Pollution Free Home, Car & Office

Indians spend the large majority of their time indoors, which means indoor air quality often matters more to total exposure than outdoor air does.

At home

Ventilate while cooking - this is the big one. Damp and mould need fixing rather than painting over; mould is a genuine trigger for asthma and allergy. Vacuum and wet-mop rather than dry-sweeping, which lifts dust into the air. Ventilate after painting or bringing in new furniture, both of which release volatile organic compounds for weeks.

And do not burn things indoors casually - mosquito coils in particular produce substantial particulate matter in an enclosed room.

In the car

In heavy traffic, close the windows and set the ventilation to recirculate; in-cabin pollution in slow traffic is often higher than at the roadside. Change the cabin filter at the interval the manual specifies, which almost nobody does.

At the office

Air conditioning does not filter fine particulates unless it has been specified to. Sealed buildings with poor ventilation accumulate carbon dioxide, which measurably degrades concentration well before anyone feels unwell.

The cheapest air quality intervention in most Indian homes is opening a window at the right time of day, and closing it at the wrong one.