Poor indoor air quality may harm your lungs: Oncopathologist flags these 5 common habits

What common habits could be harming your lungs indoors? Find out which everyday practices an expert flags so you can take the necessary precautions.

As much as outdoor air quality matters, indoor air quality deserves equal attention. Indoor air quality essentially refers to how clean or polluted the air is inside enclosed spaces, such as homes, offices, and schools.

Poor indoor air quality can irritate the airways and cause coughing, wheezing, allergies, and breathing difficulties. Since people spend the majority of their time indoors, it is essential to detect the everyday habits that may silently be contaminating the air and affecting lung health over time.

Dr Kunal Sharma, vice president and head of integrated onco-pathology and lead for digital pathology and AI initiatives at Agilus Diagnostics, shared with HT Lifestyle five common indoor habits that may irritate the airways and affect lung health over time.

Outdoor pollution is already known to affect your lungs, but indoor pollution may also be detrimental to your respiratory health. Dr Sharma added, "When it comes to lung health, we often blame traffic pollution and outdoor smog. But some of it happens in our homes. As time passes, everyday routines that seem harmless can release smoke, fine particles, and chemicals that irritate airways. These effects are typically gradual and thus easy to miss.” He also outlined that if you have a nagging cough, allergies, asthma, or frequent respiratory infections, it may be worth examining your everyday indoor habits.

Here are some of the indoor habits the doctor listed that can affect your lungs:

1. Frequent burning of mosquito coils:

• Mosquito coils emit smoke and tiny particles that can irritate the lungs.
• They can cause sensitive people to cough more, wheeze, and have difficulty breathing, especially if they are used each night in rooms without good air circulation.

2. Excessive use of incense sticks:

• Excessive use of incense sticks releases particulate matter, which can affect indoor air quality.
• Short-term use should not be a serious problem, but if you continue using it in a confined area, it can irritate the respiratory tract.

3. Poor kitchen ventilation:

• Cooking, and especially frying or cooking at high temperatures, produces airborne particles and smoke. These pollutants can remain for long periods of time if ventilation is poor.
• Open windows or an exhaust fan can significantly reduce exposure.

4. Smoking inside:

• Secondhand smoke is full of bad chemicals and affects everyone in the house, not just the smoker.
• It can trigger asthma attacks, respiratory infections, and permanent lung damage, especially in children and the elderly.

When you smoke inside, everyone gets affected. (Picture credit: Unsplash)

5. Not looking after dampness and mould:

• Damp walls, leaking pipes, and mould growth can spew spores into the air.
• They can lead to allergies, cough that won’t go away, wheezing, and trouble breathing, especially in people with asthma or weakened immunity.

In the end, the oncopathologist's parting advice was that reducing indoor air pollution can make a real difference and help keep your lungs healthier.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.