Common indoor air quality problems and inside air pollution can affect you at both your home and your place of work. This means it’s essential to find a reputable Phoenix-area indoor air quality services company to conduct routine deep cleaning of your air ducts and vents.
Why Is Indoor Air Quality Important?
Perhaps the most significant thing anyone can do to improve their quality of life is to improve the quality of the air they breathe. Indoor air pollution is a real safety hazard, and all it takes is a single exposure to a pollutant to trigger adverse health effects.
According to the EPA, most people spend about 90% of their time inside. Furthermore, indoor air tends to be more polluted than outdoor air. When you combine these two statements, it’s easier to understand why it’s essential to take indoor air pollution seriously.
What Are The Health Effects of Indoor Air Pollution?
There are both short- and long-term health effects of indoor air pollution and breathing in allergens, contaminants, or pollutants inside your home. A single exposure can lead to an array of symptoms:
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- Difficulty breathing
- Dizziness
- Eye, nose, and throat irritation
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Nausea
These symptoms’ intensity can change dramatically depending on your age, history of respiratory issues, and levels of previous exposure to the allergen or pollutant. Luckily, if these symptoms occur in a place you infrequently visit, such as a retail store, you will usually start to feel better once you leave that location. However, repeated or extended exposure can lead to serious long-term health effects, such as cancer, heart disease, or respiratory diseases.
What Causes Indoor Air Quality Problems?
The sources of indoor air quality problems and pollution are often the same as the sources of outdoor air pollution:
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- Combustible products, like coal, gas, kerosene, and wood
- Radon
- Pesticides
- Smoke from Arizona forest fires
The air outside often makes its way into your home or business through poor ventilation, open windows, and doors, or your building’s air exchange. This makes it all but impossible to escape outdoor air pollution.
There is also a bevy of sources that come from inside your home or business too:
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- Allergens
- Asbestos
- Central heating and cooling systems
- Dust mites
- Furniture made from some wood-based products
- Household cleaning products
- Humidifiers
- Recently installed carpets, flooring, or upholstery
When you consider that outdoor air pollution can often enter your home and mix with the contaminants and pollutants inside, it becomes easier to understand why indoor air is often more contaminated than outdoor air.
What Are The Signs of Poor Indoor Air Quality?
One of the clearest signs you’re dealing with air quality issues inside your home or place of work is your health. If you find that you’re coughing, sneezing, or wheezing in either location, but those symptoms cease once you leave, it’s likely you’re dealing with the effects of poor indoor air quality.
However, there are other signs that a location contains low-quality air:
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- Condensation on walls or windows
- Dirty or dusty central heating and air-cooling equipment
- Frequent comments from guests about a musty smell
- Items, such as books or shoes, contain visible signs of mold
- Stuffy air
If you discover any of these signs of indoor air quality problems, you must take steps to rectify the situation immediately.
How Can You Improve Your Indoor Air Quality?
There are many ways to improve indoor air quality, however, here are three key ways to improve a building’s air quality:
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- Eliminate sources of pollution
- Improve the building’s ventilation
- Use air cleaners or purifiers
Eliminating the source of pollution can be a cost-effective way to improve air quality. For instance, if your home or business uses asbestos-containing insulation, you can re-seal the area, so particles don’t escape into the air.
The easiest way to improve ventilation is by opening a window to allow fresh air inside. However, this method may not always be enough to remove all pollutants, and if the weather outside is cold or rainy, you may not want to keep your window open long enough.
Another common source of ventilation problems is clogged or dirty dryer vents. When a dryer vent becomes clogged, it can also become the source of a fire.
The final option available is the use of air cleaners or purifiers. Modern air purifiers can improve air quality and kill germs, further helping to reduce the effects of poor indoor air quality.
Eliminate Indoor Air Quality Problems in Phoenix with A-Z Air Duct
Whether the issue is at home or your place of work, A-Z Duct Cleaning offers a variety of indoor air quality services:
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- Air Duct Cleaning
- Air purification at Home or at Work
- Dryer Vent Cleaning
- Dusting
- Negative Pressure Air Duct Cleaning
If you’re in the Phoenix area, give us a call today at 602-466-2234. You can also reach out through our website.
Sources:
https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/introduction-indoor-air-quality
https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/inside-story-guide-indoor-air-quality
https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/iaq_intro.html
https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/identifying-problems-indoor-environments
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