WHY INDOOR AIR QUALITY MATTERS TO YOUR FAMILY

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) refers to the air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially related to building occupants’ health and comfort. Understanding and controlling common pollutants indoors can help reduce your risk of indoor health concerns.

Indoor dust and pet dander allergens

Dust mites are microscopic bugs that live in carpet, bedding, upholstery, stuffed toys, and bedding. These bugs are invisible to the human eye but can majorly impact health. This is especially true for those already at risk, like the young, elderly, or those with allergies or asthma/ Relatively minor effects include coughing, wheezing, and discomfort. At the same time, more severe implications can require medication or even hospitalization.

Dander (dead skin cells sloughed off an animal’s coat) is the most common source of pet allergies. Pet dander clings to surfaces and makes its way into household cracks and crevices. Unfortunately, dander can linger for months in carpets, furniture, and even bedding! The result includes a variety of health issues for allergy sufferers.

Frequent cleaning at home – including vacuuming, frequent bedding changes, and wiping down surfaces – helps keep these pollutants at bay. Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to reduce dust and pet dander concentrations in your home. A HEPA filter can also eliminate other toxins, including lead.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are toxic airborne chemicals emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. Top sources of VOCs in the home include paints, aerosol sprays, and air fresheners, pesticides, dry-cleaned clothing, and cleansers. Once airborne, these particles pose short and long-term health effects. According to the EPA, VOCs often cause eye, nose, throat irritation, nausea, and damage to the liver, kidney, and central nervous system.

Bacteria, Germs, and Viruses

Poor indoor air quality can increase the risk of spreading highly contagious viruses like the cold and flu. More severe viruses, such as Coronavirus (COVID-19), are also a threat. Viruses are microscopic pathogens that need hosts to thrive. Once a virus enters the body, it begins to hijack healthy cells and reproduce at a significant pace.

Bacteria or germs thrive in enclosed spaces and spread quickly through the air. Most bacteria are harmless. However, some strains of bacteria produce toxins that can kill cells and damage the immune system.

Indoor air pollutants may cause serious health concerns, such as:

The EPA states that indoor air is one of the top five environmental health risks of our time. In fact, indoor air has been found to contain up to 60 times more pollutants than outdoor air. A recent study by the American College of Allergist & Asthma states that polluted indoor air is the root cause of 40% – 50% of all illnesses.

Eliminating individual sources of pollution in the home can reduce indoor air pollutant concentrations and reduce emissions.

Harmful pollutants may come from faulty appliance emissions, such as stoves or furnaces. Two out of three indoor air quality issues involve the poor performance and improper functioning of your HVAC (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning) system. That’s why it’s crucial for a thoroughly trained technician to evaluate your home equipment annually.

Improving your indoor air quality can begin with tests for key pollutants known to impact health.

Lennox PureAir™ pairs the germ-killing power of UV light with MERV16 filtration to eliminate odors, mold spores, and more from the air you breathe at home. To deactivate live bacteria, mold, germs and viruses, with Phenomenal Aire’s lab-tested cold plasma technology, these devices provide powerful filtration to remove matter – including reducing 99.9%* of COVID-19 particles – from your home.