Skin Contributes To Cleaner Air

Say what? It’s true-even if you haven’t quite got on board with the green movement, you can feel free to boast about how you’re contributing to a healthier indoor environment every day without even trying. According to new research, shedding your skin, which is something everyone is always doing, is helping to reduce indoor pollution.

We all shed anywhere from 0.0001 to 0.0003 ounces of skin flakes every hour, eventually shedding our entire outer layer of skin every two to four weeks. It is known that skin flakes are a major component of household dust (I know-ew!) but it’s the squalene, an oil found in those skin flakes that is most beneficial to reducing indoor pollution. Squalene helps reduce ozone levels, which contribute to eye, ear and throat irritation, as well as increased asthma symptoms.

In a study conducted in conjunction with the Danish Indoor Environment and Children’s Health Study, researchers analyzed samples of dust from 500 bedrooms of children ages three to five years old, as well as 151 daycare centers located in and around Odense, Denmark. They determined that squalene levels found in settled dust, comprised primarily of skin, helped reduce indoor ozone levels 2 to 15 percent.

I guess it’s now safe to say we’re all doing our part to help the environment!