We hear a lot about pollution and poor air quality in crowded urban areas and cities. But what about the air inside of your own home? No matter how “clean” or conscientious you are about keeping a sanitary house, poor indoor air quality is still a silent problem-maker lurking in the background. What, if anything, can be done about it?
What is Indoor Air Quality?
Indoor air quality, which is often abbreviated as IAQ, refers to the quality of air within buildings and structures (including your home). Generally speaking, when you hear IAQ being discussed, it’s within the context of poor indoor air quality.
“Many factors contribute to poor indoor air quality. Indoor air includes pollutants that penetrate from the outdoors, as well as sources that are unique to the indoor environment,” the NIH explains.
Common sources of indoor air pollutants include:
- Human activities inside buildings, like burning fuels, cleaning, and smoking
- Vapors from various construction materials, furniture, and equipment
- Biological contaminants like viruses, mold, and allergens
Whether it’s allergens, asbestos, carbon monoxide, pesticides, radon, or mildew, there are numerous contaminants that can gradually turn healthy air into a risk factor over time. But it’s not just the contaminants that are an issue. They’re often made worse by factors like:
- Ventilation: How well air can move in and out of a home plays a significant role in determining IAQ. Lack of ventilation can lead to the accumulation of pollutants.
- Humidity: High humidity levels can lead to mold growth, contributing to poor IAQ. Conversely, extremely low humidity can dry out and irritate the respiratory system.
- Temperature: Extreme temperatures can exacerbate the effects of other pollutants.
The type of home matters, too. Older homes are more likely to have things like asbestos, lead paint, and mold due to the materials that were used in construction and design during those periods. That being said, newer homes usually have more volatile…
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