While the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “pollution” may be a smokestack, the biggest danger could be your bedroom. After all, you spend 90 percent indoors. Air pollution levels in your house can be two to five times higher—and sometimes as much as 100 times higher—than those outside.
It’s not just in your home, either. A recent study took blood samples from Boston office workers who spent their 9-to-5 in buildings that were new, recently renovated, or had no recent construction. Every person’s blood was laced with PFCs—toxic chemicals used to make carpets and furniture, potentially harmful to humans—the study found.
What can you do to protect yourself? The first step: Pinpoint the most serious indoor pollutants—and avoid them.