This is an important topic but one that I suspect is often overlooked mainly because we normally can’t see air pollution but sometimes we can smell it. If polluted air was coloured pink, we would see it and take action. It would be a very shocking revelation but when things are invisible, we don’t think they are there. The human is very visually orientated and often assesses things by what they see which misleads in respect of air pollution.
More: Feline Diabetes caused by fire-retardants in carpets, curtains and upholstery
I was propelled into writing about this topic by an article in The Times today about the decrease in air pollution in China which added years to the lifespan of Chinese citizens. And when I read that kind of story I always think about our companion animals because they breathe the same air as we do and they have very similar anatomy and physiology to us. When there is a study about air pollution or anything else affecting our health, it is highly likely thatour cat companions will be impacted in the same way.
China
In 2010 and 2014 because of environmental protest about the air quality, the Chinese government began a war on pollution to clear the air of smog. They restricted car use in Beijing and mandated that coal power stations switch to gas. Incidentally, the coal that China burns often comes from Australia and so Australia is contributing to global warming which is ironic seeing as the Great Barrier Reef, one of Australia’s wonderfully iconic artefacts of the natural world is dying before their eyes becoming bleached white.
Anyway, that’s a different topic but researchers at the University of Chicago found that the Chinese policies to cut air pollution had resulted in a 41% drop between 2013 and 2022 which extended the life expectancy of China’s 1.4 billion people by an average of two years. The life expectancy of Beijing residents was increased by 3.9 years.
The particles pumped into the atmosphere by car exhausts and power stations remain one of the biggest threats to human health and, by extension, the health of companion animals and other animals particularly those living in the urban environment.
Air pollution increases the risk of respiratory infections, strokes, heart disease and lung cancer in humans and I would argue in pets to a certain extent even those kept indoors full-time and they knock off many more years of life expectancy than other threats.
In Britain, citizens are exposed to about 8.3 µg of air pollution per cubic metre which is far lower than the global average of 24.2 µg but higher than the recommended level by WHO which is at 5 mcg/m³ of air. If Britain could attain that threshold it would add 0.3 years to the life expectancy of the citizens of the UK.
Full-time indoor cats
You might think that full-time indoor cats are immune to air pollution but you’d be wrong sadly. Firstly, there are products used inside the home which can pollute the air such as woodburning stoves, fire retardants, carpet-protecting chemicals and air fresheners and other sprays. And if the cat owner keeps the windows closed in order to reduce the ingress of polluted air from the outside, they will be polluting the air from the inside where it will be trapped.
Indoor air versus outdoor air
My research indicates that if a cat owner lives in an area of high pollution such as the urban environment in one of the country’s big cities, the air quality inside the home is likely to be better than outside but still potentially poor depending on several factors.
Some considerations would be ventilation and air exchange. Homes that are well sealed with limited ventilation i.e. close windows and doors can reduce the amount of outdoor air pollution entering the home but air that does enter can be trapped and also as mentioned above, volatile organic compounds from cleaning products or offgassing from furniture can pollute the inside air where it becomes trapped.
Homes with poor sealing or high ventilation through open windows or air conditioning may allow more outdoor pollutants like particulate matter (PM 2.5, PM 10), nitrogen dioxide (N02), and ozone (O3) to enter, leading to similar air quality inside the home as outside.
Air filtration is an issue and those homes equipped with high efficiency particulate air filters or air purifiers can reduce particular matter and some gases which improves indoor air quality and it should improve the health of companion animals particularly those living inside full-time.
Without proper air filtration, small particles and gases from outdoor pollution can ingress into the home especially during peak periods of pollution outside.
Building materials
Some building materials can contribute to indoor air pollution because they can release chemicals like formaldehyde into the air. And of course, we have to include smoking cigarettes and vaping for example. In addition, there is burning candles or incense sticks and cooking. Further, we can have woodburning stoves which are known to be very heavily polluting. All of these can worsen indoor air quality sometimes making it worse inside the home than outside.
More: 7 cats at sanctuary fatally poisoned overnight because e-cigarette was left out by guest
Time of day and pollution levels
As expected, outdoor pollution varies depending upon the time of day. This might mean that cat owners consider opening and closing the windows at certain times of the day to minimise indoor air pollution. Certainly, windows should not be open during periods of high outdoor pollution and then closed in the evening. That would only serve to trap outdoor pollutants inside the home.
Perhaps the best advice here is to keep the windows closed and use an air purifier. If air is brought in from the outside I would argue that it should be filtered.
I’m referring here to air conditioning and heating systems that bring in fresh air and if those systems don’t have proper filtration they can cause bad indoor air quality.
Systems which recirculate indoor air combined with an effective filtration system can maintain better air quality indoors.
Cars
Just a quick note on cars because sometimes pets are taken in cars. The inside air of a car can be heavily polluted and indeed be more polluted than the air outside. This is because when driving in traffic vehicles can suck in exhaust fumes from other cars especially from the vehicle directly in front. These pollutants would be nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter, which means very small particles (PM 2.5). These particles and pollutants can accumulate inside the car leading to higher concentrations then outside.
The relatively small enclosed base of the interior of a car can cause pollutants to become more concentrated compared to the outside where pollutants can be dispersed.
Many drivers use the air conditioning and air recirculation mode in their vehicles especially in hot or cold weather. If the air inside the vehicle is already polluted then recirculating it has no benefit. In fact it might make things worse.
Some cars are fitted with cabin air filtration systems designed to reduce the amount of pollutants entering the vehicle but they are not always effective especially for ultrafine particles and gases.
Old air filters or inadequate air filters may not be effective in blocking pollutants which would lead to higher concentrations of polluted air inside the car.
Air pollution inside a vehicle might spike to the highest levels when driving in tunnels, underpasses or congested urban areas. Stop and go traffic and exacerbate the problem as cars idle and emitting pollutants which can easily enter the vehicle.
Ways to reduce in car pollution
Use fresh air intake when driving in less polluted areas instead of recirculating the air to reduce the buildup of pollutants inside the car. This means you allow the air to come into the car and pass out of the car using one of the dashboard controls. When driving in a heavily polluted area then the air should be shut down from the outside.
The advice is to consider using high quality cabin air filters that are specifically designed to filter out finer particles and pollutants.
In heavy traffic window should be closed for commonsense reasons.
And open the windows before starting your journey especially if the car has been sitting idle for a while to allow fresh air to circulate.
