Sustainable Household Inventory: Identifying Indoor Air Pollution Risks

Abstract

SCI 225 Module 8 Lab: taking a sustainable household inventory >>> NOTE: this lab was designed as an application of knowledge activity -- to complete AFTER you finish your module ebook readings, watch your module video clips, and learn your module unit content! You will need that information to complete this lab activity! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lab Purpose: This lab is designed to reinforce your skills of critical thinking, inquiry, application of knowledge, and synthesis of information. READ this handout carefully and follow ALL instructions. You will be completing a lab procedure, collecting data, analyzing your data, making conclusions, and addressing critical thinking questions in your lab write-up. For Module 8, you will be focusing on taking a sustainable household inventory where you live. Once you have completed this lab, you will understand the nature of science as a process, how to design an effective experiment, how to develop and test a hypothesis and how to apply the scientific method to your daily activities and life. Lab Background and Summary: Most of us think of air pollution as something caused solely by big industry like factories, power plants, transportation, or agriculture. However, as it turns out, a lot of the direct air pollution we get subjected to on a daily basis comes from our own household interiors! From chemically treated carpets and upholstery, to harsh cleaners, to toxic mold and dust, to airborne diffusers with fragrance, to air fresheners -- our homes are packed with an array of deadly chemicals that we expose ourselves to all the time! In a one-off exposure, none of these items would kill us. However, absorbing, inhaling, and ingesting these chemicals every day throughout our lifetime can lead to definitive health issues. Go to the following websites and READ these short articles on environmental health, pollution, and household safety: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/household-products-make-surprisingly-large-contributions-air-pollution https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.0c05727 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S[phone]06704X Lab Procedure: [1] Inventory Mapping: After learning about the connections between household environments and air pollution from reading all the above-linked articles. Think about YOUR household and take an inventory of EACH room. Map...