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Oxygen-Enriched Environment Can Lead To Overall Wellness: Keep Your Home Pollution-Free

Oxygen-Enriched Environment Can Lead To Overall Wellness: Keep Your Home Pollution-Free
A normal household can harbor several air pollutants from sources like burning of cooking gas, use of strong surface cleaning agents, laundry detergent and other chemicals used in the house and furniture polishings.

Indoor pollutants commonly found in households, cause up to 3.8 million premature deaths occur annually. Know how to fight this effectively.

Written by Editorial Team |Updated : October 28, 2021 10:49 AM IST

Over the years, air pollution has become a major concern and has been impacting not only the health of people but also the overall way of life. School are being closed and cities coming to a standstill due to 'smog', especially during winters, is not an unheard-of phenomenon. While road transport has been touted as the highest contributor of air and sound pollution in an average Indian urban setting, emissions from industries and smaller manufacturing units, outdoor cooking in slums, infrastructure and road development activities and firecrackers etc., are other major sources. However, while a lot has been spoken about addressing the outdoor air pollution, very little attention is paid to the quality of indoor air - which creates a lot more health hazards than the outdoors.

Effects of indoor air pollution

As per the WHO fact sheet, indoor pollutants commonly found in households, cause up to 3.8 million premature deaths occur annually. This is largely due to health conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and lung cancer, stroke, ischaemic heart diseases and also asthma, all of which impacts the vulnerable members of the family like children and senior citizens. Other minor irritants like throat and skin infections, coughs, burning of eyes and sinusitis etc., are far more prevalent. Further, according to the State Of Global Air Report 2019, published by the Boston-based Health Effects Institute, an independent global health and air pollution research organization, an estimated 846 million people in India were exposed to household air pollution in 2017. That's 60 per cent of the country's population!

Causes and hazards

Given that during and after COVID, with work from home and study from home lifestyles, an increasingly large number of people (up to 80 per cent) spend most of their time indoors, it has now become vitally important to understand the causes and the hazards of unhealthy indoor air quality and how this can be addressed.

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As per a recent study, a normal household can harbor several air pollutants from sources like burning of cooking gas, use of strong surface cleaning agents, laundry detergent and other chemicals used in the house, furniture polishing's, chemicals leaching through rusty water sources, natural exposure to outside pollutants, and general occurrence of radioactive or hazardous chemicals from the surroundings. These can release poisonous gases and substances including nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone and even volatile to semi volatile organic compounds, particulate matter (burning of coal, charcoal or wood), and variety of bacterial, fungal and viral organisms, all contributing to poor indoor air quality.

Importance of indoor air purifiers

Now, indoor air purifiers seem to be the solution for the above-mentioned problem, as they promise to reduce or eliminate the harmful gases and infectious materials, making the indoor air cleaner and safer to breath. However, one basic principle that needs to be considered when assessing air quality, is the presence of oxygen, as that is the major life source and the only component of air that provides life to humans. When air quality is poor, it not only signifies the presence of harmful and toxic gases but also reduces percentages of available oxygen. Generally, clean or healthy air is composed of approximately 21 per cent oxygen, 78 per cent nitrogen and other trace components. However, the addition of any gas, except oxygen, to air reduces the oxygen concentration through displacement and dilution. Breathing as little as one or two breaths of air containing too little oxygen can have serious and immediate effects, including unconsciousness. Because there are no warning signs of reduced oxygen concentrations, these environments are extremely dangerous.

Maintaining an oxygen-enriched environment

In order to regain a healthy indoor air environment, it is not enough to just be able to avoid health hazards like respiratory Illnesses, allergies, heart and lung complications and toxic gas poisoning, but to be able to actually breathe adequate amount of oxygen that can help lead a long a healthy life. The role of oxygen therapy in mild to sever medical conditions, as well as in the form of a spa/ wellness therapy, is not new. However, a long term, controlled environment which is oxygen enriched, can go a long way in building lasting health benefits, while also helping lead a more energised lifestyle. Oxygen Enriched air or OEA is one such solution that can help create a sense of consistency by supplying oxygen that is between 21 per cent, 23.5 per cent, and 25 per cent of indoor air environment. Some of the key benefits of living in an oxygen enriched indoor air environment include:

  • Fights Fatigue: As a source of life, breathing in an environment rich in oxygen helps elevate fatigue and stress, bringing in more vitality and energy into daily lives. It also helps in improved lung function, more effective results from exercises and is also known to improve brain and cognitive functions
  • Healthy lungs and heart: Consistent and proper exposure to oxygen enriched environments can reduce several respiratory, cardiac and chronic lung diseases. This also includes illnesses like asthma, blood pressure, and other cardiac related complications. This is especially helpful in case of elderly members of the family.
  • Improves sleep: Insomnia has become a rampant occurrence, especially among the youth. Access to oxygen enriched environments has proven to enhance sleep quality, making it deep, peaceful and more relaxing. Over a period of time, this also helps regain naturally healthy sleep patterns that are more relaxing and energising.
  • Builds immunity and helps faster recovery from disease: In addition to the above-mentioned benefits, prolonged access to oxygen enriched environments can not only stall the advancement of diseases of lung and heart, but also cure them. Like a slower versions of oxygen therapy used in medical practice, long term exposure to oxygen enriched environments has a healing effect on the human body and results in faster recovery after major surgeries or corrective procedures. This is also due to the role of oxygen in building immunity and for also improving brain and cognitive functions, which together help healing on a systemic level.

Even as we come to terms with the aftermath of COVID and wake up to the significance of leading a healthy life with strong immunity, we have also learnt to value life in all its precious experiences. Adopting an oxygen enriched approach for a healthier home or work environment can be first, and simplest, step to ensuring that we don't miss out of the simple things in life and are able to enjoy a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle.

(This article is authored by Mr. Mark Matthews, COO, NF Healthcare India)