fbpx
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
    • Get Home Delivery
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Customer Support
    • Submit A News Tip
    • Where’s My Paper?
  • Manage HV1 Account
Hudson Valley One
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
Hudson Valley One
No Result
View All Result

The Night Sky: Your home’s air 

by Bob Berman
June 17, 2022
in Columns
0

Now that June is here, we’re finally leaving windows open and breathing the best air of the year. Even if you live in a harmlessly small 24,000-people city like Kingston, the air inside your home is almost never as good as the air outside.

According to the government, we spend 90% of our lives indoors. Just how dangerous this is depend on such factors as what heating system we use, how “tight” the house is, whether we smoke, and whether out-gassing of things like formaldehyde is ongoing. The best heating systems from the standpoint of preserving indoor air quality use no oxygen from within the home for combustion and then vent all pollutants to the outside.

A portable kerosene heater fails on both counts, and causes a steady degradation in air quality. At the upper end of the scale are central heating systems, which can do everything right. The very best? Heat pumps, which are absolutely superb. 

Another major cause of indoor air pollution is outgassing of noxious chemicals, particularly formaldehyde, from household objects and new construction. Among the worst offenders are particleboard and chipboard found in shelving units, speaker systems and other pressed wood products and some synthetic carpets. Particleboard can release ten times more formaldehyde than exterior-grade plywood. When used as sub-flooring, pressed board gases emanate from the finished floor for months and even years. 

Another source of indoor air pollution are the molds, spores and bacteria caused by standing water or periodic wettings. A damp basement will breed these, and all carpets and rugs that directly contact concrete almost automatically retain dampness, which in turn usually generates biological problems. Air conditioners — good machines for alleviating dampness — can be the culprit themselves as they shelter pools of water. These are ideal places for microscopic pathogens to breed. Anytime you smell a moldy odor near an air-conditioner or humidifier, you should automatically open the unit (after unplugging it), clean it out with disinfectant and allow it to dry.

All indoor pollution problems are mitigated — or exacerbated — by the amount of ventilation in the house. Now in summer we generally don’t have to be concerned. And during the rest of the year the average home has a complete change of air each hour simply because houses leak, especially around windows and doors.

But in a “tight” energy-saving house like many frame homes less than 30 years old, it can take four or five hours for one air exchange and serious amounts of pollutants can accumulate. 

Since this is “The Night Sky” you might be interested to know that nocturnal outdoor air quality is almost always much better than the daytime version, an effect far more pronounced in large cities. Particulate matter from diesel engine trucks, buses and factories naturally soars during business hours and when commuters are most active. Moreover, tiny airborne water droplets whose presence is revealed by a milky sky color and whose intensity varies with humidity carry pollutants directly into your lungs, and this air is both drier and cleaner at night. You can see why that’s better than whatever’s circulating inside your home since, according to the EPA, 60,000 chemicals are now in common use, especially in construction materials like paint, polyurethane, cleaners, and glues. 

So, try to remember to frequently do what you’re already doing this month. Open the window.

Tags: members
Thank you for reading Hudson Valley One. We rely on your support to continue providing local, substantive news. Please check out our subscription options to keep local journalism alive in the Hudson Valley.
- Geddy Sveikauskas, Publisher
Previous Post

NPHS students cover “Night in a Day”

Next Post

Solar cooking demonstration at SUNY New Paltz 

Bob Berman

Bob Berman, Ulster Publishing’s Night Sky columnist since 1974, is the world’s most widely read astronomer. Since the mid-1990s, his celebrated "Strange Universe" feature has appeared monthly in Astronomy magazine, the largest circulation periodical on the subject. Berman is also the long-time astronomy editor of the Old Farmer’s Almanac. He was Discover magazine’s monthly columnist from 1989-2006. He has authored more than a thousand published mass-market articles and been a guest on such TV shows as Today and Late Night with David Letterman. Berman is director of two Ulster County observatories and the Storm King Observatory at Cornwall. He was adjunct professor of astronomy and physics at Marymount college from 1995-2000.

Related Posts

Waghkonk notes: Springing into summer
Columns

Waghkonk notes: Springing into summer

June 24, 2022
Susan Slotnick: Aging
Columns

Susan Slotnick: Aging

June 17, 2022
What the newspapers said 100 years ago
Columns

What the newspapers said 100 years ago

June 10, 2022
The Night Sky: The full moon and the enormous black hole
Columns

The Night Sky: The full moon and the enormous black hole

June 8, 2022
Walkabout: Messing about in boats
Columns

Walkabout: Messing about in boats

June 6, 2022
The Night Sky: The Crab Behind the Sun 
Columns

The Night Sky: The Crab Behind the Sun 

May 27, 2022
Next Post
Solar cooking demonstration at SUNY New Paltz 

Solar cooking demonstration at SUNY New Paltz 

Please login to join discussion

Trending News

  • SUV drives into Sunflower Market in Woodstock 13.3k views
  • Homeless in Woodstock doc draws crowd as officials seek answers 1.2k views
  • AutoCamp Catskills brings fleet of Airstreams to former Saugerties KOA 1.1k views
  • Small freedom convoy makes its way through the streets of Saugerties  1k views
  • Saugerties highway department saving with oil and chip road surfacing 715 views







Latest HV1 Podcast

Weather

Kingston
◉
61°
Sunny
5:22am8:35pm EDT
Feels like: 61°F
Wind: 1mph ENE
Humidity: 92%
Pressure: 30.11"Hg
UV index: 0
MonTueWed
81/55°F
79/54°F
84/57°F
Weather forecast Kingston, New York ▸

Ulster County COVID-19 Active Cases

Subscribe

Independent. Local. Substantive. Subscribe now.

×
You have free article(s) remaining. Subscribe for unlimited access.
View Subscription Offers Sign In
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
  • Manage HV1 Account

© 2022 Ulster Publishing

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Contact Us
    • Customer Support
    • Advertise
    • Submit A News Tip
  • Print Edition
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
    • Where’s My Paper
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Log In

© 2022 Ulster Publishing