Indoor Air Pollution

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an important gas that helps support life on Earth. Plants and algae use CO2 and sunlight to create nutrients for growth. However, since the industrial revolution, CO2 levels have increased beyond the range humans evolved to handle. This means we are now dealing with higher CO2 levels than our bodies are used to. Long-term or short-term exposure to high CO2 can lead to problems like trouble thinking clearly, headaches, dizziness, tiredness,  irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, and over extended periods of time, even cancer.

Particulate matter (PM) refers to tiny particles floating in the air. They are commonly measured as PM10 and PM2.5, with PM10 being particles larger than 10 microns and PM2.5 being smaller than 2.5 microns. Breathing in these particles can harm your health, especially affecting the lungs. PM exposure can cause problems like eye irritation, breathing issues, long-term lung diseases, and even cancer.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are chemicals that easily turn into gases. They come from sources like cars, factories, household products, burning fuels, furniture coatings, and cooking oils. One of the most common indoor VOCs is formaldehyde, which algae (and our products) are very good at removing from indoor air. VOCs can harm human health by interacting with important processes in the body, causing cellular damage. This can lead to many of the same health issues caused by particulate matter exposure.

Carbon monoxide is well known as a fatal pollutant. In small levels its impacts can lead to chronic and devastating impacts. At high levels it can lead to death. CO's lethality is due to its interaction with hemoglobin - the protein responsible for transporting essential oxygen to the tissues of our body. It is well known that algae can convert CO to CO2 (which it can then use for photosynthesis) by oxidizing CO to CO2. Thus, evidence demonstrates that algae can be a powerful tool for mitigating some harmful effects of CO as a pollutant.