Top Reasons to Improve Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality
When people think of air pollution, it mostly has to do with the air outdoors—but indoor air pollution is also common! Indoor air can be up to 10 times more polluted than outdoor air because the indoors has contained spaces, allowing potential pollutants to build up more than open spaces do.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that people in the US spend 93 percent of their time indoors. Since we spend a large part of our lives in contained spaces, let’s explore why it’s important to improve your home’s indoor air quality (IAQ).
Improve Your Indoor Air Quality To…
Eliminate VOC
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic chemicals containing carbon and are found in indoor air. VOCs come from sources like building materials, furniture, cleaning products, tobacco smoking, as well as people and their activities. Pollutants containing VOCs can enter living areas from attached garages too. Outdoor air is also a source of indoor VOCs. The presence of VOCs has been linked to allergies, asthma, respiratory symptoms and cancer.
Reduce Dampness & Mold
The EPA reports about 50 percent of all US homes have visible evidence of a dampness problem or mold contamination. The agency also reports that the presence of dampness and mold contributes to health effects like respiratory illnesses, coughing, wheezing, breathing difficulties, asthma development (or the worsening of asthma), bronchitis and inflammation caused by allergies.
Your HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) system largely controls your indoor air quality. If you have a system which isn’t ventilating properly, it could create a habitat for mold and dampness. Improper ventilation increases the growth of mold and microbes due to unregulated levels of heat and humidity, causing dust particles and other pollutants to become trapped in your HVAC system. Once trapped, the HVAC system spreads these pollutants throughout your home. This type of environment isn’t healthy for your family, especially young children, the sick or the elderly.
Decrease Health Risks
Many other types of pollutants in the air can have short-term health effects or could cause problems years later. Symptoms include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, sneezing, coughing, headaches, dizziness and fatigue. Longer term exposure to some indoor air pollutants can cause or worsen chronic diseases such as asthma. Other long-term health effects that air pollution can cause includes other respiratory diseases, heart disease and cancer. Poor indoor air quality can also worsen any existing medical conditions.
When your health is impacted by poor IAQ, cleaning up pollutants treats and helps eliminate symptoms. Even if you don’t see any obvious health effects now, it’s important to check your indoor air quality regularly to prevent any future adverse effects.
Sleep Better
As you sleep, any pollution in the air reduces the oxygen percentages in the home, which can interrupt sleep cycles. This may result in feeling tired despite getting enough hours of sleep, which can have a lasting impact on the rest of your day. Improving indoor air quality by reducing pollutants helps protect against sleeping issues, as well as protecting you from developing more serious breathing problems like sleep apnea.
Call Air Experts to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality!
Call Air Experts to evaluate your home’s IAQ. We’ll ensure you will reap the benefits of optimum air quality. Call us today to schedule an IAQ evaluation and discuss our solutions. The short- and long-term benefits for your home and family are well worth the investment to make sure your HVAC system is working in top condition, making the air you breathe healthier and safer.
Contact Air Experts online or call us at 919-480-2727 to start improving your home’s indoor air quality today!
