Mom: Hey Joe, where are you going?
Joe: I am going to play football with buddies.
Mom: But Air Quality is shown RED, today in town.
Joe: We can’t do anything right? It is brought by the nearby bushfire. It will be better next week!
Mom: Of course, we can’t solve the problem. But we can avoid being outside when it’s very bad. Anyway, we spend 80% of our time indoors. Let’s make sure indoor is safe.
Joe: Those pollutants could sneak in when we open windows or doors…
Mom: True, we could also have some air quality monitors to know how the effect is and turn on the purifiers at peak hours to remove excessive particles!
Joe: Correct, still there are things to do to minimize the risk! After, it’s about reducing risk, not zero-risk.
Dad: Philip come over, bring me the brush please.
Philip: Oh Dad, are you repainting the wall? That’s a strong smell!
Dad: Yes, the paint is full of chemicals. Put on a mask. That one was purchased for covid.
Philip: Can this mask protect us from chemicals?
Dad: I think so! It is written N95, BFE and PFE >99%… This should work and I feel less smell after putting it on!
Philip: Masks used for covid usually filter particles like PM10. VOCs from paints are gases. We need the ones with activated charcoal to absorb the VOCs and keep us safe.
Dad: Got it! I am going to get some! Wait for me to come back!!
Chris: Hi Roger, long time no see! I heard you moved to the countryside.
Roger: Hey Chris, that’s right. I moved there almost one year ago!!
Chris: Great, you must be enjoying clean and fresh air over there. Last week, we got a sandstorm. The air was yellowish, covering everything with a yellow sand powder.
Roger: Yea I saw that… Don’t be misled. The surrounding greens of the countryside do not stop the winds carrying dirt. We also got some yellow particles covering everything around.
Chris: Ouch! Even with plenty of greens and nearby forest?
Roger: Of course, it is better than in town. But expectations shouldn’t be too high as winds have no frontiers.
Chris: So it’s better but not radically different.
Roger: Correct. It is better than in town, but a lot of pollution is also generated indoors from our behavior, with all our cleaning products, furniture…
Kid: Dad, vaccines usually carry germ to train our body to build antibodies, right? In the same way, breathing polluted air could help us adapt to it.
Dad: Humm!!! This works for bacteria and virus, but not with air pollution.
Kid: What’s the difference?
Dad: Air pollutants can be considered as toxins impacting our immune system, making it vulnerable to diseases. And it can be serious.
Kid: What do you mean?
Dad: The longer you get exposed to air pollution, the weaker you get with a lot of accumulated toxins in your body. This increases the risk and could lead to cancer.
Kid: Ouch, we should all stay away from those air pollutants!!!
Dad: Simple actions can go a long way to safer and cleaner air. Open the windows of your home every morning for 20 minutes.
John: Hey Derek, thanks for inviting us to your home.
Derek: No worries, please come in, it is so cold outside!
John: Oh, it smells good, very refreshing and creates a cozy atmosphere.
Derek: Yes, that’s my wife’s favorite, lemongrass! You know, in winter we seldom open the windows to avoid losing the heat. Those essential oils bring a nice feeling inside.
John: Yes, but mold on the wooden furniture can give off some bad smell. Covering the smell will just let the mold grow and at the end make you sick!
Derek: Oops, I didn’t know it. Let’s do it now!!!!
John: And the burning could release harmful gasses (called Volatile Organic Compounds). It’s better to ventilate after burning anything at home.
Derek: Interesting! I will take the habit of ventilating a bit after burning those oils.
Tom: Oh no! Let’s close the windows and doors and boost the air purifier!
John: Hey Tom, what’s happening?
Tom: You see here, your air quality monitor is showing a VOC spike (Volatile Organic Compounds)!!!
John: Calm down Tom, it is just a spike when you are cleaning the bench with alcohol. It just lasted for 5 minutes.
