When the COVID epidemic forced everyone indoors almost 6 years ago, there was a sudden increased awareness of the importance of indoor air quality. The climate crisis has caused increased wildfire smoke, blanketing U.S. cities at times. We are all exposed to increasing levels of chemical pollutants – from wood burning stoves, gas appliances, laundry fabric softeners (don’t use them!). A transcript of David Robert’s podcast, “Volts”, landed in my inbox today. While most of it deals with policy discussions in industry and government and is a bit tedious if you aren’t a policy wonk, there were a few interesting points that caught my attention in his discussion with Dr. Georgia Lagoudas, a Senior Health Fellow at Brown University’s Pandemic Center. Dr. Lagoudas has a PhD in Biological Engineering from MIT. Some of the info gleaned from the podcast:
Many have heard about the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) from gas appliances, but fewer are aware of the risks of CO2 and indoor particulate matter, more prevalent since the wildfires. Indoor house plants may not add significant quantities of oxygen to the air (unless you have lots of them), but they do have a positive effect on the reduction of many harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde from rugs – which is one reason to have wood floors.
When I lived in a one room cabin in the far north many years ago, the many gaps in the walls provided plenty of fresh air. Modern homes are often airtight. Sleeping in a small room, even alone, can result in unhealthy levels of CO2 by morning, reducing the capacity to think clearly. Dr. Lagoudas: “it affects your brain, it makes us function less well, it makes us dumber when CO2 is high”. Opening windows and doors to replenish air can be an important strategy assuming you live in an area where the air is relatively clean, though such neighborhoods tend to be stratified by income level.
High quality air filters like the IQ Air Health Pro are expensive, but in addition to removing particulate matter they also can remove chemical odors and even viral particles down to 3 nanometers. CO2 and CO monitors can be obtained on Amazon and are relatively inexpensive. Recently, the UN declared that indoor air quality was a fundamental human right, though actualizing that noble goal will require more forward thinking political leadership than those whose careers are underwritten by the fossil fuel and chemical industries.
Reducing pollution, supporting public subsidies for more affordable electric vehicles, driving less and using public transportation are all important strategies, as are supporting policies that protect legacy trees in urban neighborhoods, not only for their production of oxygen, but their positive effect on reducing urban flooding and urban heat islands. Here in Seattle, the work of Tree Action Seattle and The Last 6000 has stepped up at City Council meetings, challenging the exploitative housing development culture which pretends to champion affordable housing but often builds unaffordable housing with no regard for the few remaining old growth trees in Seattle.
As a meditation teacher, I frequently remind people to “just breathe”. This instruction works best when the air is clean and oxygen rich! May all beings have access to clean air. May the planet regenerate its forests. May humans act as wise stewards, protecting the environmental quality – air, water, and soil – for today and all future generations.