Did you know that the air inside your house is probably more polluted than the air outside? Though we think of our houses as places of safety and refuge, they may be falling short of this expectation.

Gasses, chemicals, and toxins given off by building materials, cleaning products, molds, and other pollutants may put our health in jeopardy or at best make our homes less comfortable. Some of the primary offenders include asbestos, lead, radon, airborne dust and chemicals, and water pollutants.

Ironically, with today’s high-tech windows, weather-stripping, insulation, and other energy savers, our houses don‘t “breathe” as well as do older, drafty homes. As a result, a residual buildup of indoor air pollutants can occur.

Ventilation can solve many air-pollution issues, but it’s tricky to ventilate rooms without wasting energy. Heat-recovery ventilators can ventilate a house without wasting energy, but they work only in certain situations and are an expensive solution if the problems are minor.

Concentrated radon, a radioactive gas that is emitted by bedrock in many regions, is a serious health concern. If testing has revealed that your home’s radon levels exceed the EPA’s recommended maximum levels, seek mitigation. You can begin by increasing ventilation, and you may even want to consider a heat recovery ventilator, but this is not a reliable long-term solution. Mitigation means blocking the rise of radon gas into your living spaces, diluting levels of the gas, and expelling the gas outdoors. For more information, call the National Radon Hotline at (800) SOS-RADON.

Asbestos fibers, when airborne, can be a serious health risk. Although building materials containing asbestos were phased out in 1986, many homes built before that date have heating ductwork, pipe wraps, artificial fireplace logs, siding, resilient flooring, and sprayed acoustical ceiling materials that include asbestos. In many cases, asbestos can be left alone or covered over if the material isn’t flaking or crumbling, but some types—notably ductwork—should be removed because air blowing through ducts can loosen and carry the fibers throughout the house.

Of course, there are many other types of airborne pollutants, from cigarette smoke to pet dander to molds. To deal with these, you can get either a whole-house or room-size air cleaner.

Lead poisoning is a serious hazard for everyone; children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to its effects. Though lead was outlawed as an ingredient in paint in 1978, lead is found in older paint, plumbing, and the solder used to join pipes. Before sanding, scraping, or stripping old paint, test it for lead. (You can buy a simple test kit at home improvement centers.) For more information about dealing with lead, contact the National Lead Information Center at (800) 424-5323.

Lead and other pollutants can be removed from water by using appropriate water treatment devices. As with air cleaners, several different types are made; the right one to choose will depend on what you want to remove from the water.

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