Is the air you're breathing really safe? This teddy bear can help you tell

pulse

January 24, 2018 2:08 PM

This cutie has a sensor in his nose to sniff out contaminated air. (If his chest glows red? Danger. Blue? All clear.)

Because the health effects of dirty air are anything but adorable.

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He was created by the filter company Filtrete to raise awareness about indoor air quality—which can be five times worse than outside, per the EPA. And it can impact energy, mood, and productivity, says Joseph Allen, director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard. Separate studies have linked it to depression.

What really makes us want to cry into a teddy bear: The standards for indoor air are much lower than needed for a healthy environment. For one, they're not government-regulated.

"It's the baseline for 'acceptable' air, when it should be aiming for 'healthy,'" says Allen, who found workers' cognitive function doubled in buildings with optimized air quality.

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For relief, open a window. If that's not an option, ask your landlord or HR to assist. Crickets? An air quality monitor will alert you if the situation is bad enough to warrant buying an air filter. Try Speck ($149, specksensor.com).

This article originally appeared in the January/February 2018 issue of Women's Health. For more great advice,pick up a copy of the issue on newsstands now!

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