Indoor Air Quality is more important than people realize. Our busy lives often prevent us from paying closer attention to those nagging and often subtle signals of discomfort inside our homes. We know the air is stuffy, or damp, or irritating to our sinuses, but dinner has to be cooked. The house has to be cleaned. The kids need a ride to basketball and bills need to be paid. We'll get to it later. But can we afford to?
Poor indoor air quality can affect the level of comfort in side your home, but more importantly poor indoor air quality can adversely affect your health and the health of those you love. World Health Organizations agree. The following excerpts are taken directly from their websites.
From the Asthma & Allergy Foundation:
"Allergies are the most frequently reported chronic condition in children, limiting activities for more than 40% of them. Allergy and asthma control begins at home. Many people with allergies stay indoors when outdoor air is full of pollen and spores. But dust mites, animal dander and even cockroaches can cause problems indoors. Controlling the air quality in your home, office and car can reduce allergy and asthma symptoms."
- Allergies are the 5th leading chronic disease in the U.S. among all ages.
From the US Consumer Product Safety Commission:"A growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities. Other research indicates that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. Thus, for many people, the risks to health may be greater due to exposure to air pollution indoors than outdoors."
From the American Lung Association (ALA):
"You may not know it, but the air in your home can be dirty and hazardous to your health. In fact, indoor air can be even more polluted than the air outdoors.
The air in your home can threaten your family’s health, especially if someone in your family has asthma or another lung disease."
From the Center For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC):
"Increases in air pollution have been linked to decreases in lung function and increases in heart attacks.
High levels of air pollution according to the EPA Air Quality Index directly affect people with asthma and other types of lung or heart disease. The elderly and children are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution."
From the American Heart Association (AHA):"...short-term exposure to airborne particles increases acute cardiovascular mortality as well as hospital admissions, and that long-term exposure reduces life expectancy."
From the American Acadamy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAA):
54.6% of all U.S. citizens test positive to one or more allergens
- Over 50% of homes had at least 6 detectable allergens presen
- Allergies may affect as many as 40 to 50 million Americans
- From the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA):
"Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) has been tied to symptoms like headaches, fatigue, trouble concentrating, and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. Also, some specific diseases have been linked to specific air contaminants or indoor environments, like asthma with damp indoor environments.
And finally, from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
"Immediate effects (of Indoor Air Pollution) may show up after a single exposure or repeated exposures. These include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Other health effects may show up either years after exposure has occurred or only after long or repeated periods of exposure. These effects, which include some respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer, can be severely debilitating or fatal.
- It is prudent to try to improve the indoor air quality in your home even if symptoms are not noticeable."
