All of the sniffling and sneezing attributed to seasonally elevated levels of pollen and other allergens might actually be due to a more year-round--and long-term--concern: poor indoor air quality.

The Environmental Protection Agency and its Science Advisory Board have labeled the quality of the air we breathe inside our homes a top-five environmental risk to public health. The EPA's publication, The inside story: A guide to indoor air quality, outlines the major sources and culprits, including carbon monoxide from poorly vented furnaces and other fuel-burning appliances and unchecked mold growth, and offers strategies for remediating them.