Journal 11: In the air, everywhere

One thing that everyone in a high school has in common is that we're all breathing the same air while we're there. Today I read research conducted by William W. Nazaroff and Charles J. Weschler on TACs, or Toxic Air Contaminants. TACs are airborne chemicals dangerous upon human inhalation and can be found in many cleaning agents as well as air fresheners. Many cleaning agents sold on the market also contain chemicals that can oxidize when airborne to create toxic byproducts. Hazardous byproducts are something that had never occurred to me previously; I assumed the most damage was done primarily by chemicals already present in cleaners. At this point I'm wondering if "natural" cleaners can create these byproducts in addition to wondering what the health effects of these products and byproducts are.

According to Nazaroff and Weschler, over 24 studies have been conducted and have concluded that there are adverse health effects of chemical products and their byproducts. This can vary based on factors like ventilation, emission dynamics, reactive chemistry, and sorptive interactions with building surfaces. No health effects were listed in the research report, but I was able to find out that cleaning products are a large contributor to regional photochemical smog. Regional photochemical smog is a smoky fog (hence the term "smog") also containing nitrogen oxides and chemical particles. Breathing this in is something I assume could result in a multitude of health problems. With my instincts telling me that smog isn't good to breathe in, I can only wonder if it at all attributes to the rising number of children and adults with asthma. So many kids I know carry inhalers and their lives are regularly affected by air quality and fear of asthma attacks. Could cutting down on TACs improve their wellbeing? How does photochemical smog created by cleaning agents affect asthmatic people? Which chemicals are the biggest attributers to this problem and are they in our school? Could introducing plants into the building or negative ion fans with air purifying qualities improve these conditions? This might be something I look into introducing and observing the effects of as the year moves forward.