WHAT ARE THEY?

Combustion pollutants are gases or particles that come from burning materials in cigarettes, stoves, heaters, fireplaces and chimneys. After secondhand smoke, the major combustion pollutants present in homes and offices are carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide.

WHAT CAN THEY DO?

Secondhand smoke is a mixture of over 4,000 compounds, more than 40 of which are known to cause cancer in humans and animals. Cigarette smoke can also contain high levels of carbon monoxide, as well as 200 other known poisons. Exposure to secondhand smoke causes eye, nose, and throat irritation. It may affect the cardiovascular system. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk of pneumonia, bronchitis, and ear infections. The EPA estimates that thousands of children develop asthma every year due to exposure to secondhand smoke.

Exposure to carbon monoxide reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen. Breathing low levels of carbon monoxide can cause fatigue and increase chest pain in people with heart disease. Breathing higher levels causes flu-like symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and weakness. It can also cause sleepiness, consciousness and death. Particles, released when fuels are incompletely burned, can lodge in the lungs and damage lung tissue. A number of pollutants, including radon, which can cause cancer, attach to these small particles that are inhaled and carried deep into the lungs.

WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT THEM

1. Do not allow smoking in your home.
2. Install and use exhaust fans over cooking stoves and keep the burners properly adjusted.
3. Open flues when gas fireplaces are in use.
4. Have a trained professional inspect, clean, and tune up the central heating system.
5. Use only the proper fuel in kerosene heaters.
6. Install carbon monoxide detectors.
7. Buy an air purifier. It will capture and destroy the gases, particles, and odors of combustion pollutants.