There is outdoor air pollution in Greensboro, NC, but there is also indoor air pollution that affects your health. In many cases, the quality of the air inside a home can be worse than what is outside. Affected by things like dust, dust mites, pet dander, pollen, mold spores, smoke, and chemicals, indoor air quality varies from one residence to another. Unfortunately, poor indoor air quality can negatively affect our health. Let’s look at some of the effects of poor indoor air quality on your health.
Why Is Indoor Air Quality Important?
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans spend as much as 90% of their time indoors. This includes various locations like home, work, school, stores, events, etc. The products we choose to use in our homes can impact our health. This includes things we use to clean our homes as well as air fresheners, paints, beauty products, and more. When we don’t have an adequate exchange of air between the outside and the inside of our home, these contaminants increase in concentration.
You can feel the effects of these contaminants in just a few minutes. In other scenarios, it can take days, weeks, or even months to feel unwell from poor IAQ exposure. People who are prone to allergy symptoms, asthma, respiratory illness, and other health issues may be at a bigger risk of health issues caused by unhealthy indoor air.
Different Types of Indoor Air Pollution
Indoor air quality can become polluted in several ways. Outdoor pollutants can often make their way indoors. If you’re not using a whole-house purification unit to promote cleaner air, you and your family are going to be exposed to this pollution. Some of the activities that we perform indoors can contribute to indoor air pollution, including cooking, cleaning, smoking, etc. If you have any remodeling or construction work being done in the home, you may be introducing volatile organic compounds into your home from new building materials. These materials often emit gas for many months or even years before they are no longer a risk to your IAQ.
Let’s not forget about the biological contaminants that can impact your indoor air. This includes mold spores, allergens, bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. These things can make you sick. However, there is air purification and filtration equipment that can get rid of these contaminants before they circulate in your home. UV-C light technology is one example. UV-C light will damage the DNA of these microbes so they can no longer spread.
Carbon monoxide is a concern that you have likely heard about. This colorless and odorless gas can be deadly if you’re exposed to high concentrations of it. It’s produced when fuel is burned by things like HVAC equipment, vehicles, stoves, etc.
Indoor Air Quality and Your Health
Indoor air issues can cause people to develop allergy symptoms such as a stuffy nose, itchy eyes, cough, itchy skin, etc. If you’re already prone to allergies, you may notice an increase in symptoms. Asthma attacks may increase, as well as other breathing issues. This is especially true if you are dealing with mold exposure.
Fatigue is a common symptom associated with poor indoor air quality. Because your body is being exposed to various contaminants that are dangerous, your immune system is working harder to keep inflammation down. This can make you feel sluggish or worn down. You may feel tired even after you wake from a full night of sleep. You may tire quickly during the day.
Dizziness is something that can occur when you are exposed to indoor contaminants such as volatile organic compounds, mold, and allergens. This symptom can be caused by a change in your vestibular system. It can also be a symptom of nervous system dysfunction, which is common with chemical exposure.
Negative indoor air pollution can affect the lung development of babies while they are in utero. This can decrease their lung function once born. These children have a higher risk of developing pneumonia early on in life.
According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, platelet levels in the body can increase with ozone exposure. This ozone comes from small appliances and anything with a small motor. This increase in platelets can increase your risk of clotting and developing high blood pressure.
It’s very common for people to experience brain fog when they have poor indoor air quality. Many contaminants can decrease cognitive function, making it hard for you to focus or stay on track.
Indoor contaminants like radon gas and volatile organic compounds can increase your risk of cancer. Radon exposure is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Chemical exposure can also cause hormone disruption, which can lead to cancer.
Improving Your Indoor Air Quality
There are several ways that you can improve your indoor air quality. It helps if you know what kind of contaminants you’re dealing with in your home. An indoor air quality assessment performed by our team is a great place to start. Then, you can purchase a whole-house air purification device that can remove up to 99.97% of particulate matter, depending on the type of filters that your unit uses. HEPA filters are optimal for removing common allergens and microbes from your indoor air.
Activated carbon filters can be paired with traditional filters to remove volatile organic compounds and odors from your indoor air. They are slightly more expensive to replace, but they do a great job of promoting a healthy indoor environment.
Don’t forget to address any issues that you may have with humidity in the home. It’s recommended that you maintain a humidity level between 35% and 50% in your home. Anything higher than that can promote the growth of mold. Humid air can also hold onto more particulate matter. Very dry air can irritate your sinuses and cause dry skin.
Ventilation is important and often overlooked by homeowners in Greensboro. You likely have exhaust fans installed in your kitchen and bathrooms. These should be running when you’re bathing or cooking to ventilate the humid air outside. You can also use a whole-house dehumidifier to reduce high levels of relative humidity in your home. If you have overly dry air, a whole-house humidifier can add moisture back into the air. Upgrade your thermostat to a unit that features a hygrometer so you can easily monitor your indoor air’s humidity levels.
If you would like to learn more about the importance of indoor air quality and how it can affect your health, reach out to our team at Aurora Pro Services Heating, Air, Plumbing, Electrical, & Roofing. We can perform an indoor air quality assessment to determine what the main issues are within your home. We can then recommend whole-house filtration or ventilation equipment that can help with improving your indoor air quality. We install, repair, and maintain all types of heating and cooling equipment, and offer electrical repair, generator installation, smart thermostats, surge protection, ductwork services, and more. If you need a roof installed or repaired, we can perform that service too. Reach out to Aurora Pro Services Heating, Air, Plumbing, Electrical, & Roofing to schedule an appointment.
