Air pollution is an issue that concerns everyone, but we tend to associate air pollution with the outdoors.  “In the last several years, a growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities.”  As new construction methods make our homes more energy efficient they also make our homes more airtight.   Polluted air in your home can affect your health as well as your family’s health.  Knowing what causes poor indoor air quality and how to detect the problem areas is the first step to cleaner air and a healthier living environment.

There are three main sources of indoor air pollutants.  The first source is airborne particles.  These particles include dust, pollen, dirt, pet dander, and insulation and carpet fibers.  These types particles are the largest of the pollutants, but are not typically visible to the naked eye.  Dust and pollen are the two major particles that cause hay fever.

The second source is biological contaminants.  These contaminants include but are not limited to mold spores, dust mites, viruses, fungi, bacteria, yeasts and algae.  Also commonly known as bioaerosols, they can be living or non-living organisms.  They thrive in warm humid environments and because they are so small, these contaminants can get past the protective filters in the nose and upper respiratory tract.  As a result they can reach the lungs and are highly allergenic.

Finally the third source of indoor air pollutants are gases and odors.  These contaminants include cleaning chemical vapors, carbon monoxide from gas appliances and vehicles in attached garages, furniture, paint, pesticides, and tobacco smoke.  Volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) can be released from synthetic and composite materials used in the construction of homes, from carpeting, aerosol sprays and even air fresheners. 

The American Lung Association states: “Poor indoor air quality can cause or contribute to the development of or worsen chronic lung diseases such as lung cancer or asthma. In addition, it can cause headaches, dry eyes, nasal congestion, nausea and fatigue. People who already have respiratory diseases are at greater risk for problems caused by poor indoor air quality.”

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that “Asthma afflicts about 20 million Americans, including 6.3 million children.  Since 1980, the biggest growth in asthma cases has been in children under five.  In 2000 there were nearly 2 million emergency room visits and nearly half a million hospitalizations due to asthma, at a cost of almost $2 billion, and causing 14 million school days missed each year.” 

Knowing the causes of poor indoor air quality will help in finding the proper solutions that will help improve the air quality in your home.

First step in controlling the quality of the air in your home is source control.  Attack the problem at its source.  A few suggestions to start with are, controlling dust and other biological contaminants by using a vacuum with strong suction and two ply bags or HEPA filters.  Secondly, leave the door open to any room that does not have a return air vent in it.  Use non-toxic cleaning chemicals and keep them sealed tightly.  Eliminate tobacco smoke in the home.  Control humidity levels at or near 50% relative humidity to reduce mold and other bacterial growths.  Insure your heating and cooling system is properly maintained.

The second step in controlling indoor air quality is ventilation.  Poor ventilation in your home can be a major cause of indoor air pollutions.  Ventilating the home with filtered outdoor air is preferable to insure outdoor contaminants remain at a minimum.  In high humidity climates such as ours an outdoor air intake through a de-humidifier will greatly improve the quality of your indoor air. 

Finally, the last and probably most misunderstood step in controlling indoor air quality is filtration.  Proper filtration takes many items into consideration, the size of your heating cooling equipment, proper sizing of ductwork, and cleanliness of ductwork and pressure drop across the filter media.  Some filters are capable of removing as much as 99% of all allergy causing pollen and spores but can be highly restrictive in some heating and cooling systems.  Contact your Allways Cool A/C Indoor Air Quality Professionals to have your heating and cooling system assessed for proper sizing of filtration systems.