Why is it important to protect babies from poor indoor air quality?

Reminder : the organism of a young child, a baby, is in full development and very fragile during this period.

During the development of their respiratory system, children breathe almost three times faster than adults, especially until the age of 2.

Compared to an adult, an infant absorbs a much greater quantity of pollutants and allergens, in relation to its weight.

Since his immune system is immature, it is important to prevent it from becoming saturated and developing allergies or asthma. The baby's brain itself is still developing and fragile.

According to the Executive Director of UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, not only do pollutants damage children's lungs, but the substances are also able to pass through the protective barriers of the brain and irreparably damage a child's brain development, compromising their future.

According to UNICEF's advice, indoor air quality is the leading cause of pollution-related deaths in children under 5 in Europe. Of the 4,000 deaths identified, 3,000 are believed to be related to indoor pollution.

If, in addition, the child is a little sensitive, purifying the air inside his room allows his body to rest from daily aggressions and to preserve his health.

1) L'importance de la qualité de l'air intérieur

On the one hand, the baby spends most of his time inside a room, between his room at home and the nursery, that is to say in general more than 80%. Moreover, a baby breathes about 40 times a minute, an adult 16 times a minute.

Lastly, the indoor air in a room is up to 8 times more polluted than the outdoor air. The outdoor pollution enters and is confined while the inhabitants produce their own pollutants.

Poor air quality leads to symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, nose, throat and skin irritation. It can also cause dizziness, asthma and allergic reactions.

Scientific studies have well established the links between air quality and lung cancer, stroke and heart attacks.

The latest studies are very worrying. They hypothesize that fine particles compromise the development of the fetal brain, even when regulatory limits are respected. 

The journal Biological Psychatry shows in a study carried out in Holland a link between fine particles and the delay in cognitive development.

2) The air purifier's quality

An air purifier is a device that filters the ambient air thanks to a set of high performance filters :

• An anti-microbial pre-filter that catches larger particles and protects the ultra fine medical grade filter system. 
• A medical grade HEPA filter that captures fine PM 2.5 particles.
• An activated carbon filter that adsorbs volatile organic compounds, gases and odors.

Then the purifier sends back into the room a purified air free of any pollutant. It thus cleans the baby's environment. The air purifier must be silent, easy to maintain, economical to use and have a night mode.

Its price should be as adjusted as possible, as well as the price of replacement filters.

It can also have, if necessary, a humidifier to maintain also a good humidity in the room.

Ideally, the humidity level should be between 40% and 60%. There are several types of humidifiers, but opinions are unanimous in recommending a cold steam humidifier with a water tank of at least one liter. (*) This device will be useful in the room if this humidity level is not met.

The purifier is easy to install in any room, its price is low and it is a product that does not require any special layout.

3) What to avoid ? 

All products that emit volatile organic compounds or fine particles should be avoided.

• Candles that release fine particles into the room and possibly VOCs, air fresheners and aerosols that produce volatile organic compounds.
• Devices such as essential oil diffusers,
• Cleaning products that contain allergens and toxic products.

In general, any product that diffuses in the form of smoke, vapour or gas in the room where the child is standing.

During the April 2019 Savoir Sport Santé conference on respiratory pathologies at which the AIR ET SANTE company was attending was discussed by doctors and professors the so-called "pregnant woman syndrome."

1. The mother-to-be stops smoking, it's perfect. 
2. Parents paint the nursery : This is very wrong, the paints emit harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
3. Parents buy new furniture for the baby's room: This is not good because the varnishes and paints found in many industrial furniture produce volatile organic compounds. 
4. Parents install scented candles and other diffusers : this is very harmful, they will diffuse fine particles into the atmosphere.

In conclusion, by preparing the arrival of their child, parents create in spite of themselves a noxious environment for their child while he is during the first months of his existence particularly fragile and sensitive to the quality of the indoor air.

It is possible to protect one's baby by avoiding adding pollutants such as formaldehyde and fine particles and by cleaning the indoor air. An indoor air purifier, equipped with a humidifier, will have this function.

The purifier is a device that can be easily used in any room. Thanks to the humidifier, it can maintain the humidity level necessary for the well-being of the baby.

The hygiene of the room or the bedroom is thus guaranteed, making the best devices allies to protect the health of the babies.

The air purifier will thus protect the baby during the day but also at night, while he sleeps, in both summer and winter.

AIR ET SANTÉ has developed a range of devices with a sober design, in white, which will easily find their place in all the rooms of your house.

(*) A&S 200 Medium, air purifier and humidifier perfectly suited for babies with a water tank of more than one liter.

To discover more on :

• The baby's humidifier