The quality of the air in your home is important for your health and well-being. When contaminants like dust, mold spores, and volatile organic compounds are present, this can lead to allergy symptoms, headaches, nausea, dizziness, and more. Specific safety information can help you protect your indoor air quality and your family.
Ventilation Is Important
It’s imperative that you have a healthy exchange of air between the inside of your residence and the outdoors. This allows for the removal of contaminants, replacing stale indoor air with fresh air.
You likely have exhaust fans in your bathroom and kitchen. You should run these fans each day to remove humid or contaminated air from your house. There’s additional equipment that can be used to further ventilate your home as well, including energy recovery ventilators and heat recovery ventilation.
Chemical Exposure
There are many chemicals that can be present in a home’s circulating air. These include formaldehyde, benzene, carbon monoxide, radon, and lead. At high concentrations, these chemicals can make you feel sick and have the potential to increase your risk of developing certain types of cancer. They can also lead to chronic health issues like fatigue, migraine headaches, and systemic inflammation.
Exposure to radon has been estimated to be the cause of 3% to 14% of lung cancer cases in the United States. Exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide can be deadly as well.
It’s important to use different devices and alarms to monitor the quality of your indoor air. An indoor air quality assessment can determine what kind of contaminants are present.
Prevent Exposure
There are safe choices you can make in your home that will minimize exposure. If you’re doing any kind of construction work in your house, make sure appropriate ventilation occurs during the process and while materials are off-gassing.
You should minimize the number of chemical-based products you have in your home. This includes cleaners, air fresheners, and beauty products. Select greener options that are made using natural ingredients or essential oils.
Prevent people from smoking in your home as well. Secondhand smoke can increase your risk of cancer and heart disease. If you’re exposed to cigarette smoke in your house, consider purchasing a carbon-activated filter for your furnace or purification equipment. It can reduce smells and absorb chemicals.
Whether you need indoor air quality services for your home or commercial air services in Monroe, LA, you can reach out to Gordon AC & Plumbing for assistance. Equipment like high-quality filters and whole-house purification units can help remove contaminants and promote clean indoor air.
