Air Quality Assessment Speech Outline

The Air We Breathe: The Importance of Indoor Air Quality
INTRODUCTION
Attention Getter: Did you know we spend as much as 90 percent of our time indoors, including the time spent sleeping, working, or going to school? (source: Canadian Lung Association, 2017)
Purpose: The purpose of this speech is to educate the audience about the short and long term effects of poor indoor air quality, and the persuade the audience to take steps to improve the air we breathe.
Thesis: Indoor air quality has a direct impact on short-term and long-term health and wellbeing.
Transition: Now I am going to talk about the effects of poor air quality, the causes of bad indoor air, and also what you can do to improve indoor air quality.
BODY
Main Point 1: The effects of poor indoor air quality include both short term effects like irritation and headache, and also long term effects like cancer or heart disease.
Subpoint 1: Short term effects of poor indoor air quality include ear, nose, and throat problems, headache, fatigue, and dizziness (EPA, 2017).
Subpoint 2: Long term effects of poor indoor air quality include respiratory disease, heart disease, and some types of cancer.
Subpoint 3: Most people notice that spending time outdoors might alleviate these effects, but if they persist, it could mean that the problems are related to things other than indoor air quality (Canadian Lung Association, 2017).
Transition: You know indoor air can be dangerous, now I will tell you why.
Main Point 2: The primary contaminants indoors include chemicals, dust, and mold.
Subpoint 1: If you work around toxic chemicals, you are at a higher risk (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 2017).
Subpoint 2: However, dust and dust mites can live in carpets and upholstery and also reduce indoor air quality.
Transition: Now you know what causes bad air quality. Here’s what you can do about it.
Main Point 3: Improving indoor air quality is possible by taking a few easy steps.
Subpoint 1: Maintain your home’s air ventilation system by changing the filters and making sure the vents are cleaned.
Subpoint 2: Spend less time indoors, if possible, but if not, ask your school or employer to test for air quality.
CONCLUSION
Summary statement: Now that you know the causes and effects of poor indoor air quality, you are armed with the information you need to make changes.
Concluding remarks: Improving air quality can improve your life, leading to improved health and wellbeing.



References

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (2017). Indoor air quality: general. Retrieved online: http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/iaq_intro.html
Canadian Lung Association (2017). Indoor air quality. https://www.lung.ca/lung-health/air-quality/indoor-air-quality
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, 2017). Introduction to indoor air quality. Retrieved online: https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/introduction-indoor-air-quality