Time to Tackle the Ticking Time Bomb in our Living Rooms and Workspaces

STOCKHOLM, May 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

A failure to address indoor air quality issues is fuelling a worldwide ticking time bomb of catastrophic rising health problems such as asthma, allergies and cancer as well as increased mortality.

More and more documented evidence is popping up of the threats posed by soaring levels of particulate matter and chemicals in homes, offices and other workspaces, warns Sweden's Blueair, a leading global manufacturer of air purifiers.

"Outdoor and indoor airborne pollution are two sides of the same coin although many people are oblivious to the fact that indoor air can be up to 100 times more polluted than outside," said Johan Wennerström, Blueair's head of technology.

Ahead of the publication of an indepth Blueair report on the issue, Mr. Wennerström warned indoor air pollution represents a threat that may be 'as important as eradicating bird flu outbreaks for the world'.

Mr. Wennerström noted how WHO has said mortality and burden of disease are attributable to selected major risks and that indoor air pollution is responsible for 2.7% of the global burden of disease. He added indoor air is contaminated as a result of external emissions, inadequate ventilation and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

The new Blueair White Paper entitled '‘The threat in our indoor air', examines the link between fine particle matter (PM2.5) in indoor air and a wide range of health risks and diseases.

The publication notes how widespread pollution of the air by PM2.5 particles not only negatively impacts the outdoor environment in major cities around the world, but is also sparking rising health problems by contaminating indoor air.

"Canadian researchers have reported finding a link in asthmatic children between indoor PM2.5 and declines in lung function, while recent research in 10 European cities in 10 European cities has estimated 14% of chronic childhood asthma stems from traffic pollution near busy roads," said Mr. Wennerström. He added it is well documented by WHO that that asthma rates are accelerating, while in Western Europe as a whole, asthma has doubled in ten years, according to the UCB Institute of Allergy in Belgium.

Mr. Wennerström said governments worldwide needed to 'act now on tackling a problem that is already having a potentially catastrophic impact on the health of people, especially young children who are most at risk because their lungs are not fully developed'.

Read more about the problem of indoor air pollution and fine particle matter (PM2.5) at http://www.blueair.com/pm2.5_indoorairpollution

For more information, please contact
David Noble, Blueair Public Relations
Cell: +44-7785-302-694
E. [email protected]

SOURCE Blueair