Protecting Your Kids Against Indoor Air Pollution

By Christina Elston

"A baby crawling on the floor inhales the equivalent of four cigarettes a day, as a result of the outgassing of carpets, molds, mildew, fungi, dust mites, etc."

So claims the Web site of a company selling air purifiers. Similar messages seem to be all over the media these days. But before you hold your breath and rip out the rug, put things into perspective. Problems with our air can cause problems with our health, but carpets and dust probably aren't the biggest offenders.

The top three indoor air threats are carbon monoxide, radon and environmental tobacco smoke, says Janice Nolen, director of national policy for the American Lung Association. "Those have been documented beyond doubt to have a likelihood of causing premature death. They're often not the things people think about when they think about indoor air quality, but as problematic as dust mites are, the effects pale by comparison."

These days, families are concerned about all kinds of environmental toxins, but researchers and clean air experts say that in most cases there are very simple things you can do to clean the air your family breathes and ease your mind.

The Big Three, Plus One

1. Carbon monoxide is "probably the most immediately dangerous compound found in homes," says Bob Axelrad, a senior policy advisor for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Indoor Environment Division. "We still hear far too often about entire families dying because someone left a car running in an attached garage, or brought a wood-burning grill indoors." The colorless, odorless gas can also build up when gas stoves or dryers, or fireplaces, aren't adjusted or vented properly.

2. Environmental tobacco smoke, or secondhand smoke, is one of the most prevalent indoor air pollutants and is known to have a wide range of health effects, says Janice Kim, M.D., of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Environmental Health. These include increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma and fluid buildup in children's inner ears.

3. Radon, the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers, is associated with 23,000 deaths in the United States each year and could be present in any home. Exposure is especially risky for kids who might be living in the house for 18 years. "Sometimes with lung cancer, the impact of what you've done shows up 20 years later," Nolen says.

4. Biological factors such as dust mites, pet dander and cockroaches are well-known asthma triggers, says Kim. Moisture helps these contaminants thrive, and also adds another: mold.