Why Outdoor Air Pollution Is An Indoor Air Pollution Problem

Hurricane prep usually starts with the obvious: batteries, bottled water, flashlights, medications, and a plan for where to go if conditions turn dangerous. But hurricane season home preparation should also include the air inside your home.

I've lived in Florida my whole life, so hurricane prep feels almost like a seasonal ritual. Still, indoor air can be easy to overlook when there are shutters to hang and supplies to track down.

Counterintuitively, a big part of maintaining good indoor air quality (IAQ) is being more mindful of the air outside your home. That's because half of what's in the air outside can make its way inside [1]^[1].

From pollen and mold spores to pesticides and other lawn treatments, lots of different outdoor contaminants find their way into the air you breathe when you're chilling on the couch, eating lunch at the kitchen table, or even tucked under the covers in bed. 

As a lifelong resident of the Sunshine State, I consider myself an authority on all things sunny. So, I speak from experience when I say: Summer has a way of making skincare routines and hair maintenance schedules feel like full-time jobs. 

Summer is all about getting outside and having fun, but for many families, it also means a rush of indoor air pollutants that go largely unnoticed.

From sunscreen sprays to insect repellents to beachy scented candles, the products we use to help us enjoy summer can measurably degrade our indoor air quality (IAQ). Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from these everyday items can accumulate to concentrations much higher indoors than outdoors, triggering everything from mild irritation to more serious long-term health consequences [1]^[1]. 

Grills firing up. Fireworks cracking overhead. Citronella candles glowing on the patio. Personally, I'm excited for the festivities. But some of summer's most familiar moments come with a little smoke.

We usually think of these as outdoor activities, which makes them feel separate from the air inside our homes. But your indoor air doesn't exist in a hermetically-sealed bubble. Smoke can drift through open doors, screened porches, cracked windows, attached garages, and nearby air intakes. And once those tiny particles make their way inside, they can linger longer than the fun.

Big emotions are a regular part of childhood, but kids don't always know how to manage them without support. One of the simplest and most effective emotional regulation tools they can learn also happens to be completely free: mindful breathing. For kids and adults, deep breathing helps calm the body's stress response, making it easier to control emotions, refocus, and navigate challenging situations. 

We love our pets. We love their little routines, their tiny dramatic sighs, their oddly specific favorite spots around the house. What we don't love quite as much? We love our pets. We love their little routines, their tiny dramatic sighs, their oddly specific favorite spots around the house. What we don't love quite as much? The fur tumbleweeds, the mystery smells, and the microscopic particles they leave behind.

Summer is often portrayed as the season of fresh air, when you're supposed to get out of the house and enjoy the great outdoors, or at least crack open a window or two. But well-meaning advice about "getting fresh air" isn't always supported by science. This article debunks five common myths about summer air quality, so you can make more informed decisions about your home environment.