Indoor Air Quality affect Children's Health

Please read through.Baca dengan teliti apa yang nak dikongsi di sini.

Sudah menjadi lumrah kebanyakan kita tidak menyangka bahawa kualiti udara dalaman ("indoor air quality") dalam rumah kita especially yang didesign ala-ala barat adalah lebih mendatangkan mudarat dari sihat.

Ini kerana kita taksub dengan kehadiran "air-cond" yang menyejukkan. Rata-rata berpendapat "sejuk" bermakna "nyaman" dan "selesa" (feel comfortable)..tapi ramai yang tak menyangka bahawa suhu yang di cipta turun kadang-kadang mencecah 19deg C, sebenarnya memudaratkan kita.

Julat (range)suhu yang sesuai dijamin untuk kesihatan manusia yang telah dikaji dan diselidik adalah dalam julat 23 - 26 deg C dengan kelembapan udara relatif (relative humidity- RH) sebanyak 40 -70%.

Malangnya, sudahlah negara kita beriklim panas dan lembap yang kadang kala mencecah RH = 90%, tapi  ada pulak insan-insan yang tidak tahu, meletakkan pula sumber-sumber air di dalam kediaman yang akhirnya menyebabkan RH memenuhi peratusan yang  lengkap sehingga 100% dalam keseluruhan ruang rumah di tambah lagi dengan suhu yang diturunkan. "Masaalah..."

Ok..bercerita tentang IAQ, kenapa saya berminat..sebab ramai ibu bapa yang tak sedar kesannya terhadap anak kecil. Di sini saya petik dari terbitan kajian luar negara untuk kita jadikan renungan.

·         "Children are more susceptible to pollutants than adults because they are still growing and breathe in proportionately more air. This means indoor pollutants, such as certain chemicals, particles and allergens, can cause more severe health effects in children."

Children breathe in a greater volume of air than adults relative to their body size.

Children's organs and respiratory, immune and neurological systems are still developing.

Children are much closer to the ground, and as a result, breathe in more of the heavier airborne chemicals than do adults.

Infants and young children breathe through their mouths, more so than do adults, which increases their risk of pulmonary exposure to particulates and fibers, that would otherwise be filtered out in the nose.

Children have a higher heart rate than adults, which allows substances that are absorbed into the blood to permeate tissues faster.

Analysis of data from a national sample of 17,110 children ages zero to 17 years indicate that all children living in urban settings are at increased risk for asthma (Aligne et al 2000).

Public housing, especially apartment homes in urban settings, is more likely to have cockroach, rodent and mold infestations. Allergens from cockroaches, rodents and mold are known allergy and asthma triggers.

Airborne pollutants, including potential carcinogens, reproductive toxins, and human irritants, are 2 to 10 times higher indoors when compared with outdoor levels and can be as much as 1,000 times higher in newly constructed and renovated indoor spaces. These visible and invisible contaminants generally fall in one of two categories: (1) particulates or (2) gases, vapors and odors.

Ok..Now what..sejenak kita terfikir..duduk di dalam rumah yang tertutup dari sistem pengudaraan bebas (semulajadi), menyediakan kita kepada keadaan yang lebih berisiko dari duduk di luar rumah. Kenapa?

Sebab kita tersalah tafsir ertikata "keadaan selesa" sebenar-benarnya. Renung-renungkanlah dan sama-sama kita berfikir.