As the nights start getting darker, it is the perfect time to get spooky. Before you start thinking of Halloween costumes being the scariest thing you will encounter this winter, you should know these indoor air scary facts.
Indoor Can Be Worse than Outdoor:
Most of us assume that our indoor air quality is bound to be better than the air outside, but this is not the case. The EPA has said that indoor air quality can be up to five times more polluted compared to the Southern Californian outdoor air. While this may seem unbelievable, you need to understand that your HVAC system is constantly re-circulating the air around your home. In an average six room home, up to 40 pounds of dust can accumulate in the air ducts in a year. Since an ounce of dust can contain as many as 40,000 dust mites, this is not only gross, but downright scary.
Your Indoor Air Contains More Than Just Dust:
If all those dust mites were not enough to make your skin crawl, you should know that your indoor air could contain a number of other potentially harmful pollutants. These include mold, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, pollen, radon and other types of chemical fumes. Air pollutants can contribute to respiratory tract infections, lung disease, lung cancer and asthma.
It’s Not Just a City Problem:
Whether you live in the heart of a city or a quiet rural area, you should consider your indoor air quality. Many consumers assume that air quality issues are solely the domain of city residents, but this is not the case. Regardless of the type of home you live in and the geographical area, don’t just assume that your air quality is good. The average person breathes a massive 3,400 gallons of air every day, which means that poor indoor air quality can have a tremendous impact on overall health. In fact, the EPA ranks indoor air quality in the top five environmental risks posed to public health.
Switching Fuels Can Have a Massive Impact:
If you are worried about indoor air quality, switching your fuel source can provide the largest reduction in indoor air pollution. By swapping solid fuels such as coal or biomass to a more efficient and cleaner energy technology or fuel, you could immediately improve the quality of your indoor air.
You Can Take Steps to Improve Your Indoor Air:
While you may consider improving your indoor air quality to be impossible, there are some steps you can take. The three most obvious methods to improve the air quality inside your home are increased ventilation, duct cleaning and source removal. Even making some basic changes could have a massive impact on improving your sense of wellbeing and the health of your children. For example, controlling exposure to ETS (environmental tobacco smoke) and other indoor allergens could prevent up to 65 percent of elementary school age child asthma cases.
If you are concerned about your indoor air quality, it is important to speak to a professional HVAC specialist. The technician can assess your system and provide you with a solution tailored so you won’t need think of your indoor air quality as scary.