By Rachel Reboulet
From the October 2022 Issue

The indoor air quality of your home or office has a direct impact on the health of your building occupants and staff. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors. Although people can often sense pollution outdoors, indoor air contaminants, such as molds, allergens, and viruses, can be just as dangerous. Most people would not knowingly consume contaminated food or water, yet they rarely think about the indoor air they are actively breathing all day, every day! Testing for indoor air quality (IAQ) to understand the bio-contaminants in an indoor environment allows you to more accurately understand how to improve it.

See how ultrafine particles have an impact on human health. (Photo: Air Answers, Inc.)

There are multiple factors that contribute to poor indoor air quality. Regardless of where you live, indoor humidity can occur because of water leaks, moisture seeping in through crawlspaces, or moisture trapped in the air entering your home from the outdoors.

Additionally, poor ventilation contributes to poor indoor air quality. Inadequate indoor ventilation recirculates polluted air that can contribute to the buildup of bio-contaminants. Pets also contribute to poor indoor air quality from the contaminants on their skin, saliva, and urine. In addition to pet allergens, animals can bring molds, bacteria, environmental allergens, and other bio-contaminants inside from outdoors. Even if you are not a pet owner, pet allergens are tenacious and can be left behind by former pets who inhabited or visited the building.

Air quality is something everyone should care about, as even the smallest issue can create large-scale health challenges. Common indoor air pollutants include allergens, fungi, viruses, and bacteria. Poor indoor air quality can result in symptoms associated with asthma and allergies including itchy and watery eyes, sore throat, stuffy nose, and respiratory issues. In some circumstances, poor indoor air quality can contribute to life threatening diseases, such as aspergillosis, which can infect the lungs and multiple organs. Vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, pregnant women, infants and immunocompromised, may be more sensitive to the effects of poor indoor air quality. If you begin experiencing these symptoms, having your air tested can provide an accurate assessment of what you are exposed to in your indoor environment and can help your physician or indoor air quality professional provide proper recommendations for treatment and remediation, respectively.

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Originally Appeared Here