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FACTS
- The EPA has stated that 50% of all illnesses are caused or aggravated by Indoor Air Pollution.
- In recent years, comparative risk studies performed by the EPA and its Science Advisory Board (SAB)
have consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top 5 environmental risks to public health.
- The EPA has rated Indoor Air Pollution as one of the five most urgent environmental issues, accounting
for over $1 billion annually in direct health care costs and as high as $60 billion lost annually in productivity.
- The EPA has stated that today's homes contain an estimated 1,500 hazardous compounds from over approximately
3,000 man-made products. Even low levels of pollutants emitted by these products can affect human health over a period of
months or years. Many can have serious health effects and birth defects when exposure exists over prolonged periods.
- According to the Institute of Medicine of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, "Among the various
health issues . . . The problem of indoor airborne contaminants and allergens is serious. A high percentage of the population
becomes sensitive to indoor allergens and suffers chronic or intermittent allergic illness and disease, many of which are
severe."
- According to the Institute of Medicine of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, "The problem of indoor
airborne allergens is very serious. A high percentage of the population is sensitive to indoor allergens and suffers chronic,
severe allergic disease."
- A 1999 Mayo Clinic Study associated nearly all chronic sinus infections afflicting nearly 37 million
Americans with mold.
- As stated in the United States Environmental Protective Agency Executive Summary Report #68D98118,
the reason why HEPA filters are not successful is, "There is no filtration system capable of eliminating bacteria and viruses
from indoor air. The two major characteristics that hinder this process are the extremely small size and propagation ability
of these anaerobes; they can flourish on and go through any filter."
- It takes only one fungus to release hundreds of millions of spores in a three to four day period.
These spores are so small that a level teaspoon could hold fifty-sextillion (50, 000,000,000,000,000,000) and these are the
little guys! Applying the same equation, the big guys only take would take only 300,000,000 per level teaspoon. In human parlance,
(relating to the big guys) the entire population of the United States would fit in a teaspoon. On the other hand, the same
equation for the little guys - 1/100th of a teaspoon would hold the entire present world population. Similarly, bacteria in
a milliliter of milk (about 16 drops) after 96 hours at 60 ° contain a bacteria count of 962,785,714. When the milk was fresh,
it contained 4,295 at 60° .
- Indoor pollutants can accumulate to levels that can pose grave health problems. Homes (and offices)
that are designed and constructed to minimize the amount of outdoor air that can "leak" or "seep" into and out of the home
(or office) may have higher pollutant levels than those of earlier design.
- Dust mites and their feces have been identified as on of the chief causes of allergy and asthma attacks.
- The average home collects 40 pounds of dust per year, which play host to 15 species of mites that
live in beds, pillows, and upholstered furniture. A dust mite will live for approximately 45 days, with more than 42,000 mites
living in one ounce of mattress dust.
- The average 2-year old foam or feather pillow can contain 30% (by weight) dead dust mites and their
feces.
- Over the past several decades, our exposure to indoor air pollutants has increased due to a
variety of factors; including the construction of more tightly sealed buildings, reduced ventilation rates to save energy,
the use of toxic synthetic building materials and furnishings, and the use of chemically formulated products, pesticides,
and household cleaners.
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