Pregnancy is an exciting time in any woman’s life, but it also comes with downsides.
One such downside is worrying about new risks to your safety and health.
There are many health and safety concerns to expectant mothers, one being indoor air pollution.Typically when one thinks about air pollution, they think about breathing in car exhaust or fumes from a power plant. But many people are unaware that pollution also exists in the home and workplace. Air pollution often finds itself in the home, workplace, or any other indoor facility where an expectant mother spends a significant amount of time. Air pollution is associated with an increased risk of premature birth, asthma, autism, and lower birth weight. It’s crucial to fight indoor pollution in any way possible because of these risks to your baby. First, you should try to find symptoms of ventilation problems. Symptoms of ventilation issues include but not limited to: moisture on surfaces, odd smells in the air, unclean central heating or air condition equipment. The next step is improving ventilation. Some good options to improve airflow are opening up doors and windows if possible. If you have fans in your home, it’s also a great option to turn those on. Another fantastic option is turning on any exhaust fans that output outdoors that you might have, like in a kitchen. Replacing or adding new HVAC equipment. A faulty or insufficient HVAC system is generally going to be the source of one’s problems with indoor air pollution. You can also add a portable air cleaning device to your home. Portable air cleaners are an additional device that filters gasses and particles. Something that will also benefit your health is switching to a heat pump. Heat pumps don’t combust and thus don’t produce emissions that can be harmful to your health. Keep you and your baby safe in your home and free from the indoor air pollution issues.