Let’s face it. Potentially harmful chemicals are all around us, especially inside our homes. The Environmental Protection Agency tells us that the air inside our homes may be up to five times dirtier than the air outside, regardless of whether we live in a downtown apartment or a rural farm house.

Now, researchers from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore have found that infants are at far more risk from pollutants in the air they breathe than they are from their mothers’ breast milk. After analyzing milk samples from three nursing mothers researchers concluded that chemical exposure levels in the air infants breathe can be more than 25-fold higher than the exposure they get from their mothers’ breastmilk.

This study focused mainly on a group of chemicals known as VOCs or volatile organic compounds. VOCs are gases that are emitted from building materials, computer printers, cleaning supplies and other common household items. Some of the most common VOCs are benzene, formaldehyde and toluene.

Many VOCs pose no known health risk. Others can cause headache, nausea, eye irritation and even damage to internal organs and the nervous system.

If you’re concerned about your child’s exposure to potentially harmful chemicals, you can reduce the number of volatile organic compounds in your home by buying and installing HEPA-grade air filters with carbon pre-filters. Not all HEPA filters can remove volatile organic compounds so be sure to check the packaging before you buy. Better yet, ask your child’s doctor for a recommendation.

Another way to effectively reduce VOC levels in your home is to air your home on occasion. Just by opening your windows a few minutes every day, you can significantly reduce the pollution level in your home.