The 26 day of September is a day that has been dedicated to the celebration of the world Environment Health day since the year 2011. This year?s theme is: ??Indoor and Outdoor air quality??. Margaret Chan, Director General WHO launched a worldwide campaign to tackle air pollution as the major public health issue of our generation. WHO states that poor quality air affects more than 80% of the world?s population.

Indoor air quality: Many people spend most of their time indoors and may be exposed to paints, volatile chemicals from fragrances used in conventional cleaners, fire retardants, dust and moisture, smoke from cooking fuels and cigarettes or radiations from devices.

Some of the precautions we can take to reduce these risks include:-

-Mopping up the houses once in a while with plain water (no detergents/ cleaning detergents added)

-Making our homes no smoking zones

-Dehumidifying the house by using Air Conditioners or Opening the Windows. This can help you get rid of molds and dust mites whose existence is favored by moist conditions. It also helps in aerating the house

-Using big floor or mat doors to get rid of dust and pesticides from outside the house

-In some countries, wood fuel is the most reliable source of fuel but it may be characterized with some challenges like massive pollution, not leaving out the bit of deforestation. There are however improved stoves like the bio-lite stove with produce less pollutants, require less fuel and can be used to perform some simple tasks like phone and light charging.

Outdoor Air Quality: This is mainly reduced by smog from automobiles and industries. Outdoor pollution is highly dependent on temperature, wind and weather factors. It also damages plants by destroying their leaves, poisons soil and its organisms, and also changes the chemistry of streams and lakes which may result into the death of fish.

Due to the reduction of outdoor air quality, we also end up hearing common words like ??Greenhouse effect?? and ??global warming??. In simple explanation, these happen when the carbon dioxide produced by human activities is more than what plants can take in so, it forms a blanket and traps heat to the atmosphere. As a result, temperatures increase and the polar ice also melts.

For good outdoor air quality, I would propose that governments should impose more strict laws on pollution and also support/finance projects related good outdoor air quality. There?s actually one project, most likely in China where people are proposing vertical forests that is buildings meant to specifically have plants for the improvement of air quality in cities.

References:

Greeningforward.org/environmental-issues/air-pollution/

www.webmd.com/lung/features/12-ways-to-improve-indoor-air-quality#2