Factors that Affect Indoor Air Quality
What Factors Affect Indoor Air Quality?
Today, indoor air quality (IAQ) is an important environmental consideration. Because we spend approximately as much as 90 percent of our time indoors, we must do everything possible to improve the air we breathe. During the energy crisis of the ‘70s, Americans began to tightly close their workplaces and homes in order to conserve energy resources. Currently, many families have both parents working, with less cleaning time in the home. Ventilation and cleanliness play important parts in maintaining good air quality; although, the indoor environment is impacted by many factors.
Among the factors that may impact the quality of the indoor air in your home is the air drawn from outside. Other factors may be tobacco smoke, radon, and cooking odors, as well as renovating and redecorating products, such as wallpaper, furniture and cabinetry, carpet, paints, varnishes, particle board, wood finishes, caulking, and adhesives. Interior products in the home have the potential to impact the indoor air because they emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air. The quality of indoor air also involves cleaning materials, building materials, ducts transmitting heat and air conditioning, activities in the building, people, pets, and furnishings.
One must look at the whole picture. Cleaning products used in the home, as well as interior furnishings, should be low VOC emitters, with emissions, sometimes improperly called off-gassing, that dissipate quickly. Scientific studies have demonstrated that new carpet is one of the lowest emitters of VOCs into the indoor environment and that these emissions dissipate very quickly. The low-level VOC emissions and the harmless odor from new carpet dissipate within the first 48 to 72 hours after installation. Carpet has not posed any health problems for millions of satisfied customers. Carpet is made primarily of the same innocuous materials found in clothing and other everyday fabrics; i.e., polyester, nylon, and olefin fibers, latex (synthetic rubber), and polypropylene (olefin) fabric backing.
Common Factors That Affect IAQ:
People (exhalation, skin flakes, body odors, diseases)
Activities (work such as cleaning, using correction fluids, carbonless paper, pest control products, and personal activities such as wear fragrances and smoking)
Technology (photocopiers and laser printers)
Furnishings (furniture, draperies, floor coverings)
Finishes (paint, varnish, vinyl wall coverings)
Building materials (caulking compounds, adhesives, wood laminates, particleboard, carpeting)
Moisture & Mold (leaks around plumbing, doors, windows, roofing & façade)
Outdoor air quality
Inadequate or contaminated air handling units
Inadequate cleaning practices (poor housekeeping)
How to Reduce Allergies in Your Home
Indoor allergens that can be found in the home include dust mites, pet dander, mold, and cockroach allergens. An allergist may recommend environmental control measures for the home depending upon the offending allergen. Complete avoidance may be difficult, but simple steps can be taken to reduce exposure:
Lack of circulation
Opening windows to let indoor allergens out of the home can bring outdoor allergens such as pollen and mold spores into the house.
Instead, use heat and air conditioning to clean, circulate and dehumidify the air in the home. Also, using a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to remove airborne allergens, such as pet dander, can lessen the amount of circulating allergens. Dust mites and cockroach allergens are heavy particles that do not stay suspended in the air and settle quickly, so air filters do not work well for these allergens.
Moisture
Dust mites and molds thrive only in high humidity areas. Maintain the home's relative humidity level below 55 percent by using heat and/or air-conditioning equipment consistently and using a dehumidifier where necessary - doing so will discourage dust mites and mold growth. Repair all roof and plumbing leaks to prevent mold growth.
Cleaning
Cleaning is the best way to reduce allergens. Done regularly, cleaning stops allergens from accumulating, which helps minimize allergy and/or asthma symptoms. Pay special attention to the bedroom since most exposure to dust mites is while sleeping - 60 percent of dust mite allergen is found in mattresses and bedding. In order to control these allergens, wash bed linens in hot water (at least 130oF) weekly and vacuum mattresses regularly. Comforters, blankets and curtains should be washed frequently. Encase pillows, mattresses and box springs in "allergen-control" covers, and freeze or wash stuffed animals weekly in hot water (at least 130o F).
Clean and disinfect wet, warm areas - such as kitchens and bathrooms - weekly to stop mold growth.
Smooth floors should be vacuumed, dusted and wet mopped weekly. When sweeping, take care not to circulate dust from the floor into the air.
Vacuum carpet and rugs at least once a week - twice a week in bedrooms and high-traffic areas. Use a well-functioning vacuum cleaner that has adjustable brushes, and bears the Carpet and Rug Institute's Vacuum Cleaner Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Testing Program green label. These are vacuum cleaners that have been tested for and meet strict standards for removing soil and containing the dust within the bag and the vacuum cleaner. Vacuum cleaners may produce dramatically different cleaning results and impact on the indoor environment. The green label program endorses only vacuum cleaners that perform each of the following three tasks well: soil removal, dust containment (without putting the dust back into the air) and carpet appearance retention.
Vacuum upholstered furniture regularly, and clean hard furniture with a damp cloth. A damp cloth should be used on window treatments, windowsills and window frames, ceiling fans, light fixtures, and storage units as well. Dust also can be reduced by storing books and knick-knacks in closed cabinets - doing so leaves fewer places for dust to settle and makes cleaning easier.