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Indoor air quality is directly linked to outdoor air quality. Studies
in Outdoor woodsmoke finds it's way into our buildings and homes. It seeps in through open windows, flywire screens, and open doors with screens or not. The particles of wood smoke are so fine they find cracks around closed windows and around doors. Smoke comes down chimneys and in through exhaust vents. It gets into ceilings and under ventilated floors. And when it comes in it stays in and is breathed by you and me. It then attaches itself to carpets, bedding, and any other soft furnishings causing problems for unsuspecting children or adults that come in contact with these items. In buildings smoke is drawn straight in through air conditioning ducts along with the percentage make-up of fresh air which is required by law. The filter system in a building will not remove any of the fine particles of smoke unless the building is equipped with Hepa absolute type filters (99.9%) and these are usually only found in hospital theatres, or where similar ultra clean air is required. These filters are very costly to instal and maintain. In Australia it was found that in 1997, 96% of people's time was spent in enclosed environments, and only 4% outdoors. In Tasmania in 1995, 80% of building occupants studied suffered fatigue,
nausea, dizziness and sore throats. When ambient woodsmoke levels are really bad, indoor air can become particularly
hazardous. Indoor pollutants can come from a number of sources as well as from outdoors. Our Director of Public and Environmental Health (Dr. Roscoe Taylor) should not be telling us to take refuge in these buildings.
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