Indoor Air Quality

On average, people spend 90 percent of their time indoors but don’t know that indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than outside air. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has indoor air quality ranked as one of the top five environmental dangers to public health. It is linked to severe asthma and allergy development in children and to heart problems and lung cancer in children and adults.

What Are Some Symptoms of Poor Indoor Air Quality?

Symptoms of poor indoor air quality depend on the particular contaminant and are sometimes mistaken for allergies, stress, colds, or flu. Some of these associated symptoms are coughing, sneezing, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, nose bleeds, sore throat, and upper respiratory congestion. Your air quality can also contribute to the development or the exacerbation of some more serious conditions including infections, lung diseases, asthma, and heart disease.

What Are Some Causes of Poor Indoor Air Quality?

Indoor air quality is affected by anything that releases gas or particles, which include combustion, personal-care products and activities, and even outdoor air quality.

Inadequate ventilation will trap contaminated air inside and can keep clean, fresh air from getting in. If you have unmaintained heating and air conditioning systems, your clogged air filters and dirty ducts will contribute to dust and mites in the air. Dampness in your house caused by floods, leaks, high humidity, or an unmaintained humidifier or dehumidifier can create mold and bacteria. Call Montgomery HVAC Service Company for help in detecting the possible sources in your home.

You May Be Polluting Your Own Air!

Your own activities can contribute to the pollutants in the air. Cleaners and personal-care products are high culprits for this. Do not smoke inside. Cigarette smoke contains 7,000 chemicals and 69 poisons known to cause cancer. Children and elderly people are particularly sensitive to this, but it is unhealthy for everyone.

Burning of any kind of fuel releases particles into the air. Adequate ventilation is necessary to keep these contaminants under control.

The last thing to consider when looking at your own indoor air quality is the possibility of old or outdated building materials in your home. These poisonous building materials include asbestos and furniture made out of wood treated with formaldehyde.

What Can You Do To Improve Your Home's Air Quality?

Follow the recommendations below to help improve your home’s air quality:

• Ensure proper ventilation around fuel-burning appliances like furnaces, fireplaces, ranges, and heaters.
• Use proper ventilation when cleaning, painting, or using harsh chemical products in your home.
• Replace and maintain your home’s air filters at least once a season.
• Have your ductwork tested for leaks.
• Clean your humidifiers and dehumidifiers regularly.
• Keep your house clean by regularly vacuuming (use a HEPA vacuum cleaner), washing bedding, and leaving shoes at the door.
• Install a carbon monoxide detector, test for radon, and leave the asbestos to the professionals!

Air Purification Systems

The award winning REME HALO^® in-duct air purifier is the next generation of indoor air quality (IAQ) technology and capable of purifying every cubic inch of air that your central air conditioning system reaches. Designed to eliminate sick building syndrome risks by reducing odors and air pollutants, the REME HALO^® in-duct air purifier is the best solution for whole house and building air purification. Invented to recreate nature’s process of purifying the air, it’s like bringing fresh outdoor air inside without ever having to open your windows. And it’s effective against all three categories of indoor air pollutants: Particulates, Microbial and Gases. You can now reduce common allergy triggers from particulates such as pollen, mold spores, dander and dust. Thoroughly tested on airborne and surface bacteria & viruses, such as MRSA, e-coli, and Norwalk, to name a few. Say goodbye to odors from cooking, pets, dirty socks, diaper pails, and musty rooms.