Along with climate change, air pollution is also responsible for the ongoing intense heatwaves across the country. But no significant initiative is being taken to reduce air pollution in the country. Rather, an unacceptable and controversial Air Pollution (Control) Regulation has been undertaken without enacting a comprehensive clean air act.

Environmental experts said this at a press conference organized after the publication of the research report at the National Press Club on Saturday (April 15).

In the press conference organized by Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS) and Bangladesh Resource Center for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK) titled ‘Avoidance of dualistic policies is essential to reduce air pollution’, the report titled ‘Global Air Situation-2019’ was highlighted and said that at least 1.23 lakh people died in the country in 2017 due to air pollution. Air pollution accounts for 20 percent of premature deaths in the country. Currently, air pollution has increased to such an extent that it not only affects the human body, but also upsets the mental state. Therefore, if effective steps are not taken to prevent pollution at this moment, the present and future generations will have to face a lot of damage due to air pollution.

Taking part in the discussion, General Secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) Sharif Jamil said the policies, laws and regulations of all the countries of the world are formulated in the public interest. But in case of Bangladesh, the picture is opposite. In many cases, laws and policies are framed in favor of certain groups, ignoring public interest through corruption. A recent such egregious example is the enactment of an unacceptable air pollution control regulation without enacting a comprehensive clean air act. He demanded to cancel the controversial rules and pass the integrated clean air act quickly. He called for building a collective social movement for the environment.

In the press conference, CAPS founding director Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder said Bangladesh was at the top position in terms of air pollution in 2020 and 2019 and the capital Dhaka was second in terms of pollution among the capital cities of the world. Recently, environmental pollution has reached such a level that various towns of the country are becoming uninhabitable.

Air pollution is responsible for heatwave, Professor Kamruzzaman said, pointing out that due to the fact that dust particles and polluted gases are able to absorb the heat, currently most polluted dust particles and gaseous substances are playing a role in creating heatwave by absorbing the sun’s temperature. Besides, Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide play a role in increasing the temperature. So, it is important to reduce air pollution to decrease the rise in temperature.

Advocate Monjil Morshed, President of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) commented that the environmental court is getting bold verdicts like never before. He said the court is wasting time in various ways. Parliament is also not making laws in public interest. Businessmen are the majority in Parliament. They are mainly responsible for environmental pollution. As a result, who is influencing the law making. In this situation, people have no option but to wake up and start a movement.

In the president’s speech, the former vice-chancellor of Stamford University, Professor Mohammad Ali Naqi, said, “We are committed internationally to reduce air pollution, but contrary laws are being passed in various policies, which is very worrying. The whole matter needs to be explained in simple terms for which public awareness is very important. In this case, universities and educational institutions should come forward. At the same time, journalists and media should try.”

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Your home means a lot to you, right? Well, it’s important to protect it from harmful elements. Prolonged exposure to pollutants can make you sick. Your indoor air should be completely free of contaminants. Install a 18x18x1 air filter to optimize indoor air quality. Here are common signs of poor air quality:

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Breathing Problems

When you breathe in polluted air, you’re more likely to cough. This is one of the most common signs of poor air quality. Lack of proper ventilation can facilitate the accumulation of harmful particles in your home. Breathing in contaminated air could quickly result in respiratory problems. If you aren’t proactive, this issue could severely affect your lungs.

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Sneezing

Sneezing is another common problem associated with air pollution. Sneezing, watery eyes, and difficulty breathing are common signs of allergic reactions. When your indoor air is filled with contaminants, you might develop such symptoms. That’s why it’s advisable to clean your home regularly. Don’t wait until it’s filled with debris to give it a thorough revamp. Schedule regular cleaning sessions.

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Dryness

Indoor air pollution can also cause skin dryness or redness. High concentrations of pollutants in your indoors can make bacteria and other pollutants latch onto your skin, hence preventing the efficient flow of nutrients. And this can damage your physical appearance.

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Headaches

Have you been experiencing frequent headaches? If that’s the case, then it means your indoor air is contaminated. Pesticides, air fresheners, and other cleaning products can quickly get trapped in the air and cause pollution. Prolonged exposure to harmful particles can pose serious problems to your health. If left unattended, bad air quality can completely compromise your health.

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Sleep Issues

Are you having sleep problems? If that’s the case, then it means you’ve been inhaling contaminated air for quite some time. Poo air quality makes it difficult for most people to achieve sleep. Not only will you find it impossible to fall asleep, but your senses might also get impaired.

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Excess temperature and humidity might also cause sleep disturbances. Cooler temperatures make it easier to achieve sleep.

