Most environmental laws in the U.S. only try to control the release of dangerous substances into the air and water, not the amount of contact people have with those pollutants. This focus on emissions rather than exposure essentially ignores the fact that toxic substances produce health problems only if they reach the body. In 1980, the first serious efforts to assess everyday exposure of the general population to toxic substances was launched by Lance A. Wallace of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Devices small and light enough for people to carry showed which pollutants existed nearby and in what concentration. Amounts of food and water consumed were also measured. Disturbingly, most citizens were likely to have the greatest contact with toxic pollutants not outside but inside the places usually considered to be unpolluted, such as homes.
Everyday items people use in their homes could be more dangerous to their health than industrial pollution. 45% of the total exposure of the U.S. population to benzene comes from smoking (or breathing smoke exhaled by others), 36% from inhaling gasoline fumes or from using various common products (such as glues), and 16% from other home sources (such as paint). Studies have indicated that almost all exposure to paradichlorobenzene comes from sources inside homes, not from industrial emissions or hazardous waste sites. The chemical tetrachloroethylene is mostly used to dry clothes and the major source of the gas chloroform are from showers. Carbon monoxide, the colorless and odorless gas, robs the blood of oxygen and is mostly found indoors. Multiple studies of people's everyday exposure conclude that the same air pollutants covered by environmental laws outdoors are usually found at much higher levels indoors. This is because the U.S. has controlled automobile and industrial emissions, improving outdoor air quality.
I didn't know that indoor air is more dangerous than outdoor air. I now know that carpets hold high concentrations of toxic chemicals. People with carpets should change their carpets to wood, tile or linoleum floor. Before entering the house, people should wipe their feet on a doormat or remove their shoes to reduce the amount of lead or other chemicals that can be tracked in on people shoes. If people knew about this, they can reduce exposure by buying environmental-friendly products instead. Also, environmental laws should be judged on how effectively they reduce people's exposure than how they reduce total emissions. And it will also help if companies list the name of the dangerous chemicals used in their products.
Source: http://ogoapes.weebly.com/uploads/3/2/3/9/323989/everyday_exposure_to_toxic_chemicals.pdf
Article by Wayne R. Ott and John W. Roberts
Everyday items people use in their homes could be more dangerous to their health than industrial pollution. 45% of the total exposure of the U.S. population to benzene comes from smoking (or breathing smoke exhaled by others), 36% from inhaling gasoline fumes or from using various common products (such as glues), and 16% from other home sources (such as paint). Studies have indicated that almost all exposure to paradichlorobenzene comes from sources inside homes, not from industrial emissions or hazardous waste sites. The chemical tetrachloroethylene is mostly used to dry clothes and the major source of the gas chloroform are from showers. Carbon monoxide, the colorless and odorless gas, robs the blood of oxygen and is mostly found indoors. Multiple studies of people's everyday exposure conclude that the same air pollutants covered by environmental laws outdoors are usually found at much higher levels indoors. This is because the U.S. has controlled automobile and industrial emissions, improving outdoor air quality.
I didn't know that indoor air is more dangerous than outdoor air. I now know that carpets hold high concentrations of toxic chemicals. People with carpets should change their carpets to wood, tile or linoleum floor. Before entering the house, people should wipe their feet on a doormat or remove their shoes to reduce the amount of lead or other chemicals that can be tracked in on people shoes. If people knew about this, they can reduce exposure by buying environmental-friendly products instead. Also, environmental laws should be judged on how effectively they reduce people's exposure than how they reduce total emissions. And it will also help if companies list the name of the dangerous chemicals used in their products.
Source: http://ogoapes.weebly.com/uploads/3/2/3/9/323989/everyday_exposure_to_toxic_chemicals.pdf
Article by Wayne R. Ott and John W. Roberts