A stifling air. A new survey published in the scientific journal European Respiratory Journal points to indoor pollution in retirement homes on a European scale. Clinical tests and measurements carried out in 50 establishments in various European countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Poland and Sweden) reveal that indoor air contains too many pollutants harmful to the body. lung health of hosts.
600 residents with an average age of 82 were interviewed for the purposes of the study. The concentration of five indoor pollutants was tested in the common rooms of retirement homes. Among the toxic sources observed, the researchers noted ultra-fine particles, formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide and even ozone.
These sneaky gases responsible for respiratory ailments (shortness of breath, cough or even chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) have been found almost everywhere in the indoor environment: cleaning products, heating devices, furniture or cooling system.
Ventilate more for better breathing
Are retirement homes more polluted than other homes? Negative, but the elderly are more at risk since they are more sedentary, go outdoors less and have more fragile health, says the study. “The body’s ability to process harmful pollutants in the air decreases with age,” confirms Isabella Annesi-Maesano, pulmonologist and epidemiologist at Inserm, taken up by Pourquoi doctor. Establishments should therefore be encouraged to better ventilate their interiors, in order to limit the presence of pollutants, the researchers point out.
Retirement homes are not the only ones affected by indoor pollution. Inserm has already warned about indoor pollution in classrooms, risk factors for asthma and rhinitis in children.
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