What you don’t know can hurt you when it comes to indoor air quality. We all know that outdoor air quality can be a major issue, especially in certain cities, like the smog in LA or China. If you suffer from asthma or other respiratory illnesses, you know better than most the importance of air quality.
What you might not know are the specifics. That’s why we’ve gathered together these 3 indoor air quality facts—to help you arm yourself with the knowledge you need to stay healthy indoors.
Americans Spend 90% of Their Time Indoors
This one surprised even us! According to this article by the EPA on indoor air quality, the average American spends more around 90% of their day indoors.
Not only is that a huge chunk of time, but it’s also a huge chunk of air! If the majority of the air that you’re breathing in on a daily basis is in your home or workplace, it’s important that you get it checked.
And don’t think that the indoor air quality of your office isn’t any of your business—if it’s polluted, it is! You are entitled to safe air at work as much as you are at home.
That being said, home air quality is the easiest to control. You can easily get a quality, affordable, indoor air quality sampling test kit here.
Indoor Air Pollutants Can Be 2–5 Times Higher Than Outdoors
While outdoor pollution is of course always a concern, indoor pollution can be much, much worse. Pollution that is 2 to 5 times higher than the outdoors is a serious concern. It’s problematic because this pollution is concentrated in your home.
The first step to fixing the indoor air quality problem in your home is discovering if it exists. Once you know you have a pollution problem in your house, you can take steps to fix it.
Inhaling Wood Smoke Can Affect Your Immune System
According to a recent study, inhaling wood smoke may reduce the function of certain portions of your immune system. You can read more about this study here.
This may be one of the reasons why children and the elderly are particularly susceptible to harm from pollution that affects indoor air quality. Children have an underdeveloped immune system, and the elderly have weakened immune systems, making it more important than ever that they are breathing high-quality air.
If you have children or older adults living with you in your home, try to limit the amount of wood you burn in the fireplace as much as possible.
Take Steps to Limit or Reduce Pollution that Affects Indoor Air Quality
If you think the indoor air quality of your home is a problem, there are a few steps you can take to fix the situation. Here are a few methods from this great article you can use to improve the quality of the air in your home:
-Ventilate your home regularly
-Get a high-quality air filter
-Dust with a damp cloth
-Remove sources of pollution
-Groom your pets
-Keep humidity below 60%
However, these methods only address a few common issues. If you have radon leaking into your home or asbestos insulation for example, you need specialized tests to determine exactly what’s in the air in your home.
Click here to check out our air testing kits and test the air in your home today.
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