Is Extreme Heat is Quietly Making Your Indoor Air Toxic? Simple Steps To Improve Air Quality

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New Delhi: When we think of air pollution, the image that typically comes to mind is thick smog settling over cities during the colder winter months. Year-end pollution often prompts individuals to invest in air purifiers to ensure safer indoor air quality. Yet,people overlook an equally significant problem—how heatwaves during peak summer months impact indoor air quality in ways we may not even realise.

As India approaches the peak of summer, heatwaves are projected to strike various cities across the country.Delhi has already seen its hottest April in recent years, with temperatures breaching 40°C across multiple areas. Furthermore, during such spells, the World Health Organisation’s safe limits for PM10 and PM2.5 are regularly breached. 

While most people associate heat waveswith outdoor discomfort, few realise that extreme heat can quietly degrade indoor air quality. Rising temperatures can accelerate the release of pollutants from household materials and reduce ventilation efficiency,turning homes into heat traps filled with polluted air.  On the one hand, we seek refuge indoors to escape the heat, but on the other, we may not even be safe within our own homes from harmful pollutants.

Bradley Fishwick, Design Engineer at Dyson, shares with us his insights into how high temperaturesaffect air quality, along with quality tips to maintain healthy indoor AQI during the summer.

The Hotter It Gets, The More Toxic It May Become

Extreme heat may raise the levels of airborne toxins inside homes. One of the biggest contributors is volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including formaldehyde, a colourless gas emitted by many everyday household items.

Furniture and wooden products containing formaldehyde-based resins, such as plywood and fiberboard, insulating materials, paints, wallpapers, varnishes, and household cleaning products, are all potential sources of this harmful gas. The hotter it gets, the faster these pollutants are released, degrading indoor air quality in ways that often go unnoticed due tothe lack of visible cues associated with outdoor pollution.

This makes it imperative to address indoor air pollution and find effective ways to mitigate the risk associated with prolonged exposure to harmful pollutants like formaldehyde.

Indoor air can be worse than outdoor air

It’s a common misconception that the air quality indoors is always safer compared to outdoor pollution.In reality, indoor air can be up to 5 times worse than the air outdoors. 

Pollutants are generated indoors through day-to-day activities, enter the house from outside andare emitted from surfaces.During heat waves, these pollutants chemically react at faster rates due to rising temperatures. As a result, our homes, sealed tight to keep out the heat, actually trap pollutants inside, forming a concentrated cocktail of harmful air.

Air purifiers: A probable solution forVOCs and Summer Pollution

As pollution levels rise during summer, especially with the increase in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), investing in a high-quality air purifier becomes essential. While many purifiers remove common pollutants, not all are equipped to tackle harmful gases like formaldehyde. Advanced air purifiers with HEPA and activated carbon filtration can capture 99.95% of particles as small as 0.1 microns, including VOCs and allergens. By targeting both airborne particles and chemical pollutants, these purifiers create a cleaner, healthier indoor environment—especially important for those with allergies.

Simple Steps to Enhance Indoor Air Quality

In addition to using an air purifier, here are some steps you can take to maintain better air quality during extreme heat:

• Use natural cleaning products: Reduce VOC emissions by switching to eco-friendly cleaning supplies for your kitchen, bathroom, and furniture.

• Vacuum regularly: Dust stirred up from sofas and cushions can linger in the air for hours. Regular vacuuming minimises particulate pollution indoors.

• Stay hydrated: A well-hydrated body copes better with high temperatures and respiratory irritants. Drink at least two litres of water daily and avoid dehydrating beverages like caffeine and alcohol.

Heatwaves don’t just affect outdoor air quality—they cause silent degradation of indoor air quality by amplifying the presence of harmful pollutants like VOCs.

Rising temperatures inside our homes disrupt the air we breathe, turning living spaces into zones of invisible pollution. Air purifier offers combined advanced filtration with cooling airflow technology to redefine indoor air quality during peak summer conditions. It's time to prioritise the air you breathe, even during summer, and the time to act is now.