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Indoor air quality

indoor air quality

Indoor Air Quality is a most important component when it comes to structures such as office buildings, schools, and homes. Indoor Air Quality, or IAQ for short, is the air that is in and circulated through the just mentioned structures. Having good air flowing through your building or home is incredibly beneficial and is a game changer in many aspects. First, let’s break down the reasons that poor air quality comes into play.

  •  Asbestos

While it is not commonly used as insulation (as it once was), there have been many buildings that are older and are still a hazard to deal with, especially if a building owner/home owner wants to upgrade the structure or even demolish it. The other point to remember is that newly installed flooring and carpets can be culprits as well. Even cabinetry or furniture featuring wood pressed products can be culprits of poor indoor air.

  •  Appliances

These type of appliances are devices installed in a building or home that burn fossil fuel or carbon based fuel, and produce carbon monoxide as a combustion by-product. Some of these appliances include stoves, ovens, clothes dryers, boilers, and water heaters just to name a few.

  •  Excess Moisture

While offices and schools can deal with these problems (especially in states on the Eastern seaboard such as Florida), the main victim of excess moisture is the home. Cooking, washing, and bathing are just some of the common routine chores and actions that will lead to having this hazzard become a homeowner’s nightmare. Let us not forget that family members and pets are bringing in liters of water into the house everyday, along with moisture from soil that comes from a basement or crawl space.

Other IAQ problems that come up are tobacco products smoked in most homes, cleaning products used to clean tile, walls, floors, and other surfaces, and outdoor sources such as radon, pesticides, and outdoor pollution. These factors are the catalysts when it comes to the health of those that come in contact with said problems. Indoor pollution sources release gases and particles into the air. Poor ventilation adds to spreading these pollutants around businesses and homes, and high
humidity can bring concentrations of these pollutants into these structures.

The effects that happen to people can vary, but they all causes poor health issues and can be very dangerous and even deadly. Asbestos can cause respiratory difficulties,
and excess moisture brings about mold which causes problems such as sinus stuffiness, throat irritation, and coughing and wheezing. Therefore, it is easy to see that having indoor air quality that is more than adequate is not just a requirement to have a nice office space, place of learning, or home, it is a necessity to the health of everyone that will deal with one if not all of these places in their lifetime. These issues can be solved and dealt with by making sure buildings and homes are sound in how they are built and are holding up, that ventilation is great and not blocked in any way, and by making sure moisture and humidity is kept checked in place.

Open windows when the weather permits, using less  chemically treated cleaning products, using products that remove moisture from the air, and running the air
conditioner to circulate indoor/outdoor air are just a few idea to make sure your indoor air quality is always at the best level it can be.

  • restricted air flow

If too little outdoor air moves indoors, pollutants can accumulate to levels that can pose comfort and health problems. Until eventually properties are constructed with specific mechanical means of venting, those built and designed to diminish the entire sum of outside air that can”flow” outside as well as in may possibly possess larger indoor pollutant amounts.

the impact of mold on indoor air quality

There are many strains of mold that can grow indoors, and they can cause everything from a mild allergic response to severe respiratory distress. In some people, exposure to specific species of mold can contribute to cancer, pulmonary fibrosis and other potentially fatal conditions.
 

Mold thrives in damp, dark environments with moderate temperatures. Certain areas of your home or business property may be conducive to mold growth, such as bathrooms, laundry rooms, storage areas and anywhere where condensation gathers. In addition, mold often grows in areas near a present or former water leak. 

Mold spores can become airborne easily and may be unknowingly inhaled. Whether the spores enter the air ducts or are growing in the air ducts, they can circulate throughout the entire space when the HVAC system runs. One small area of mold growth can easily turn into a property-wide issue if the growth is not identified and removed properly and quickly.
 

signs of mold growth in your home or commercial building

The most obvious signs of mold growth are visible. When most people think about indoor mold, they think about splotchy areas of dark green or black growth. However, some mold species can be white, dark yellow, blue and other colors. This substance may be found growing on drywall, wood trim, bathtubs, upholstery and more. It may also grow behind wallpaper, underneath carpet and in other others that may be more difficult to find. 
 
You do not have to see mold growing indoors to have a mold problem. Other signs of indoor mold growth include a generally damp feeling indoors, a musty odor and health symptoms. These symptoms may range from a sore throat, headache and cough to severe congestion, more frequent asthma attacks and others. 
 

 

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