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Indoor environment quality

The air inside your home, and what it does to your body

Americans spend about 90 percent of their time indoors, on average, the EPA says. Damp, mold, smoke and stale air all reach your airways first. Here is what the research says about indoor air and inflammation, graded, and what you can do about it this week. Source: EPA: Indoor Air Quality

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Illustrative photo · Sam Lion / Pexels

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A woman in a pink T-shirt sits in tall green grass in a park, eyes closed and face lifted, breathing in the fresh air.“Damp, Moldy Homes Are Linked to Asthma and Breathing Problems”Evidence: Moderate
Deep diveIndoor Environment

Can Mold Cause Inflammation? What a Damp, Moldy Home Does to Your Health

Can mold cause inflammation? In your airways, the research is solid. In the rest of your body, it is early. Here is what living with damp and mold does to breathing, sleep, mood and everyday life, graded claim by claim.

The 7-part series: Mold, inflammation and your home

One part every 2 days. Get each one by email the day it is ready.

  1. Part 1What mold does inside your bodyComing Nov 5
  2. Part 2The symptoms that point to your homeComing Nov 7
  3. Part 3Where mold hides, and how to checkComing Nov 9
  4. Part 4The humidity number that mattersComing Nov 11
  5. Part 5Does removing mold help?Coming Nov 13
  6. Part 6Do air purifiers lower inflammation?Coming Nov 15
  7. Part 7Do houseplants clean the air? Plus your planComing Nov 17

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Does Vaping Cause Inflammation? How It Compares With Smoking, and What Quitting Does

Does vaping cause inflammation? People who vape carry more inflammation signals than people who never smoked, but fewer than smokers. Here is what the studies can and can't tell you yet.

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Do Microplastics Cause Inflammation? What Lab Studies Show, and What They Can't Tell Us Yet

Lab and animal studies keep finding signs of gut inflammation from tiny plastic bits. A new map of 90 of those studies shows why that still doesn't tell us much about people.

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Does Smoking Cause Inflammation? And How Fast It Calms Down After You Quit

Does smoking cause inflammation in the body? Smokers carry more of the body's alarm signals, and genetic studies point at the cigarettes. Quitting turns some of them down within a year. Others take far longer.