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Dust Buildup

Air filters should be cleaned regularly. If there’s a lot of dust has accumulated around your vents, then your home’s air could be heavily polluted. Don’t waste more time- your health could be at risk. Address the issue promptly. Get those filters cleaned or replaced right away.

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This will get rid of pollutants, improve air quality, and protect your health. Plus, it’ll enhance the quality of your life.

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Unpleasant Smell

Air pollution can also cause unpleasant odors. Chemical contaminants, pollen, mold, mildew, and dust are common sources of stagnant air. Cleaning your duct system regularly can eliminate these contaminants.

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Check your ventilation to see if it’s well-functional. If there are any issues, be sure to fix them immediately.

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The Bottom-Line

If left unattended, the above symptoms can lead to serious health issues. Before the situation worsens be sure to fix your ventilation system. Make sure there’s proper air circulation within your home. Stagnant air can make you sick.

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HB Obsessed: Bloom Air Purifier ReviewDupray

“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.”

Introducing HB Obsessed: a design-forward list of our favorite home products right now. Elevate your home with gems that marry beauty and function—straight from our own carts to yours.

I can’t resist anything that is multifunctional, but when I heard about Dupray’s Bloom Air Purifier, I was incredibly curious to find out if the purifier could not only clean my air but also look chic while doing so. Designed as a side table and planter, you can change the air quality in your home and your budding blooms for the better! Air purifiers are essential to measuring the health of your environment and protecting your family from air pollutants and odors. Using a four-stage medical-grade HEPA-13 filtration technology, the Bloom is a cutting-edge surprise in the world of clunky purification gadgets we hide in the corner of our homes.

As someone who doesn’t have the greenest thumb (I err more on the side of a plant babysitter than a plant parent), I was apprehensive to take my one and only plant into a new home, but it has continued to thrive! The air quality and circulation strengthen the plant’s roots and stems while protecting it from infections. It also protects me from puffy eyes as the seasons change. Whether you’re plant parent of the year or not sure if the air purifier in your home is effective, the Bloom is a secret weapon guaranteed to get the job done.

Read on to learn how this clever air purifier is the secret to a healthy home and plants.

The Design

When I received the Bloom, I was convinced it could only remain in my home as a side table. My family completely forgot that the Bloom is a purifier, using it as a side storage table on a daily basis. It is 19 inches tall and shaped like a vase. One of my favorite features is the removable machine-washable pre-filter available in a wide range of colors for an added layer of customization. The pre-filters are treated with BioSilver, a natural silver ion finish that catches hair, pollen, or pet dander. The filters extend the life of the built-in HEPA filter!

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If you choose to use the Bloom as an accent table, it is available with a walnut or oak lid for an additional $34.99. The screen is a fading, touch-sensitive screen that lights up when you wish to change settings, but you will rarely touch the unit unless you’re removing the pre-filter.

Shop Now

Bloom™ Air Purifier

$249.99

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Shop Now

Bloom™ Air Purifier

$249.99

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How to Set Up Bloom Air Purifier

Once you receive the purifier, assembly takes less than five minutes. Inside the box, you’ll find the air purifier, an antibacterial pre-filter, a pre-installed HEPA-13 filer, and the power adapter. Simply plug in the cords, flip the power switch, and press the center circle (it will light up green). You can choose from three fan speeds or set on AUTO mode. The screen will alert you of the air quality with green for good, orange for fair, and hot pink for bad. After 20 seconds, the screen will fade away and you’ll forget you’re looking at a gadget.

Shop Now

Bloom™ Air Purifier

$249.99

dupray.com

” data-src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/fJdcm_hRcsOk23A3kEzD1g–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2MA–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/house_beautiful_336/edacf8db23af58444894683cac51294a”/>

Shop Now

Bloom™ Air Purifier

$249.99

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If you’re tired of downloading a million apps to control your home, the Bloom doesn’t require you to download a thing! As someone who is always convinced that my plants are thirsty, it’s nice to not add an additional worry to my to-do list. Covering up to 1,517 square feet, the Bloom features PM2.5 infrared sensor that constantly monitors the air quality to provide adaptive air purification. I don’t have to stress about an app update to have a clean home.

Bloom Air Purifier Specs

• Medical-grade HEPA-13 air filtration

• Fan speeds: whisper, medium, blast

• Root strainer excess water capacity 20 oz.

• Weighs 10.2 lbs

• Smart AUTO detect and night mode.

