Indoor Air Quality Air

Does indoor air quality really change from one building to the next? We have filters on the air conditioning and heating systems and air purification systems in most public buildings. So wouldn't it make sense to believe that the indoor air quality of most buildings is safe?

The truth of the matter is that many buildings (and homes) have very poor indoor air quality. Filters that come standard with the air conditioning and heating systems are generally woefully inept at controlling indoor air pollution. Many researchers believe that the pollution that we breathe while inside may very well be more dangerous and potent than the air pollution we breathe outside. This poses serious health risks when we consider what we already know about the effects of outdoor air pollution.

Indoor air pollution is rather sneaky. Unlike smog which can be seen, and ground level ozone which often carries the noxious odor of car and truck exhaust, indoor air pollution is silent and hidden in the clean smell of most buildings and homes. Yet indoor air pollution is one of our most relevant pollution problems of today. Filters, even specialty filters, are often not able to hold the air pollutants as we imagine.

Pollution inside a home or building comes from many various sources. There are natural sources that creep up from the ground, outdoor causes that come inside through ventilation and cooling or heating units, and from the daily use of certain products that we use without considering that they could be contaminating our homes. Personal care products that spray usually are filled with a propellant. While chlorofluorocarbons are no longer the threat they once were, the propellants used in many hair sprays, deodorants, and even bug sprays or sunscreen can contaminate the air you and your family are breathing inside your home.

Sometimes you can smell the contaminant. For instance, there are times when a car or lawnmower is started in a garage that rests under a house, throwing all of its ground level ozone producing carbon based contaminants straight up into the living area. In other circumstances, the use of products around the home like everyday household cleaners or even the chemicals used to treat the wood and furniture that is in the home. Furniture is treated with chemically based or arsenic based fire retardants and filler material that can cause continuous indoor air pollution.

Nearly every home and building faces a threat from indoor air pollution. Sometimes the only way to deal with it is to have the air within a home or building tested. Testing can show a variety of pollutants that can require specific removal procedures (asbestos) or special air purification systems (ground level ozone) in order to be removed. Spores of mold can be removed by finding the source, and fungal spores can often be traced to specific sites within the home. Finding this information can help you make the appropriate decisions in order to create a safer and healthier indoor air environment for your children, your family, and you.

There are still many studies on indoor air pollution pending. Scientists want to know more about the air we breathe inside our homes, workplaces, and even the malls and hospitals we visit with a belief of being protected by high quality air filters and purification systems. As more information is uncovered, more products to combat these problems will be developed aimed at creating a healthier indoor environment. Since mandatory testing and home air quality testing is still a relatively neglected aspect of home health more scientific proof might still be necessary.

As the general public becomes more aware of indoor air quality issues it is likely that there will be a shift in policy when it comes to public buildings and places of employment. It will become necessary for public areas to ensure that the air quality measures up to the appropriate standards. Hopefully, these policies will come sooner rather than later.