Tom: It is 5 MINUTES! And it is above the RED threshold. Here it says RED means bad to health!!!
John: Relax… relax… Correct, RED means unhealthy. But similar to losing weight, it is fine when you have a cheat meal to relax a bit. What matters is the overall calorie intake! When air pollutants last for a few minutes a day, it is fine.
Tom: Does that mean those lasting for long but may be in YELLOW or ORANGE needs attention?
John: Bingo, this is the Exposure concept. Spikes and occasional events look scary. But what poses health issues to us is the exposure in the long run!
Peter: Hi Jennifer, I heard that you moved into a new flat! Congratulations!
Jennifer: Thanks Peter! But we are still setting up the space. Do you have a good air purifier to recommend to me?
Peter: You could buy a medical grade air purifier used in hospitals. Why exactly do you want one?
Jennifer: Nowadays everybody gets one. It purifies the air as its name suggests.
Peter: It might be misleading, all it doesn’t magically make the air pure. It treats some of the issues. But you need to know what issues appear in your home to select the one with the right filters.
Jennifer: Ah, I thought it is kind of mandatory to have at home to clean the air. That is how the advertisements say.
Peter: I would say it is on a case-by-case basis. Some homes got formaldehyde from the paints, some got high particles because of nearby road traffic. It is better to understand the air quality before deciding which purifiers to buy.
Jennifer: You are right! Maybe I should get a monitor to check if the air is safe first!
Student: Miss, we got smog outside today, can we close the windows to have better air?
Miss: Yes, of course. But how do you know it is better after you close the windows?
Student: By closing the window, pollutants are blocked from entering inside. In that case, we are breathing clean air!
Miss: Smog is visible because of the size of particles. But what about indoor-created gas? Those harmful invisible indoor pollutants.
Student: Do you mean other pollutants?
Miss: Yes, for example, cleaning products gas off Volatile Organic Compounds, a toxic cocktail of gas. Compared to the visible smog outside, the invisible indoor air pollutants could be even more harmful.
Student: Is that the reason why you brought this indoor air quality monitor today?
Miss: Yes! Indoor air quality monitors can help us “see” the invisible indoor air pollutants and quantify them. Understanding the issue is the first step to solve a problem!
Joyce: Good morning Tim, why are you wearing a mask today? Are you feeling unwell? Do you need a sick leave?
Tim: Good morning Joyce, I’m very fine. These days have severe air pollution.
Joyce: Oh… air pollution… it shouldn’t be a big issue if you’re not sensitive like elderly or children or with respiratory problems.
Tim: Agree, for the short term, we won’t feel anything. But in the long run, bit by bit, it poses a threat and leads to chronic disease.
Joyce: Chronic disease? It is just dust, how come would it turn into chronic disease?!
Tim: Recent studies conducted in the UK have proven the link between particles and cancer cases. Air pollution is not only dust, it’s also a cocktail of toxic gasses.
Joyce: Ooch… for real?! Give me a mask, I need one now.
Tim: Sure! And you should keep an eye on the air quality level at your home or office. It impacts your health over time
Tom: Hey, I brought a cute air quality monitor. Let’s plug it in the living room and check the situation.
Mom: WHAT?! Why did you buy this? That’s a total waste. I already have an app to know the air quality.
Tom: You mean checking on the station nearby… it’s few kilometers away from us.
Mom: Yes. They are installed by professionals, and you see the pollutants list in the app. What else do you need?
Tom: Mom, I trust the data. But outdoor air pollution changes from street to street because of the air flow in the city. And I’m interested by indoor air pollution which is linked, but has additional elements.
Mom: You mean the air quality could be a big difference between the one in town and this one at home? I thought they were the same.
Tom: Yes, CO2 is a good example, we breathe out CO2 and it could be a health issue if it accumulates in badly ventilated spaces. And you have almost no CO2 issue outdoors.
Mom: WHAT?! Then why did you just have one!!! You should buy one for each of us!!!