• Effectively clears the air of dust, smoke, allergens, bacteria, viruses, organic compounds, pet dander, dust mites, pollen, mold, and odors

• 2 wood side table lids

• 13 pre-filter colors available

Why We’re Obsessed

My experience with plants hasn’t been sunny (who knew cacti required so much TLC), but I am twice as invested in ensuring the one that I do have, gets the best of the best. At $250, this is an investment everyone who enters your home can benefit from. When it is time to clean the outside pre-filter, I use a handheld vacuum or throw it in the washing machine every two to three weeks. I love a low-lift fix!

The Bloom eliminates 99.97% of air pollutants and effectively reads the room—it’s a straightforward gadget I don’t have to worry about. The best part? I don’t have to hear a thing as it works its magic and my allergies don’t stand a chance.

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Air Purification & Filtration SystemsCody Vance2023-04-12T15:44:57-04:00

Healthy Climate® air purification and filtration systems are designed to work with your central heating and cooling system. They improve the air throughout your entire home—not just in individual rooms—without producing ozone, a known lung irritant*.

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PUREAIRE AIR PURIFICATION SYSTEMS

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Whether you’re in need of service at your home or business, let us be your preferred air conditioning and heating contractor. Give us a call at 402-593-7500 for more information or to schedule a service appointment.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — For the third day in a row, Thursday was an unusually warm day around West Michigan, this time reaching and breaking record high temperatures in some locations.

The high of 80° in Grand Rapids tied the record set in 1941, while a high of 77° in Muskegon broke the previous of 74° set in 1968.

Credit: 13 On Your Side

Observed vs. Record Highs for April 13

This was the first 80° temperature of the season in Grand Rapids, arriving 10 days early than last year (April 23) and well ahead of the average first 80° day on May 1.

Credit: 13 On Your Side

First 80° Day Benchmarks – Grand Rapids

More unusually warm weather is expected Friday, perhaps setting new records for April 14.

Credit: 13 On Your Side

Forecast vs. Record Highs for Friday, April 14, 2023

The warm weather pattern continues to create a high wildfire risk across the region, which will remain in place until rain arrives Saturday into Sunday.

Credit: 13 On Your Side

Fire Weather Risk for Friday, April 14, 2023

Lighter winds will allow air quality to get worse Friday leading to the first Clean Air Action Day of 2023.

Clean Air Action Day Story

Credit: 13 On Your Side

Air Quality Forecast for Friday, April 14, 2023

As always watch the 13 On Your Side team of meteorologists for the most up-to-date and most-experienced forecasts.

Chief Meteorologist George Lessens

George is a graduate of Penn State University working for 13 On Your Side for over 42 years. He is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM), a twelve-time MAB® Weathercast Award Winner and two-time EMMY® Award Winner.

Contact me at: [email protected]

Follow me on Twitter @glessens and Facebook GeorgeLessensWZZM

Have a 30-second video or photo to share? We’d love to share it with everyone! Share your images by texting your name and location to 616.559.1310 or email to [email protected] or post it to our 13OnYourSide Facebook Page

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I got a high radon test result for my house this week.  I’ve lived in the house nearly four years now and finally got it tested.  Yay!  The result is high.  Boo!  But what does it really mean?  I haven’t written about radon here yet, so let’s have a look.

My high radon test result from a weeklong test of my 1961 home in US EPA radon zone 1

Radon basics

Radon is a noble gas on the far right side of the periodic table of the elements.  I’m sure you know them by heart:  helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, radon, and now, apparently, a new one named oganesson.  But it’s not radon’s association with the formerly-called inert elements that makes it of interest in the field of indoor air quality.  It’s its ability to get into our lungs and cause lung cancer through radioactive decay.

Radon is a radioactive element in the decay chain of uranium-238, which is in granite and some other types of stone.  We have a lot of granite here in the Atlanta area.  You may have heard of Stone Monadnock?  Most people call it Stone Mountain, and it’s solid granite.

Stone Mountain (really a monadnock) is made of granite, which often is associated with uranium and radon

The problem isn’t completely radon, though.  The radon does bring the radioactivity into your house when it seeps in from the soil beneath.  It floats around in your indoor air, decaying into other radioactive atoms fairly quickly.  It’s half-life is 3.8 days.

Radon decays by emitting alpha particles, which are just helium atoms with no electrons.  Alpha particles can cause a lot of damage to lung tissue.  They cause even more when the radioactive atom emitting them is attached to the lung tissue.

Decay chain of uranium-238, with radon near the middle

That’s what the progeny (decay products) of radon do.  They’re electrically charged, so they stick to the alveoli in the lungs.  The decay products polonium-218 and polonium-214 are believed to cause most of the lung cancer from houses with high radon levels.

Why test for radon?

