People spend about 90 percent of their time indoors where air pollution levels are typically 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor levels. The primary sources of this pollution are furnishings and building materials as well as everyday processes like cleaning and cooking. These products and activities can release thousands of potentially harmful pollutants, primarily volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and respirable particles, into the air. Breathing these pollutants can affect human health and has been linked to a variety of health problems, including allergies, asthma, cardiovascular disease, learning disabilities, reproductive disorders and some forms of cancer.  

While indoor air quality affects everyone, children are especially at risk. This is because their immune and neurological systems are still developing. Additionally, they breathe through their mouths more so than adults, which means particles cannot get filtered by their noses, and they breathe in a greater volume of air relative to their body mass.  These factors combine to create more susceptibility to air pollutants for the same amount of exposure. In order to ensure the best possible health for children, it is vital to limit their exposure to chemicals in homes, schools and other indoor environments where they spend significant amounts of time. For more about children’s health and indoor air quality click here.

To keep indoor air clean, materials and products, which release the fewest possible pollutants into the air, should be selected and used. By using products bearing the GREENGUARD Certified mark, consumers can rest easy knowing these products have been tested by an independent, third-party organization to meet some of the most rigorous indoor air quality standards in the world. Products are screened for over 10,000 chemicals and are re-tested annually to ensure continued compliance.