Missouri’s Indoor Air Quality
All kinds of activities contribute to polluting the air we breathe. In addition to industrial causes of pollution, day-to-day activities such as driving, filling your car with gas, dry cleaning, and using household paint can release gases and particles to the air.
Surprisingly, mold spores and radon gasses can be found in your own home. In high enough concentrations, these pollutants can harm, not just our homes, but our families as well.
The average adult breathes over 3,000 gallons of air every day. Children breathe even more air per pound of body weight and are more susceptible to air pollution. The elderly are also more sensitive to air pollution because they often have heart or lung disease.
People exposed to high enough levels of certain air pollutants may experience burning in their eyes, an irritated throat, or breathing difficulties. Long-term exposure to air pollution can cause cancer and long-term damage to the immune, neurological, reproductive, and respiratory systems. In extreme cases, it can even cause death.