Many people bear the perception that homes are safe and have little to do with air pollution. As per several international air quality index reports, India is one of the most polluted countries in the world. There are hazardous effects of air pollutants on human beings. Health issues are on the rise because of air pollution. In particular, indoor air pollution is much more dangerous than it looks like. Sometimes, indoor air pollution is more hazardous than outside and can be breeding ground for diseases as well as ailments. According to an international report published by the journal Science of the Total Environment, indoor air pollution could be more harmful than the outside. This burning issue has been addressed and brought to the fore by Air-o-Thon Conference on Air Pollution, an exercise on air pollution which seeks to address these issues affecting human beings. The conference was able to bring the issue into sharp focus during its previous legs in Bangalore and Delhi.
The Air-o-Thon Conference organizers want to keep up the momentum and dwell on the issue even for their forthcoming edition, which is going to be held in Mumbai on December 14. And it is true. From cooking residue to paints and fungus, the indoor air we breathe can be more polluted than that of outside. This has been confirmed by environmentalist author Prashant Kumar of the University of Surrey. In fact, most of us think that the outside is more polluted and therefore hazardous. We blame factories, vehicles, as well as construction activities for pollution, be it air pollution or water pollution.
However, things can be drastically different from perception. There are several factors which can lead to air pollution inside our homes. One of the common factors for indoor air pollution is dirt. Carpets, curtains, and mattresses absorb a lot of allergens, dust, as well as bacteria. They tend to attract easily and this dust is difficult to get rid off—even vacuum cleaners are unable to clean them completely. Gas stove as appliances can emit a number of harmful gasses such as nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. These dangerous gases can trigger respiratory ailments and diseases such as asthma and bronchitis.
To know more about the issue, we urge large numbers of citizens to attend the Air-o-Thon Conference. Greenubuntu is proud to be a partner of this initiative which seeks to bring air pollution into focus and make it part of the national discourse and policy making. Please register yourselves for the Mumbai edition. Here is the link to the website: Air-O-Thon International Conference & Exhibition