Curious? Well, if you own an air purifier and realized you have not replaced your filter for a long time, open your machine and take a look at the filters inside. You probably will be seeing something like these:Alen F700 BreathesmartAlen ParaldaBlueair 203Blueair 503Alen T500In just 6 months, imagine how much pollution your air purifier has captured from your indoor air: a combination of all kinds of dirt, dust, animal fur (if you have pets), smoke residue, and other harmful things that your naked eye can or cannot see. One of the reasons why we recommend to replace your filters every 6 months is to avoid secondary pollution caused by dirty and contaminated filters inside the air purifiers.If the pictures above are as dirty as your filters, then now is the perfect time to replace them. Renaud Air is offering a 20% discount on all Medic Filter replacement filters for Alen, Blueair and Medic Filter machines.

Indoor air pollution can be really detrimental to the health sometimes even more dangerous than outdoor air pollution. Contaminants such as gases and particles can pollute the air of the indoor environment and could lead to respiratory disease, or even cancer in some cases. It is important we recognize these pollutants and do all we can to avoid them in our immediate environment.Cancer: This could arise if asbestos is in your home. Asbestos could be found in various materials used in the construction of homes such as coatings, ceiling, building materials; floor tiles and paints although newer products today do not contain asbestos. However, if found in your home, asbestos could lead to asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma and other related cancers.Infectious Diseases: Contaminants such as bacteria, dust mites or animal dander in the home could lead to serious health effects such as throat irritation, flu, asthma and other infectious diseases.Irritation of delicate body parts: Formaldehyde is another source of indoor pollution which could lead to irritation of the eyes, throat, nose, as well as allergy and in some cases, it could lead to cancer. In fact, its production has been banned in the United States since 1970 but can still be found in wood floors, paints, and sealants so they could still find their way to your home.Respiratory Diseases: Tobacco smoke that can come as a result of indoor and outdoor activities could be a source of indoor air pollution. Individuals who inhale tobacco smoke could suffer from pneumonia, bronchitis, irritation of the respiratory tract, lung cancer, heart-related diseases and emphysema. Young children inhale much more air than adults in relation to their body weight. For this reason, they are more likely to inhale contaminants in polluted areas. Older ones, on the other hand, have weaker heart, lungs and defense systems and so more oxygen is definitely needed to provide needed support to their aging cells. Heart Diseases: Indoor air pollution could lead to diseases of the heart. This is especially true for those who might have suffered a heart attack before the pollution of the indoor environment. Individuals could suffer from heart failure – where the heart is too weak to carry blood around the body. Those affected could also experience angina – chest pain that arises when enough oxygen rich blood does not get to your heart. Heart rhythmicity could also be at risk with problems like arrhythmia – too fast or too slow heartbeat, arising. Diabetic patients could also be at risk here as they are likely to have unpleasant heart conditions due to indoor pollution..Everyone deserves a good life, therefore ensuring you breathe in only clean fresh air almost 100 percent of the time is the best way to avoid health risks associated with air pollution. 

While it is common knowledge that second-hand smoke, molds and radon gas impair the quality of air indoors, there are other sources of air pollution indoors that are not as obvious. Findings from the Environmental Protection Agency indicate that indoor air is up to five times more polluted than outdoor air. This is especially harmful to those who spend more time at home than out of it. There are a number of these indoor pollutants that are more commonly known than others and here, we take a look at a few sources of indoor pollution:New Carpet: As much as the smell of a new carpet may feel okay, it is actually emitting dangerous volatile organic compounds including benzene, ethylbenzene, bromine, acetone, styrene, toluene, and formaldehyde. Regular exposure to these organic chemicals has been to cause eye irritation, headaches, drowsiness, allergies, and throat irritation.Air Freshener: Air fresheners are great for covering up bad indoor odors. However, they could actually worsen the quality of indoor air by emitting toxic pollutants that are harmful to the health. Phthalates – especially harmful to children and newborns, are used to support the fragrance of many air fresheners. They contain endocrine disruptors, could hamper the development of male sex organs and lead to the abnormal development of the male genitalia.Ozone Generators: In a bid to clean up indoor air and improve the quality of breathable air, ozone generators have been produced to get rid of toxins. However, some of these devices contain large concentrations of ozone – a potent lung irritant. While the smell of ozone could feel sweet and pleasant, routine exposure to it has been linked to the aggravation of chronic lung diseases like asthma and Chronic Obstructive Liver Disease (COPD).Paints: Homes coated in old paints could cause damage to the brain and lungs. Some individuals may still live in older homes coated in lead paints which have been banned since the late 1970s. Even after decades of using a lead to coat a room, it could still be toxic. As the paint pills off into chips, these chips break down into microscopic pieces that become a part of the dust you breathe. Newer paints can also be harmful as many of them contain hazardous volatile organic compounds and can emit these chemicals for even months after the room is coated.Kitchen Stove: A gas stove is a very important item in the kitchen and you do not necessarily have to get rid of it. However, they emit nitrogen dioxide – a highly reactive gas that creates toxic organic nitrates when mixed with air. This could lead to irritation of the lungs, increasing the body’s susceptibility to respiratory infections. This could be even worse when gas stoves are used in a poorly ventilated kitchen. Ensure the kitchen is well-ventilated during and after cooking – a ventilation fan of high quality would be ideal. Where a ventilation fan is not available, try to cook close to open window to improve the quality of air in the kitchen – and indoors!