If you watch the news or check your local weather, you’ve probably seen references to the air quality in your area. The Air Quality Index (AQI) has been integrated into weather forecasts, apps, and websites. When the air quality is especially poor (from wildfires, excessive vehicle traffic, near manufacturing plants, etc.), you can literally see the pollution and understand that it poses a health risk.
However, people often don’t consider the effects of indoor air quality . While outdoor air quality can affect indoor air, other factors must be considered when monitoring and addressing indoor air quality issues. It’s crucial to understand them since you spend a significant amount of time in your home. Houses today tend to have good seals around windows and doors to lower energy costs, but as a result, indoor air may not get cycled properly to remove contaminants. That means airborne substances and gases (like radon) can accumulate and reach harmful levels.
This article addresses indoor air quality, including what contributes to poor quality, the consequences of unhealthy air, and more.
What Factors Affect Indoor Air Quality?
Several factors contribute to poor indoor air quality, including:
Emissions. Fireplaces, stoves, cigarettes, cleaning products, and cooking all give off fumes.
Radon. Naturally present in the environment, radon is a radioactive gas that can enter buildings through cracks in the concrete foundation, concrete basement slabs, and exposed crawl space soils.
Particulate matter. Small particles like dust and tobacco smoke can float in indoor air.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs): Newer building materials, including pressed wood products, paints, adhesives, and insulation, can emit VOCs like formaldehyde.
Allergens. This includes mold and pet dander.
Humidity. High humidity levels can trap pollutants inside and even produce mold.
Poor ventilation. Lack of fresh air cycling through a home or business means the contaminants in indoor air don’t get diluted.
Hobbies. Woodworking, metalworking, 3D printing, and other hobbies can release fine particles or chemicals into the air.
Outdoor-to-indoor air transfer. Pollutants like pollen, wildfire smoke, or urban smog can enter homes through leaks in windows, doors, or HVAC systems, exacerbating indoor air issues.
Chemical interactions: Cleaning agents and other products can react with indoor ozone to produce secondary pollutants like formaldehyde and ultrafine particles.
Seasonal changes can also affect indoor air quality. For example, high humidity in the summertime can promote mold growth, while in winter, environments sealed to conserve heat can lead to pollutant buildup. Understanding these variations helps in planning appropriate indoor air quality interventions.
What Are the Consequences of Poor Indoor Air Quality?
Poor indoor air quality affects our health, with both short- and long-term consequences. It can cause a variety of problems, including:
- Allergic reactions
- Asthma
- Skin irritation
- Opportunistic infections
- Immunological effects, such as rhinitis, hypersensitive pneumonia, or bronchitis
The effects of poor indoor air quality can be especially pronounced in young people, seniors, and immuno-compromised individuals. Poor indoor air quality can also have psychological effects, including fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and increased stress.
People may respond differently to the same environment, so poor indoor air quality might only produce symptoms in some exposed to it. Consequently, it can be difficult to identify air quality problems. Family members or a company’s employees may have to invest significant amounts of time and money in doctor’s appointments, testing, etc. to uncover the root cause of their health issues.
This can be emotionally, physically, and financially taxing. For instance, a recent study attributed an increase in childhood asthma cases to gas cooking stoves—a fact probably unknown to countless families dealing with asthma.
What Can Be Done To Improve Indoor Air Quality?
Poor indoor air quality is potentially harmful, but don’t worry! You can do many things to monitor and improve the air quality in your home or business.
One is to capitalize on new technology. For example, smart air quality monitors can track pollutant levels and humidity in real time, integrating with home automation systems to optimize air circulation and filtration. These devices provide valuable insights and early warnings about air quality issues.
You can also take the following actions to improve your indoor air:
- Avoid smoking in your home and consider stopping smoking altogether.
- Ensure proper ventilation when using chemical products for cleaning, home renovations, or crafting.
- Replace your HVAC filter at least every two months with an appropriate-sized filter.
- If you have a radon mitigation system, periodically ensure it works properly. If you don’t have one, consider testing (if not done previously) followed by installing a mitigation system if levels are elevated.
- Use a vent hood that moves air to the outside when cooking with a gas stove.
- Maintain an indoor humidity level below 35%. Humidity exceeding 35% can lead to mold growth and trap pollutants trapped inside. Condensation on windows is a telltale sign, or your thermostat might provide humidity readings. Mold is particularly problematic. If left unchecked, it can require professional mitigation.
- Use bathroom fans vented to the outside when showering or bathing.
- Ensure your clothes dryer vents properly to the outside.
- Vacuum with a HEPA-filtered vacuum, particularly if you have pets.
- Understand the effects of houseplants. Some absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, contributing to fresher air. However, plants can also harbor mold or allergens, so careful selection and maintenance are crucial.
It’s also a good idea to keep your outdoor air conditioning unit clear of debris and buildup to ensure it runs efficiently. However, be aware of a common misconception about these units. Their function is not to filter outdoor air and pull it into the home or building but to circulate ambient air through the system to cool the internal coils. So, while maintaining your outdoor unit is essential for system performance, it doesn’t directly impact indoor air quality.
Get Professional Assistance With Indoor Air Quality
The best place to start in any effort to understand and improve indoor air quality is to get assistance from trained experts at a licensed and insured company like Colorado Hazard Control. We can conduct an assessment and recommend mitigation measures tailored to your home or business.
For example, we might discover that your HVAC system is contaminated, at which point we can provide HVAC clean-up services. This includes a free remediation consultation, residential, commercial, or industrial contaminant removal, and work performed by highly trained, licensed, and insured professionals.
Remediation is critical to good health and may be required to meet guidelines on safe indoor air quality from organizations such as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
You can also benefit others in your area by promoting community awareness about indoor air quality. This might include advocating for stricter building codes, recommending radon testing programs, or educating the public on the health impacts of poor air quality in homes, schools, workplaces, and other public spaces.
Indoor Air Quality: Essential to Comfortable and Healthy Living and Working
Indoor air quality is vital to maintaining a healthy and comfortable living and working environment. While people tend to be more aware of outdoor air quality, the air inside a home or building is just as crucial, if not more so, since it directly impacts your daily well-being. From chemical emissions and allergens to humidity and poor ventilation, numerous factors can affect indoor air quality, potentially leading to serious health consequences, particularly for vulnerable individuals.
The good news is that indoor air quality can be measured, improved, and maintained through a combination of proactive measures and technological interventions. Regular monitoring, proper ventilation, and implementing best practices, such as using HEPA filters and minimizing indoor pollutants, can significantly reduce the health risks to family members or building occupants.
Contacting Colorado Hazard Control for indoor air quality assessment and assistance with air quality solutions helps ensure a safe and healthy indoor environment at your home or business. Learn about our services by calling 303-410-4941 in the Denver and Northern Colorado areas or 719-547-2785 in Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Southern Colorado.
About Colorado Hazard Control
Colorado Hazard Control is the natural industrial, commercial and residential environmental solutions provider achieving the highest quality workmanship by focusing intensely on what we do best — health, safety, and environmental compliance. With locations in Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, we offer our services statewide. Whatever your needs - lead abatement, mold remediation, radon mitigation, demolition, or training - we're there with 24-hour emergency response available. https://www.coloradohazard.com
Media Contact:
Lynnelle Beaver, 303-410-4941
Source: Prodigy.press
Release ID: 1325157
