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230489007 FEBRUARY 2013 HOMES PLUS 10 me New Na lity, ua Same Q Product & Service WISCONSIN GLASS BLOCK LLC formerly Waukesha Glass Block Iceberg Crystal Diamond Crystal Wave GLASS BLOCK Basement • Garage Bathroom • Interior Walls Clearest Glass Block in the Industry 262-522-6774 www.wisconsinglassblockllc.com wisconsinglassblockllc@gmail.com Be mindful of indoor air pollution SPECIAL TO HOMES PLUS Air pollution is often associated with heavily trafficked highways or industrial areas home to manufacturing plants. But air pollution can occur anywhere, including inside your home. Though it can be easy to recognize outdoor air pollution, indoor air pollution is not always so easily identifiable. But understanding indoor air pollution can help men and women, whether they live in a private home or an apartment, improve the air quality in their homes. What causes indoor air pollution? Indoor air pollution can be the result of many things, including biological contaminants (mold and mildew), tobacco smoke, radon, and household chemicals. The concentration of some pollutants can increase when the temperature indoors is high or if humidity levels indoors are high. Poor ventilation may also contribute to poor indoor air quality. Without adequate ventilation, a home may not get enough outdoor air to dilute emissions from indoor sources. As a result, pollutants can accumulate inside a home, making the home uncomfortable and possibly putting its inhabitants' health at risk. In addition, insufficient ventilation makes it harder for indoor pollutants to escape the home, forcing them to linger inside and negatively affect air quality. This is common during colder months when windows and doors are not open as often and fresh air from outside is not entering the home. What are the negative health effects of indoor air pollution? Indoor air pollutants can cause immediate problems or problems down the road. The immediate effects, which can include irritation of the eyes, nose and throat as well has headaches, dizziness and fatigue, are typically short-term and can be treated, oftentimes by removing the person's exposure to the source of the pollution. Symptoms of some diseases, including asthma, may also appear shortly after exposure. Long-term effects of indoor air pollution may show up years after initial exposure or after prolonged exposure. Respiratory disease, cancer and even heart disease may result from prolonged exposure or not appear until years after initial exposure. The Environmental Protection Agency notes that there remains uncertainty about the concentrations or length of exposure necessary to produce specific health problems. Such uncertainty could be a result of different people reacting differently when exposed to indoor air pollutants. But while that uncertainty means there's no guarantee exposure, be it brief or prolonged, will ultimately lead to disease, there's also no guarantee that even minimal exposure will prevent the development of disease down the road. Can indoor air quality be improved? Homeowners and apartment dwellers can take steps to improve the quality of the air inside their homes. Eliminating the sources of the pollution or reducing the emissions is a great place to start. Those with a gas stove can adjust their stove to reduce its emissions, which can save money while improving air quality. Another way to improve indoor air quality is to take steps to get more outdoor air into the home. This can be as simple as opening windows and doors and operating window or attic fans when the weather permits. In the kitchen, install fans that exhaust outdoors, which will immediately remove contaminants from the room. Each of these steps is meant to ventilate the home, and such ventilation should be emphasized when tackling home improvement projects that increase the amount of pollutants in the home. Such projects include painting, paint stripping or sanding. See Air pollution/Page 11 From Ordinary to EXTRAordinary FULL SERVICE Kitchen and Bath REMODELERS Visit our showroom: Monday-Friday • 9am-5pm 20880 W. Enterprise Ave., Brookfield, WI 53045 262-782-7185 www.snkpump.com 230570002

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