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Protecting Your Home from Car Exhaust Smoke

Clean air is important to everyone, and there are many pollutants that can cause problems for your health, including car exhaust and smoke.

Whether you live near a heavy highway or down a dirt road, understanding the risks of car exhaust from motor vehicles can help you live a healthy, happy life.


What Makes Car Exhaust So Dangerous?

It can be taken for granted that car exhaust is a dangerous pollutant, but when you look at some of the most important research, you’ll see that it is not hyperbole. For example, a study published in Annals of Oncology found that occupational exposure to diesel exhaust fumes increased the risk of lung cancer. By obtaining occupational information on a total of over 1,200 people, researchers found an association between occupational exposure to diesel exhaust fumes and the increased chances of lung cancer.

As described by the OHS Rep, exhaust fumes are dangerous and cannot only harm someone, they can “even kill people” who are exposed to the pollution. They describe how exhaust fumes that contain carbon monoxide, a byproduct of traffic vehicles, can be a significant threat to overall health and wellness.

One of the best resources for the dangers of traffic exhaust comes from researchers at the University of Texas School of Public Health and the University of Michigan. This massive study, which looked at traffic rates, speeds, and many other variables, found a few important points.

First, congestion and additional traffic will significantly increase the exposure rate and the risks associated with exhaust fumes. In other words, the more traffic there is, the higher your risk. However, the risks are not proportional to traffic volumes, and the increases in risk are greatly dependent on site-specific factors.

According to the Washington State Department of Ecology, vehicle exhaust emissions are dangerous because of many different chemicals, including carbon monoxide. This is a colorless and odorless gas that is poisonous to humans and other lifeforms. It interferes with our bloodstream, making it difficult for the body to carry oxygen from the lungs to our organs. Babies and people with heart diseases are particularly vulnerable to this chemical, but even otherwise healthy people can experience headaches and fatigue from carbon monoxide exposure.

Ground-level ozone emissions can also be a problem caused by car exhaust. This chemical, which we know as smog, is created when car exhaust interacts with air in the presence of sunlight. It can cause harm to our airways and decrease the lung’s capability.

Sulfur dioxide emissions are another nasty chemical expelled by cars, but only diesel engine vehicles that burn sulfur-containing fuel. This chemical can cause constriction in airways, and is a particular problem for people with asthma, as well as children with developing lungs.

When fuel is burned, it can also create air pollution in the form of nitrogen dioxide. Exposure to this chemical causes problems to the respiratory system, creating symptoms that are similar to ozone and sulfur dioxide.

Other chemicals include airborne lead (although lead in exhaust fumes has been reduced thanks to unleaded fuel), as well as particulate matter, formaldehyde, and benzene.

Clearly, exposure to vehicle traffic is dangerous, and even if you live in a low-traffic area, you have to understand how to reduce exposure. The same could be said for clearing industrial smoke.


Protecting Yourself from Car Exhaust

Because car exhaust has been heavily connected to lung problems, it is a topic of great concern for the American Lung Association. They claim that as much as 45% of the urban population in North American lives near a “busy road.” This means that millions of people on our continent need to be taking measures to reduce their exposure to this harmful air pollutant. Protecting from car exhaust, fortunately, is easy.

So, what can be done?

If you can’t change air pollution outside (at least not directly or significantly), you need to make your house a haven of clean indoor air, which will mean monitoring the air around you, cleaning the air inside your home, and reducing the amount of contaminants that reach the inside.

Keep Windows Shut During High-Traffic Times

Perhaps the most significant step you can take to reduce car exhaust emissions from entering your home is to keep windows closed when traffic is busy. During the early morning rush and the afternoon commute, close the windows and doors so less contaminants from a motor vehicle can enter your home. You may have to run the A/C, but if traffic is heavy, it may help your lungs.

Even if you can’t see the traffic, freeway pollution can reach your home. According to a Los Angeles Times article, traffic pollution can travel more than a mile from the road.

Install Carbon Monoxide Detectors

To make sure that heavy amounts of car exhaust emissions are not entering your home, you may want to consider installing a carbon monoxide detector. These devices are often required by the state for new construction, but even if they are not mandated, they can help protect you from prolonged exposure to a deadly chemical. You can purchase a carbon monoxide detector for as little as $20, making them an affordable purchase. If you have an attached garage, be sure to install one near the door between your home and the garage.
 

Monitor Outdoor Air Quality

You can keep track of the air quality, and various pollen counts, outside your home by regularly checking the MapMyAir website.

Use a High-Quality Air Purifier

An air cleaner from Oransi can help remove many of the most harmful chemicals in car exhaust. Using an air purifier with high efficiency air filters and a strong motor will bring cleaner air, helping you reduce the effects of traffic exhaust. If you live near a high-traffic area, you should seriously consider using an air purifier in your home.

Have Plants Around the Home

You might not have guessed it, but plants can be useful for providing clean air in a home, and it’s not just because they produce oxygen. Plants pull in air for their own use, and inadvertently trap and filter out some of the tiniest particles. This makes them a resource for clean air in your home and can reduce exposure to emissions. Their performance will not come close to a good air purifier, however they can help somewhat.


Providing High-Quality Air Purifiers to Reduce Exhaust Exposure

Contact the team at Oransi and we’ll help you find the right air purifier for your specific needs. Whether you want a purifier for a baby’s room or a commercial area, we’ll make sure you find the right products along with top-quality filters.