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Indoor Air Quality
In 1975 the Environmental Protection Agency in the US started a mandate to establish a clean air act due to the amount of pollution at that time. It was updated in 1990 but in both cases the premise was on outdoor air and did not focus on indoor air unless there was a direct correlation as to outdoor air polluting indoor air.
Indoor air quality covers a lot of ground, from odors, undetected pathogens, mould, chemical substances, dust, and even nuclear debris. Animal waste, insect and rodent infestations, sewer gas, raw sewage, leaking pipes, rotting building materials, poor house keeping, flooding, even ground water all have one thing in common, they stink! Not to mention that they promote and carry bacteria and disease. Over the years building materials that were thought to be quite unique at the time turn out to be extremely harmful to our health as well as smell bad. Living in a space with air quality problems sometimes goes unnoticed simply because we have gotten used to it or were brought up to believe that it should be that way. We may have grown up in homes that had distinct odors and assumed that this is normal, when in reality it could be very harmful to our health.
Off-Gassing of products that we have in our homes is the slow release of chemicals that are integral parts of the physical products they make up. This could be drapes, carpets, shower curtains, furniture, even second hand cigarette smoke.
Indoor air should be a major focus since on average we spend about 70% of our time in our homes. Just imagine if we are breathing a concoction of mould, radon, formaldehyde, asbestos, viruses, bacteria, smoke, odors, pet dander, sewage, rotting carcasses, and more. No wonder we have so much phlegm and respiratory illnesses. Poor construction and renovations gone bad are a lot of the reasons behind poor indoor air quality.
Heating equipment that has not been maintained, worn out, or improperly installed can produce carbon monoxide. Heating equipment includes furnaces, boilers, fireplaces, wood stoves, wall heaters, heat recovery systems. Ventilation systems including exhaust fans and make-up-air equipment can also have detrimental effects on indoor air quality. Plumbing systems not properly installed or that have had failures can lead to a plethora of odors from sewer gas, mould, and bacteria.
Cooking grease on walls and ceilings, toilet spills soaked into wood, years of chemical cleaners and polishes used on walls, floors, and furniture, lead based paints on floors, wood trims and walls, pesticides and poisons used to control rodents and insects, rust and corrosion, chronic water leaks, all have distinct odors. But when several of these are used concurrently then the odor can be overwhelming to someone not used to it, not to mention very harmful to people with weak immune systems, pets and children.
Any of these items above may not be very harmful on it’s own, but combined they can lead to respiratory irritations, skin lesions, rashes, irritated mucus membranes, and weakened immune systems. Adding the one person who would be susceptible into this concoction and you could be possibly adding to additional weakening of the immune system or exacerbating an already established malady. There are no definite answers as to whether every person could be troubled with poor indoor air quality. The only way to find that out is to try it. I think a preventative approach is more appropriate as opposed to experimenting with your health and well being. That is why we adopted the motto “ Without Your Health, Nothing Else Matterz”.
Call us for an indoor air analysis and suggestions on improving the space you put your life into and air that you breath.
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