The quality of the air you inhale can add to health issues like allergies and asthma. It’s not just the air quality outdoors that exposes us to pollutants. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nine out of every ten people worldwide breathe polluted air regularly. As many as ninety-three percent of children below eighteen live in conditions with pollution intensities that bypass WHO guidelines of a safe atmosphere. You can’t always check the pollution outside, but you can secure better health for your family by improving indoor air quality. It starts by recognizing levels of indoor contaminants and finding ways to replace them with fresh air.
Take the subsequent actions to build a healthier indoor atmosphere where your family breathes a little easier.
- Acquire an indoor air condition monitor.
- Evaluate signs of health.
- Monitor radon and carbon monoxide levels. If you feel symptoms you suspect are due to indoor air quality, getting an air quality monitor helps pinpoint the issue. By monitoring indoor air pollution levels, you can take measures to get back fresh air into your house and a little peace of mind, hopefully.
- Arrange an air purifier.
- Invite an air quality expert.
Purchase an Indoor Air Quality Monitor
Look for air quality sensors that provide the air quality measurements. Humidity indicates potential growth for mold. Volatile organic compounds are the chemical pollutants distinguished by the EPA as potential sources of indoor air quality problems and emanate from building material, carpeting, etc. Particulate matter levels are the level of allergens and dust present in the air. The air quality index defines the hazard of health problems associated with outdoor and indoor and pollution. Few air quality monitors give additional information like outdoor air quality and carbon dioxide levels or carbon monoxide.
Evaluate Health Symptoms
Once you get the readout on your necessary air quality, it may help track health symptoms for a few weeks. Try and see if you can follow them to a specific area or a particular time of the day. For example, if you feel a headache and congestion only while you are at the office, your home air quality may not be a problem.
The kind of symptoms you experience may also give clues about the source of the problem. Confusion and nausea track more similarly to symptoms of dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in the home. Watery eyes or a scratchy throat are more often indicators of an allergic reaction to potential pollutants.
Monitor Carbon Monoxide And Radon Levels
Two of the most hazardous substances that can affect indoor air quality are radon and carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is also known as the silent killer. It is a colorless and odorless gas that can develop to dangerous levels in inadequately ventilated places. Because of the hazard to children, the elderly, and pets, you should monitor carbon monoxide at all home levels. Review the best carbon monoxide detectors’ recommendations to determine which one is the right fit for your family. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says long-term radon exposure is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. If you detect radon levels in your house, you should get the help of a professional immediately.
Get An Air Purifier
Once you identify the potential air quality problem in your home, an air purifier may be able to address some of your anxieties. Air fresheners help allergy and asthma patients by eliminating particulate matter from the air. Air purifiers cleanse the air with two methods. One is to deliver negatively energized ions, which makes pollutants stick to surfaces in the vicinity. The other way is to use HEPA filters to choose and collect particulates from the air.