Top 5 Home Pollutants
January 5, 2010 – 2:49 am
What types of indoor pollutants are lurking in your home? It might surprise you that excess moisture can qualify as an indoor pollutant. Although it’s important to figure out how to reduce these pollutants, it’s also crucial to identify them in your home first. Which indoor pollutants do you have and which ones don’t you have? Once you know what you’re dealing with, you can take the steps to improve your air quality.
Excess Moisture
When you have excess moisture in your home, it can affect the building’s structure as well as your health. Moisture can create a breeding ground for mold and other bacteria, which can cause illness and weaken your home’s structure. So not only can it cause asthma and allergies, it can destroy your wood and rust metal. This is why it’s crucial to have proper air distribution and exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens where warm air is produced.
Radon
This is a radioactive gas, and it can enter your house up through the soil where it’s naturally generated. Radon can cause lung cancer, so it’s wise to get your home tested to see if you have elevated levels of this gas in your living space.
Combustion Products
Did you know that your gas-fired appliances emit carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and water vapor? If your flues are damaged or your gas appliance isn’t vented properly, you can have a backdraft of some of these harmful gases.
Volatile Organic Compounds
What causes volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in your home? Well, the formaldehyde in your carpets as well as pesticides and even your body odors can cause VOCs. The VOCs from formaldehyde, pesticides and gasoline in your garage is what you need to watch.
Tobacco Smoke
Tobacco smoke can cause health consequences for smokers and non-smokers because of all of the gases and particles that are produced so this can be an indoor pollutant too.
During fall and winter, you’re more likely to be inside most of the time, so it’s beneficial to assess your home and determine how you can make your indoor environment less harmful to your health.
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