Have you ever wonder of the substance present on the air you breathe?

Radon (a cancer-causing radioactive gas) is a problem for many homes, both with and without basements. Bacteria and mold can breed in standing water and in uncleaned humidifiers, wet walls, and damp carpet. Household cleaners, adhesives, and paints also emit noxious fumes.

Good ventilation is the key with most indoor irritants, We need to keep our indoor air circulating - either by opening the windows or keeping ventilation systems running - when we have indoor irritants."
Sick Building Syndrome

If you've felt headache and tired at work (and you've gotten plenty of sleep), you could be suffering from sick building syndrome. This term is used to describe symptoms that occur only at work that can't be linked with any illness or other cause. For some people, the symptoms are sore throat, burning eyes, itchy nose.

These symptoms are a reaction to indoor air pollutants - and usually are a problem of large buildings with ventilation problems. "The classic case is a municipal building built in the 1970s that has been extensively renovated. When it was first built, it had adequate ventilation. But when they put up partitions, it changes the air flow."
New carpeting, adhesives, upholstery, copy machines, pesticides, and cleaning fluids can give off formaldehyde and other noxious compounds. Without adequate ventilation, these fumes can cause a variety of allergic reactions.

According to WHO (World Health Organization)
Impacts on health

4.3 million people a year die prematurely from illness attributable to the household air pollution caused by the inefficient use of solid fuels (2012 data).

Among these deaths:
€ 12% are due to pneumonia
€ 34% from stroke
€ 26% from ischaemic heart disease
€ 22% from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and
€ 6% from lung cancer.

Pneumonia
Exposure to household air pollution almost doubles the risk for childhood pneumonia. Over half of deaths among children less than 5 years old from acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) are due to particulate matter inhaled from indoor air pollution from household solid fuels (WHO, 2014).

Stroke
Nearly one quarter of all premature deaths due to stroke (i.e. about 1.4 million deaths of which half are in women) can be attributed to the chronic exposure to household air pollution caused by cooking with solid fuels.

Ischaemic heart disease
Approximately 15% of all deaths due to ischaemic heart disease, accounting for over a million premature deaths annually, can be attributed to exposure to household air pollution.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Over one third of premature deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults in low- and middle-income countries are due to exposure to household air pollution. Women exposed to high levels of indoor smoke are 2.3 times as likely to suffer from COPD than women who use cleaner fuels. Among men (who already have a heightened risk of COPD due to their higher rates of smoking), exposure to indoor smoke nearly doubles (i.e. 1.9) that risk.

Lung cancer
Approximately 17% of annual premature lung cancer deaths in adults are attributable to exposure to carcinogens from household air pollution caused by cooking with solid fuels like wood, charcoal or coal. The risk for women is higher, due to their role in food preparation.
Other health impacts and risks
More generally, small particulate matter and other pollutants in indoor smoke inflame the airways and lungs, impairing immune response and reducing the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.
There is also evidence of links between household air pollution and low birth weight, tuberculosis, cataract, nasopharyngeal and

laryngeal cancers.
Mortality from ischaemic heart disease and stroke are also affected by risk factors such as high blood pressure, unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity and smoking. Some other risks for childhood pneumonia include suboptimal breastfeeding, underweight and second-hand smoke. For lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, active smoking and second-hand tobacco smoke are also main risk factors.

Source: WHO