00:00 Pretty much everywhere we looked, the level of indoor air pollution, and particularly
00:08 the level of tiny particulate pollution, so particles smaller than 2.5 micron, much smaller
00:15 than a human hair that can get into the lungs, these particles are present in indoor air
00:22 at levels higher than the World Health Organization's exposure guideline for at least six months
00:29 of the year everywhere we looked.
00:32 According to an air quality report conducted by Dyson, the UK has the worst air pollution
00:37 in homes than outdoors for 11 months of the year. But why exactly is this? Well, some
00:42 innocent candles and sprays could be doing a lot more damage than you originally might
00:46 expect.
00:48 Pollution outside can come in, so you can get pollution from traffic, from industry,
00:54 even things like pollen can come in around windows, through gaps under doors, any exchange
01:01 of air between indoors and outdoors can be a source.
01:04 But we also have a bunch of unique indoor air sources, so anything you burn will be
01:10 a pollution source. Flames are pretty bad generators of pollution, so cooking, but also
01:15 if you use candles for lighting for the scent, they're going to be sources. Anything you
01:21 spray, so that can be cleaning products, but also personal care products, things like deodorants,
01:28 hair sprays, these can be ways we're bringing pollution into the home. Pets can be pollution
01:35 sources.
01:36 Research showed that household air pollution was responsible for an estimated 3.2 million
01:41 deaths in 2020, with 237,000 of those being for children under five. Manchester had the
01:48 highest indoor air pollution, higher than London and Dublin. Bristol had the lowest
01:53 level of indoor air pollution.
01:55 But would you say household pollution is quite a low priority for homeowners in terms of
02:00 like they would prioritise their cleaning and other things around the house before they
02:04 think about, oh, I need to do something about the pollution in the house?
02:07 To some extent, it's because it's invisible. So we're increasingly conscious of the quality
02:14 of what we eat and drink, and we're very aware that that's going into our body. So the quality
02:18 of it really matters. But when you think about it, we're taking in air into our bodies all
02:24 the time. The quality of that air matters just as much. Yeah, so there's a few things
02:28 you can do. I would say, be alert to anything you're burning. And if you're going to have
02:35 a flame, be that from a gas hob, candle, whatever it is, just think about the space you're in
02:41 and the opportunities to ventilation. If you can be in a larger, more open area, that's
02:45 a good thing. If there's a extractor fan or a trickle vent you can open, just think about
02:51 how the smoke from that flame is going to exit the room. You can try and be mindful
02:58 when you're spraying things. And we are always going to have to use products that have some
03:02 sort of emissions.
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