How Clear is the Air You Breathe when Indoors?

When the topic of pollution comes up, many people first think about outdoor air quality but what about the air you breathe inside your home, office, and other facilities where you spend your time each day. When you think about it, the average person spends the majority of their time inside some type facility.

With this much time being spent indoors you would hope the air quality would be better than what you would find outside. Unfortunately, in many cases, it's not. Not only can pollutants seep into your home from the outside but there are many things inside the home that can pollute the air as well. Some of these include cleaners, fireplaces, tobacco, pets, dust, mold and mildew.

Health Risks and Misconceptions Associated with Indoor Air Quality

There are many health risks associated with poor indoor air quality that can have a serious affect on your health and well-being. It's so important that the EPA has placed indoor air quality among the top five environmental risks factors facing the public today.

In fact, according to the EPA, the levels of pollution found indoors is often twice as much as what is found outside and in many cases, it can be up to five times higher. In extreme cases, indoor air quality has been recorded up to one hundred times higher.

Poor indoor quality can cause occupants to suffer from headaches, dizziness, fatigue, irritated eyes, and nose and throat problems. It can also trigger an asthma attack for those suffering from this condition. Long term exposure can cause heart disease, respiratory conditions and in some cases, even cancer.

There are also many misconceptions associated with poor indoor air quality. For example, most everyone knows that poor air quality is dangerous for the elderly, children and anyone suffering from upper respiratory conditions. What they don't know is that it's just as bad for healthy adults and can cause a series of health problems.

Some mistakenly believe that if the home is clean, the air quality is naturally good. However, smoke, pet dander, dust and mold spores can be found in all homes, even the ones that look spotless. Being clean doesn't stop air pollutants from entering into your home. It's also interesting to know the more airtight the home is, the less the air can circulate throughout the home. This actually traps more of these airborne pollutants inside causing the air quality to drop.

How to Clean Up Your Indoor Air Quality

Cleaning the air in your home can help you and your family stay healthier. One of the best ways to clean your air is with air purifiers. Some of these can clean over ninety-five percent of the pollutants in your home that pass through the filter. Some can circulate the air within the room keeping it fresh and cleaner. These are especially useful in homes that are airtight.

Sources:

http://www.all-about-air-purifiers.com/air-pollution-causes.html

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/insidest.html#Intro1