the effects of vaping in the home, you may be interested in our self-experiment.
3. where do residential toxins lurk?
Residential toxins can be found in a variety of materials. Our table lists the most important sources of pollutants.
4. what complaints do residential toxins cause?
Residential toxins sometimes outgas slowly, deposit on dust particles and surfaces, and pollute air quality over long periods of time. Attached to small particles such as house dust, they are distributed throughout the home. The pollutants enter the body through skin contact or when inhaled. Our following table lists the complaints and health effects triggered by the respective residential toxins.
5. how to protect yourself from residential toxins?
Ideally, you already avoid the most important pathogens when building a house or buying new furniture as well as other furnishings. However, it is not always possible to design your own four walls completely free of harmful substances. A start is made, however, if you find the source of a burden and react accordingly.
Smell sample
Many residential toxins can be smelled. So if you notice the typical synthetic "new smell", take it as the first warning sign of a high concentration of pollutants. One cause of the unpleasant smell of new furniture or home textiles can be volatile organic compounds or plasticizers. For this reason, you should ventilate particularly intensively in the first few days after purchase. If, despite airing, the "new smell" does not subside even after a few weeks, we recommend using a special measuring device for more precise measurement or filing a complaint.
Observe quality seals, certificates & ingredients
The pollutant load in furniture, toys, cleaning agents or building materials can be high. In order to avoid toxic substances, take a closer look at the certifications as well as information on the ingredients of your desired products and pay attention to home-healthy building materials as well as furnishings when purchasing your furnishings or building materials. The Blue Angel seal or the Natureplus label provide good orientation.
Products that fall under the Decopaint Directive can be identified by a corresponding label. You will also find the solvent content written out on the packaging. Only use spray paints outdoors or in adequately ventilated rooms, or use alternative water-based products. In general, you can avoid wood preservatives indoors or at least use solvent- and terpene-free products. The same applies to pesticides. Prefer untreated products, prevent mold through adequate ventilation, and fight moths with natural remedies such as lavender sachets rather than chemical mace.
Also, instead of cheap plastic, opt for natural materials with an environmental seal - this is especially true for toddlers' toys, as these toys are still frequently put in the mouth and thus plasticizers enter the organism even more quickly.
Air measurement with the air-Q
We take 21,600 breaths a day. So it's good to know whether and which indoor toxins are hidden within your own four walls. With the air-Q air measuring device, you can check your indoor air, detect air pollutants and analyze the air quality. To do this, the air-Q offers you up to 14 different sensors that check different air components in real time. Thanks to the intuitive LED traffic light on the device, you can reliably find out how the air quality is changing. With the air-Q smartphone app or the web app, you can keep an eye on everything and receive detailed evaluations - for your health and safety. Individual alarms and push notifications warn you immediately in the event of an emergency.
Airing
Poor ventilation in living spaces is the main cause of mold, which is a household toxin. Prevent the formation of spores through proper ventilation and ensure regular air exchange. In addition to preventing mold, ventilation can also serve to reduce other indoor toxins. For example, the concentration of formaldehyde or VOCs in the room air can be reduced by regularly exchanging the air. To do this, open the windows wide for a short time and ideally ensure a draught with the help of opposite windows. The air exchange removes a large part of the humidity and thus deprives the spores of a breeding ground. You can directly check how long you should ventilate with an air meter.
Also, make sure that the heating is set appropriately, because warm air can absorb significantly more moisture than cold air. We have prepared separate guides for you on the subject of mold in the home and demand-oriented ventilation. For example: "When does ventilation start?", "Ventilate properly: The best tips" and "Wintertime= mold in the apartment?"
Air purification
In addition to air purifiers that work with filters, various green plants also help to improve air quality. Some plant species can even clean the air from pollutants, filtering substances such as formaldehyde. Particularly suitable for this purpose are bow hemp, ivy or dragon tree. In various practical tests, we used our air-Q air measuring device to determine how plants affect the composition of air constituents. In this way, we were able to clarifythefollowing questions: "Do plants help to improve the air quality?", "Which plants aresuitable for the bedroom?", "Isthe houseplant dragon tree suitable for the bedroom?", and we also checked whether planters also have an air-purifying effect.
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