You may constantly hear about new issues that should concern you and your loved ones. Don’t buy products that has BPA. Stay away from the microwave. Only save your cooking in glass containers, not plastic.
Now everyone is telling you about indoor air quality (or IAQ) in Birmingham. Don’t use strong chemicals to sanitize your home. You have to buy an air purification system. You should use essential oils as an alternative to air fresheners.
The worries never stop.
So you start to turn a deaf ear to all the noise and just try and live your life. We get it - why worry about one issue if you’re just going to have to constantly worry about everything else?
But, of anything, indoor air quality is certainly an issue you should think about, and here’s why.
It affects your health
We’ve outlined how to fight sickness and stay healthy with indoor air quality; and, we’ve shared how to Stop the Sneezes and help relieve the symptoms of allergies and asthma with recommendations to improve indoor air quality; we’ve even given you a full review of the APCO Whole-House Air Purifier to help keep your indoor air quality at its best. So now, we’ll be frank: substandard indoor air quality will negatively affect your health . We spend an estimated 90% of our life indoors and with indoor air impurities, including pet dander, dust, fibers, and virus-causing germs, lurking around our homes, it’s critical to have an air purification system that can filter our air and help eliminate the germs that cause illness.
It affects your home
Not only could bad air quality affect your lungs, it can also affect the operation of your home. Indoor air with elevated levels of pollutants lurking around is more taxing on your home’s heating and AC system. Impurities clog the parts of the blower system and the home’s air filters more quickly, causing your heating and AC system to work overtime to keep you comfortable. Your ductwork can also become filthy more rapidly, resulting in inefficient airflow.
It affects your workplace
Several studies have shown that poor indoor air quality can have a very real effect on workplace production. Not only can it exacerbate the symptoms of allergies and asthma, but the pollution emitted by copying machines, cleaning supplies, poorly maintained heating and cooling systems, and electrical equipment can cause headaches (even migraines), tearing eyes, and scratcy throats. While these symptoms may be short-lived, prolonged exposure to poor indoor air quality (and you’re probably spending at least 40 hours a week in the office) can result in skin rashes, respiratory issues, and other chronic sicknesses. On the more extreme side, radon or asbestos seeping in through fractured foundations or ceilings can lead to cancer and other terminal ailments and a strong concentration of carbon monoxide can result in sudden death.
So next time your friend starts telling you about indoor air quality, listen intently because it could be important for your health and for your home. If you are unsure if your home’s indoor air quality is great or poor, call Norrell Service Experts for a no-charge in-home analysis and we’ll determine your indoor air quality levels and go over whole-home air cleaning options with you.