Mums, most of you may agree that these days, children spend more time indoors as compared to earlier generations. With time, the activities that children engage in have also changed to a great extent.
A child fiddling with a tablet or mobile phone is a common sight in most households, probably yours too. As children grow up outdoor playtime decreases while their study-time increases, keeping them more confined to four walls.
It has been found that more indoor time can contribute to the rise of respiratory disorders of various degrees among children. A recent report suggests that approximately 20 percent of school-going children in Singapore suffer from bronchial asthma. Besides asthma, young children may also suffer from Pneumonia or less severe infections1 like sneezing and coughing.
Shabana Zahoor, mother of 11-year old Zara shares that her old daughter suffered from cough and allergies quite often. She discovered that spending long time indoors in air-conditioned environments was the culprit behind this. Children constantly move from air-conditioned pre-schools/schools to air-conditioned home environments, with the tropical heat and humidity of Singapore complicating matters.
Mums, research2 also suggests that as children spend more time at home they are more susceptible to problems associated with indoor air pollution as compared to adults. Physiologically, in children3, the protective lining of the respiratory tract can be penetrated by air pollutants more easily. In addition to this, a child’s lung defence system is also not as well developed making them more vulnerable in comparison with adults.
What could be the reason behind this?
Let’s understand why this happens in the first place.
Allergens and irritants are two of the most important contributing factors to indoor air pollution. Particle pollutants that are much smaller – around 0.1 micron – can travel further inside the body and even penetrate the bloodstream. Upon breathing they get accumulated in smaller branches and the gas exchange region of our lungs, possibly leading to respiratory problems.
Deodorants, aerosol sprays, kitchen ranges and other day to day products that we rely on lead to indoor air pollution4,5
Materials in furniture and flooring that can emit formaldehyde, and benzene that is released by burning scented candles have been included in WHO’s list of gases of concern along with many others.
The good news is that technology has kept pace with this problem. Today, there are air purifiers like Dyson Pure Cool Link in the market that are able to capture around 99.95% of these particles that are as small in size as 0.1 microns, and keep them trapped inside. Dyson Pure Cool Link can automatically capture gases as well.
Shabana shares, “I feel that air purifiers can help us maintain indoor air quality along with other methods that we have been employing, such as ensuring good ventilation. I have observed that these days my daughter is not falling sick that often. I think using a state-of- the-art air purifier has also been instrumental in achieving this change.”
Image Source: Dyson
Singaporean dad Milton Goh also supports the use of air purifiers. “We want our daughter Maeleth to have the best of everything as much as possible, so why should clean air be an exception? That’s why we use air purifiers at home,” he said.
Modern air purifiers such as Dyson Pure Cool Link can be quite useful to parents like Shabana and Milton, in maintaining indoor air quality. It automatically monitors, reacts and purifies the air and the reports are sent on the Dyson Link App that can be used on an iOS or Android phone. Moreover, the purifier can be easily controlled using the Dyson Link App even if one is traveling or at work.
At night it uses the quietest airflow settings so you can indulge in your beauty sleep. What’s more, it is easy to maintain and has a long-lasting filter that will need replacement only after you’ve used it daily for 12 hours for a period of one year.
Mums, click here to know more about the Dyson Pure Cool Link and how it can purify the air inside your homes.
References:
1Pneumonia. Retrieved on 6th October 2017 from https://www.who.int/ceh/risks/cehair/en/
2Effects on children. Retrieved on 6th October 2017 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3266016/
3Children at risk. Retrieved on 6th October from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4145638/
4Sources of Indoor Air Pollution. Retrieved on 10th October 2017 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4145638/
5Sources of Indoor Air Pollution. Retrieved on 10th October 2017 from https://www2.ca.uky.edu/hes/fcs/factshts/hf-lra.161.pdf