Air fresheners, joss sticks, deodorants – and other killers in our midst

A new report says a wide range of household items act as pollutants in our homes. So, how can we improve the quality of the air we breathe?

Lemon and pine air fresheners. Solvents seeping slowly from plastics, paints and furnishings. Composite wood furniture and fittings, household cleaning products and DIY sealants and fillers. Foam insulation, insecticides, scanners, joss sticks, open fires, deodorants, dust mites, mould and dander from dogs and cats.

These are some of the bewildering range of apparently innocuous household objects - and animals - that may be killing us indoors, according to a new report from the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Heath.