Health Canada
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Improving Indoor Air Quality
Canadians spend much of their time inside. Good air quality in your home can help prevent breathing problems and other health concerns.
On this page:
- Avoid Second-hand Smoke
- Keep Carbon Monoxide Out of Your Home
- Test Your Home for Radon
- Keep Humidity Levels in Your Home Down to Reduce the Risk of Mould
Avoid Second-hand Smoke
Make your home and car smoke-free by smoking outside, or not smoking at all.
Second-hand smoke spreads from one room to another even if the door of the smoking area is closed. In addition, potentially harmful chemicals can cling to rugs, curtains, clothes, food, furniture and other materials and can remain in a room or car long after someone has smoked.
Infants and children exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to suffer from asthma and other respiratory problems such as coughs, pneumonia, bronchitis and croup, as well as ear infections. Babies who breathe in second-hand smoke have a higher risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or crib death.
What Are the Health Effects?
Second-hand smoke hurts everyone. Second-hand smoke contains the same 4,000+ chemicals that are inhaled by a smoker. At least 50 of the chemicals found in second-hand smoke are known to cause cancer. These chemicals contribute directly to diseases like asthma, heart disease and emphysema -- for smokers and non-smokers alike.
How Do I know if I Have a Problem?
If anyone is smoking in your car or home, you and your family are being exposed to second-hand smoke.
What Can I Do?
Protect your family from the health effects of second-hand smoke by making your home and car 100% smoke-free.
- No level of ventilation will eliminate the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. Opening a car or room window may cause the smoke to be blown directly back inside.
- Air fresheners only mask the smell of the smoke and do not reduce the harm in any way. Even air filters (air purifiers) cannot remove all of the cancer-causing agents.
Read More About Second-Hand Smoke
- Second-hand Smoke
- Second-hand Smoke and Children
- Make Your Home and Car Smoke-Free
- Go Smoke Free
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Keep Carbon Monoxide Out of Your Home
Carbon Monoxide – Simple Steps for Reducing Your Exposure to Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a harmful gas that has no colour, smell or taste.
CO forms whenever you burn fuel such as propane, natural gas, gasoline, oil, coal and wood. It is also contained in second-hand smoke. If furnaces, fireplaces, gas stoves or water heaters are improperly installed, or if they malfunction, they can release CO into your home.
What Are the Health Effects?
CO can cause health problems before people even notice that it is present.
When you breathe in CO, it reduces your body's ability to carry oxygen in the blood.
Even at low levels of exposure, CO can cause headaches and make you feel tired. The health effects at higher levels can be much more serious and can even lead to death.
How do I know if I Have a Problem?
CO can be detected only with a carbon monoxide detector.
What Can I Do?
- Maintenance is the key!
- There is no substitute for good maintenance of fuel-burning appliances because CO detectors may not detect low levels of CO that can, over time, have effects on your health.
- Make sure appliances such as furnaces, fireplaces, gas stoves and water heaters are well maintained and inspected by a professional at least once a year.
- Get a CO detector!
- Put at least one carbon monoxide (CO) detector in your home. A smoke alarm helps protect against fires, but will not warn you of potentially harmful carbon monoxide in your home. It is important that you have a carbon monoxide detector in your home as well as a smoke alarm.
- Install a Canadian Standards Association (CSA) certified CO detector with an audible alarm to warn you of high CO concentrations in your home. The most important place to install a detector is in hallways, outside of sleeping areas. Make sure to follow the manufacturer's suggestions on how to install and use the detector, and when it needs to be replaced. You can use a marker to remind yourself when it was installed and when it should be replaced.
- Leave it outside!
- Never use a barbecue indoors.
- Don't use kerosene or oil space heaters or lamps in enclosed areas unless they're specifically designed for indoor use.
- No idling indoors!
- Don't let vehicles idle in the garage, even when the garage door is open.
- Never run gas-powered lawnmowers, trimmers, snow blowers or other machines in the garage.
- Keep the door between your house and the garage closed.
Read More About Carbon Monoxide
Test Your Home for Radon
Radon is a gas that is produced naturally by the breakdown of uranium in the ground and can get into your home undetected. You can't see it, smell it, or taste it. In confined spaces like a house, radon can build up to high levels and over time become a health risk.
Almost every home in Canada has some radon, but concentrations vary from one house to another, even if they are next door to each other. The amount of radon in your home will depend on factors like the amount of uranium in the ground, the pathways available into your home (such as cracks in the foundation, crawl spaces and sump holes) as well as how your home is ventilated.
What Are The Health Effects?
Radon exposure increases your risk of developing lung cancer. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking.
The risk of cancer depends on the level of radon in your house, how long you are exposed and whether you smoke. Exposure to radon and tobacco use together can significantly increase your risk of lung cancer.
How Do I Know if I Have a Problem?
The ONLY way to know if you have a radon problem is to test your home. It is simple and inexpensive. Health Canada recommends using a long-term test device for a minimum of three months. The best time to test is between September and April when your windows are mostly closed.
Radon test devices are available from some home improvement retailers or can be ordered by phone or over the Internet. Radon testing can also be performed by a trained service provider.
What Can I Do?
If the radon level in your home is above the Canadian guideline of 200 becquerels/metre3, you need to fix it. The higher the radon level in your home, the sooner it needs to be fixed.
If your home tests above the guideline you should hire a certified radon professional to determine the best and most cost effective way to reduce the radon level in your home.
The most common radon reduction method is called sub-slab depressurization. With this solution a pipe is installed through the basement sub-flooring to an outside wall or up through to the roof line with a small fan attached which draws the radon from below the house to the outside before it can enter your home. This type of system can reduce the radon level in a home by over 90%.
Read More About Radon
Keep Humidity Levels in Your Home Down to Reduce the Risk of Mould
Mould – Simple Steps for Preventing and Removing Mould in Your Home
Mould is a type of fungus that comes in a variety of colours and can grow in damp areas inside your home. Mould grows where there is too much humidity from water leaks, cooking, showering, flooding, etc. It can grow on wood, paper, fabrics, drywall, insulation, inside walls or above ceiling tiles. When mould finds a damp place to grow, it can contribute to poor indoor air quality.
What Are the Health Effects?
People living in homes with mould and damp conditions are more likely to experience:
- Eye, nose and throat irritation
- Coughing and mucous build-up
- Wheezing and shortness of breath
- Worsening of asthma symptoms
- Other allergic reactions
How do I Know if I Have a Problem?
- Not all mould is obvious to detect, so it is important to check for the presence of mould anywhere that is damp, especially where water damage has occurred.
- Inspect your home for visible signs of mould or areas with excessive moisture. Look for stains or discolouration on floors, walls, window panes, fabrics and carpets or a musty "earthy" odour. If necessary, contact an expert for help.
What Can I Do?
- Prevent mould from growing by making sure you:
- Check for wet spots in your house, such as damp basements, leaking sinks, cold closets on exterior walls, etc.
- Repair any water leaks as soon as you notice them; clean up immediately after any flood.
- Use the exhaust fans when cooking or showering and check that your clothes dryer and range hood vent to the outdoors.
- Seal your tubs and sinks tightly.
- Throw out basement clutter.
- Measure humidity and keep it low, about 50% in summer and 30% in colder weather. If necessary, use a dehumidifier.
- If you discover mould:
- If the contaminated surface is small: clean the mould by yourself, by using water and dish detergent. There's no need to use bleach.
- If the affected area is large: take precautions to protect your health. In such a case, consider hiring a professional to clean it up.
- Fix the underlying cause, whether due to water damage or excessive humidity.
