What Is Indoor Air Quality?
Indoor air quality is just as important as outdoor air quality. Outdoor air can contain harmful pollution. But indoor air can actually be worse than outdoor air. When you’re managing asthma and allergies, you should take steps to make sure your indoor air quality is healthy.
The following can affect indoor air quality:
- Allergens
- Scents, chemicals, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
- Outdoor air pollution
Allergens
Indoor air can have a lot of allergens, like dust mites, pets, cockroaches, and mold.
Dust mites are tiny creatures that can be found in many homes. They thrive in furniture, carpets and bedding.
People with pet allergies are usually allergic to proteins in the pet’s urine, saliva, or dander (dead skin cells). Pet allergens can collect on many surfaces. Sometimes the allergens may remain at high levels for several months and cling to walls, furniture, clothing, and other surfaces.
Dust mites and pet dander can be found on:
- Surfaces
- Fabric furniture
- Curtains, throws, and pillows
- Carpets and rugs
- Bedding
- Under and on top of furniture
- Among clutter
Mold is a fungus that can be found both indoors and outside. Outdoors, you can find it on rotting wood, damp leaves, and on grasses and grains. When a mold source is disturbed, it can send spores into the air where they can make their way into your sinuses and lungs.
Inside, mold can be found:
- Near sinks, showers, and toilets
- Near water leaks, such as from appliances, pipes, and roofs
- In basements and damp or humid areas of your home
- In the soil of overwatered house plants
- On produce
Cockroaches can cause asthma and allergy symptoms year-round. They like warm conditions, damp places, and food sources. Even dead cockroaches can cause reactions.
Scents, Chemicals, and Other Sources of Indoor Air Pollution
Scents, both good and bad, can affect your indoor air quality. Any kind of scent could trigger asthma symptoms. These can include scented candles, potpourri, perfumes, wax warmers, and cleaning supplies.
Some other items in your home can release gasses called VOCs. This is called offgassing. VOCs can be 2 to 5 times higher indoors than outdoors.1 VOCs can have some short-term effects, but experts aren’t sure yet of long-term effects.
Sources of VOCs can include:
- New furniture
- New mattresses
- New carpet
- New building materials
- Paint and varnish
- Cleaning supplies
- Air fresheners
- Pesticides
Other sources of indoor air pollution include:
- Fuel-burning heat sources (like wood-burning stoves, kerosene heaters)
- Smoke from cooking, candles, fireplaces, or tobacco
- Attached garages that store cars, motorcycles, or lawnmowers (can add carbon monoxide to your air)
- Radon (a gas that comes from the ground and enters a home and can rise to dangerous levels)
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Outdoor Air Pollution
Outdoor air pollution is caused by particles and gasses that are not normally part of the air. This can come from pollen, smoke, dust, ozone, and emissions from cars and factories. All of these can create poor outdoor air quality.
Bad outdoor air quality can make asthma and allergies worse. And bad air can easily enter your home. No home is completely air tight. Outdoor air can come in through leaks around doors and windows. It can also come in every time you open a window or door. You can bring pollen and smoke particles inside on your clothing.
Allergens, scents, chemicals, and outdoor air in your home all work together to affect your indoor air quality.
References
1. Volatile Organic Compounds’ Impact on Indoor Air Quality. (2017, April 19). Retrieved September 14, 2017, from www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/volatile-organic-compounds-impact-indoor-air-quality