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Highlights of research studies collected by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
If you’re not concerned about your indoor air quality, you should be. The EPA considers inferior indoor air quality to be the 4th most significant environmental problem in America. In addition to contributing to increasing rates of allergies and asthma, scientific research has shown that poor indoor air quality also affects school and work performance.
Poor indoor air quality can be defined as air that is:
- Too hot or too cold
- Too dry or too humid
- Polluted with allergens like mold spores, dust, dander, pollen, and smoke
- Contaminated with gases like VOCs, carbon monoxide, and radon
Here are some highlights from studies…
There is no safe amount or type of asbestos, but certain factors can increase the risk of health problems.
Asbestos is officially classified as a hazardous material in California because of the risks it poses to human health. Breathing in asbestos fibers can increase the risk of developing lung cancer or mesothelioma, as well as contribute to other respiratory problems. So do you need to worry about becoming sick from asbestos? That depends on the following factors.
Type of Asbestos
There are actually two different types of asbestos, amphibole (used in shipbuilding and insulation) and chrysotile (used in construction). Since the 1990s, researchers have learned that…
Government audit finds EPA isn’t doing enough to inform and protect the public.
In 2012, USA Today did an exposé on the dangers of building homes on the sites of historic lead smelters. Their report revealed that the EPA had been informed of 464 possible sites by a researcher in 2001, yet had failed to conduct a thorough and timely investigation or alert the public. Today, 2 years later, a government audit has found that the EPA still hasn’t done enough. The audit faults the EPA for failing to set criteria and time limits that would have enabled them to conduct timely screenings to the high standard necessary to…