The US EPA has created a map of radon zones in the United States (image below).  It shows you the areas where you’re more likely to have high radon levels.  Every county and parish is labeled either zone 1, 2, or 3.  Zone 1 means you have the highest chance of a high radon level in your home.  Zone 3 is the lowest.

Radon zones in the United States, a map from the US EPA

The thing is, that map doesn’t tell you what’s happening with radon in any particular building.  You can live on a whole street full of homes with low radon levels, but yours still could be high.

Even in a Zone 3 location, you could have high radon levels.  The state of Georgia keeps records on radon test results.  Chatham County, Georgia, where Savannah is, shows up as Zone 3 on the EPA map.  The highest level recorded in that county is 49.7 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L).  That’s really high.  (See the Georgia radon results map for more.)

You don’t know unless you test.  And if you don’t test, you could become one of the 21,000 people who die of lung cancer each year from long-term exposure to high radon levels.

Understanding the result

Let’s discuss units first.  I’ve mentioned picocuries per liter already, abbreviated pCi/L.  A curie, named for Pierre and Marie Curie, represents 37 billion radioactive decays per second.  If that sounds bad, it’s because it is.

And that’s why we’re talking picocuries.  A picocurie is one trillionth (10^-12) of a curie, so that makes it 0.037 disintegrations per second.  When you put the “per liter” on it, that makes this unit a concentration.  It tells you how much radioactive radon fills the air in your home.

The outdoor concentration of radon, according to the US EPA, is about 0.4 picocuries per liter.  And the EPA gives guidance on when you should do something about indoor radon levels.  They say you should definitely work on the house to reduce the radon level if it’s above 4 pCi/L and probabably mitigate if it’s between 2 and 4 pCi/L.

Here’s a table from the EPA showing the risk to people who have never smoked.

As you might expect, smoking increases your risk significantly.  For example, at 4 pCI/L, about 4 never-smokers might get lung cancer but the number rises to 62 for smokers.

In some places, radon levels are measured in bequerels per cubic meter (Bq/m^3) instead of pCi/L.  The conversion factor is 1 pCi/L = 37 Bq/m^3.  So 4 pCi/L would be 4 x 37 Bq/m^3 = 148 Bq/m^3.

What to do after a high radon test result

Now, in my case, our first test resulted in a radon level of 7.7 pCi/L.  That’s definitely above the 4 pCi/L action level.  It doesn’t surprise me that it’s high because we’re in radon zone 1.  And my basement, which I’m slowly renovating, has plenty of ways for radon to get in.  The photo below shows part of my basement slab, and those cracks aren’t isolated to this one spot.

Cracks along the edge of my basement slab allow soil gases like radon to get into the home’s air

The radon level in our home is far from the highest recorded in Dekalb County.  According to that Georgia radon map, the highest they’ve recorded is 95.6 pCi/L, and about 18 percent of homes tested here have elevated levels.

The other important factor here is that I’ve done only one short-term test.  Radon levels fluctuate with all kinds of factors, including the weather.  We did have a day with 1.8 inches of rain, so that probably bumped it up some.  When you do a single short-term test, the best thing to do is first, don’t freak out.  As I understand it, lung cancer from radon takes exposure over many years.  So, first, do a follow-up test.

The test kit I used is meant to be left open in the house for 3 to 7 days.  There are also long-term tests that you leave for 3 to 12 months.  The long-term number will give you a better idea of your true exposure.  I’ve got a couple of those, too, and will be setting one out this week to get it started.

My next steps are to continue working on my basement and getting it sealed up.  Those cracks in the slab and other places that allow soil gases into the house are a radon liability.

Radon resources

The first place to go is the US EPA radon page.  There’s a ton of information there, including where to get radon test kits, a downloadable copy of the US radon zone map, and a lot more.  They also have a page with links to radon hotlines, programs, and training.  Your state may have good resources, including free or subsidized test kits.  Here’s the radon page for Georgia.  For basic information as well as detailed science, the radon page on Wikipedia is great.

Now, get your house tested.  If the radon level is high, test again and start the process of getting it fixed.  I’ll come back and write about the important step of radon mitigation later.  For now, see the EPA resources above.

 

Allison A. Bailes III, PhD is a speaker, writer, building science consultant, and the founder of Energy Vanguard in Decatur, Georgia. He has a doctorate in physics and is the author of a popular book on building science.  He also writes the Energy Vanguard Blog. You can follow him on Twitter at @EnergyVanguard.

 

Related Articles

A Layered Approach to Indoor Air Quality

4 Ways a Bad Duct System Can Lead to Poor Indoor Air Quality

The 2 Main Problems With Kitchen Ventilation

 

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