We spend nearly 80% of our day indoors than staying outdoors. We bother a lot about air pollution, smog etc when we go outdoors. However, facts reveal that there is more polluted air indoors, because of the fact that the humidity levels are more within four walls thereby leading to bacterial growth and further pollution. Even due to cross ventilation there is more pollution of indoor air because the air which flows in is also polluted. Pollutants in air can be 10-50 times more indoors than the outdoors.

Some indoor air pollutants are:

TOBACCO: We know that smoking is injurious to health. It has been proved that even passive smokers are prone to throat infections, cancer, asthma and other ailments of course to which active counterparts are prone to the tobacco smoke as it is dense is not completely exchanged with fresh air.

    Volatile organic compounds like perfumes, polishes, candles etc can cause nose, ear and throat infections. Even pollen grains, animal dander can lead to respiratory problems.
Pesticides and bud repellents are even more dangerous. They not only lead to respiratory issues but also hamper the functioning of nervous system.

    Now coming to most harmful gaseous pollutants like carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide etc which cause respiratory problems, nausea, fatigue, lung cancer, headache and damage to liver and nervous system.
Irony is that we breathe in all these pollutants along with oxygen.
Precautions and safety measures:

1. 

Plants air cleaning house plants. They not only convert carbon dioxide into oxygen but also trap and absorb harmful substances like benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, benzene and even cigarette smoke. Plants which can be relied on are aloe Vera, bamboo palms, Dracaena palms, and Spider plants, Philodendrons, Pothos and Chrysanthemums.

2. 

Ventilate your space properly. You can use filters to filter the air coming in. Clean them regularly and we can also use carbon in these filters, as these gases get adsorbed over the carbon.

3. 

One should not depend solely on outdoor to refresh the indoor one’s as the former carries pollutants.”Prevention is better than cure”. Therefore the best step would be to eliminate all the polluting agents from the nearby areas. Pick and remove all the harmful petrochemicals in the vicinity.

    Before concluding I would like to state that scientific research has proven that indoor air pollution is an emerging environmental issue and should be tackled as soon as possible so that we are risk free. Public health experts are in scout pf solutions but meanwhile it would wise from our side to follow the precautions mentioned above and take the necessary measures.