As a medical doctor and former rocket scientist, Anita Vandyke has a unique skillset. “I did a bachelor of aeronautical space engineering at the University of Sydney, and I worked literally with rockets and aircraft,” says Vandyke. “Then, as one does, I wanted to do further study, and the further study happened to be a very easy degree of medicine.”
To top it off, Vandyke is also a sustainability advocate and author of A Zero Waste Life. This broad experience helps her see how pollution and air quality affect not only the environment, but our physical and mental health too. “I’m a true believer that our external environment is a reflection of our internal environment,” says Vandyke. “If you have a home that is well ventilated, sunny, has good air and a clean, gentle and calm atmosphere, that’s going to really impact on your internal mental health.”
While adverse health effects from air pollution are worse for those with respiratory illnesses, everyone stands to benefit from good air in the home. “If you have a better quality of air, you can sleep better, you can breathe better, you can function better – particularly our patients [at the hospital] who have respiratory illnesses,” says Vandyke.
What to look for (and how to filter it)
While you can’t always see air pollution, there are a few indicators of quality to look out for. “One thing I suggest looking at is your windows and your doorways,” says Vandyke. “The film of what seems like dust is actually pollution that’s collecting there. That’s almost like a litmus test to say, ‘Oh, I really need to filter out what’s coming into my home.’”
This idea of filtration is one that Vandyke has seen first-hand. “I did a study during the [2019–2020] bushfires where the air quality was so poor that a lot of our patients who had asthma or other respiratory illnesses really couldn’t function,” says Vandyke. “They had to wear respiratory masks to help filter out the pollutants.”
That’s not to say you need to start masking up at home. Rather, an air purifier like the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde can make a huge difference. “It helps with allergies,” says Vandyke. “People who even have small allergies will notice a significant difference because it’s filtering out pollutants, dust and dust mites. It’s also filtering out potential health pollutants like bacteria and viruses in the air.”
Find the right temperature
Air temperature can also be a strong factor in our mental and physical wellbeing. “A good temperature allows you to function better, and we all have an optimal range from approximately 20 degrees to about 25 degrees,” says Vandyke. “If you’re sitting in the cold and you’re freezing, your survival mechanism is heightened because you’re trying to keep warm – so you’re not doing the important things of thinking laterally or thinking creatively or thinking in those higher functions.”
To maintain an optimal air temperature at home, Vandyke says that creating separate zones throughout the house by keeping internal doors closed is a smart idea. Insulation and blocking up drafts can also make a substantial difference. “Simple things, such as curtains, help keep the cool in and the heat in as well,” says Vandyke. Also, when it comes to temperature, the Dyson purifier acts as both a fan and a heater to maintain that consistent balance.
If nothing else, just opening a few windows and letting in some fresh air and sunlight can make a surprising difference. “Sunshine acts as a very good natural antiseptic,” says Vandyke. “Opening your windows and doors and allowing sunshine in regularly is a really good way to promote air flow and also to allow that air to transition throughout the house.”
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Dyson.
