Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Analysis
With every breath, thousands of airborne particles enter our respiratory system. Some of them stick to the walls of our airways. Others travel deeper into our lungs. Our lungs produce mucous to trap these particles and are equipped with microscopic hairs (called cilia) that help move particle-containing mucous out of the lungs. However, anything smaller than 2.5 microns (or micrometers) can enter the alveolar portion of the lungs, where there is no efficient means of removing them. Soluble particles at this stage can enter the bloodstream within minutes, while non soluble particles can remain in the lungs, creating a target for disease. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that “small particles can leave the lung and travel through the blood to other organs, including the heart.” In the past decade, epidemiologic studies have shown a higher mortality rate among people living with elevated concentrations of fine particulate air pollution and have statistically linked excessive exposure to increased cardiovascular disease. Other serious and long term health effects caused by poor indoor air quality include aggravated asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), respiratory disease, chronic bronchitis, acute respiratory symptoms, increased risk of heart attack, and decreased lung capacity. Those suffering from heart or lung disease, asthma, diabetes, COPD, as well as children and the elderly are at an increased risk from indoor air pollutants. Though it’s impossible to shield ourselves from inhaling airborne particles, the rate of exposure and the contaminants we’re exposed to can be significantly reduced when the air in our home and work environment is no longer a contributing factor. The modern world is full of dangers we can’t see. The buildings we spend the most time inside shouldn’t be. If you could do something about it, would you?
Testing Your Air: What’s In There?
When light from a window hits your living room at just the right angle, you may see thousands of little fibers and particles floating in the air. That’s indoor air pollution, but it’s far from the whole picture. Anything smaller than around 40 microns is undetectable by the human eye. Bacteria, for instance, is typically around 3 microns in size. The fact is, the homes we live in and the buildings we work in are both built with and filled with material and products that pollute the air, and the most harmful pollutants are the ones we can’t even see. But that doesn’t mean we can’t do something about it. Understanding more about your indoor air quality—and what you can do to improve it—is as simple as calling Summit View Water Ltd to schedule an air quality test. The process is quick, simple, accurate, and it’s free! If you’re concerned about the health of your family or if you suffer from asthma, allergies or other respiratory conditions, an air quality test is the first step to creating a healthier home and a healthier you.
More About Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
Particulate matter is produced by either mechanical or chemical processes. The mechanical process involves larger matter breaking down into smaller particles without a change in chemistry. Dust from gravel roads and construction activity are just two examples. The burning of fossil fuels is an example of particles formed through the chemical process. These pollutants vaporize to condense into smaller particles. At this stage their chemistry remains unchanged, but these particles can combine with or react to other elements in the air to form other potentially harmful chemical compounds. While airborne particulates are not all alike (and though some are certainly more harmful than others), even benign particulates can cause allergic reactions, triggering asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
Airborne particulates are traditionally divided into two groups: PM10 includes particles from 2.5 to 10 microns (a strand of human hair is around 60 microns in diameter). PM2.5 are particles smaller than 2.5 microns. The smaller the particle, the longer it can stay airborne. PM2.5 can remain suspended in the air for days and even weeks and can travel extremely long distances. PM10 can remain in the air from minutes to hours before settling. Our Air Quality Monitor measures the number of both fine and superfine particles in 1/100th cubic foot of air, measuring small particluates from 0.5 microns and large particles from 2.5-5 microns.
Air Quality Chart 0.5 um - Small Particle Reading
3000+
Very Poor
1050 - 3000
Poor
300 - 1050
Fair
75 - 150
Very Good
0 - 75
Excellent
A lot more than size differentiates airborne pollutants. Some are as simple as lint and dust. Others are radioactive gases that can cling to other types of particles and remain airborne for long periods of time. Learn more about some common indoor air pollutants and their sources:
Biological Contaminants
Bacteria and viruses, animal dander, dust mites, mold, mildew, and pollen: these contaminants are introduced to the home through a variety of sources. Pollen originates from plants. Viruses are transmitted by humans and animals. Bacteria comes from people, animals, soil and plant debris. Symptoms from biological contaminants range from minor irritations such as watery eyes, dizziness, fatigue, and allergic reactions to serious infectious illnesses.
Carpet
Covering the floors of a home with chemically treated synthetic grass is perhaps the worst innovation in the history of home building. Carpet traps dust, lint, pollen and other particulate matter. As carpet is disrupted through normal household activity, it re-introduces these particulates into the air along with the carpet fibers themselves. The “new carpet smell” that some people enjoy when moving into a new home is caused by 4-phenylcyclohexene. You probably don’t know what that is, but you definitely don’t want your family breathing it. Benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene are just some of the other carcinogen-emitting chemicals found in carpet.
Central Heating and Cooling Systems
Once contaminated, a central air handling system is a potential breeding ground for mold, mildew, dust mites and other biological contaminants that are then distributed throughout the home or work place.
Household Products
Cleaning, disinfecting and de-greasing products, personal care products, paints, varnishes and solvents, etc. It seems counter-productive that the same products we use to beautify, clean and decorate with are also responsible for compromising our health, but a majority of the products we use inside our homes contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that pose serious health risks. From carpet and air fresheners to paint strippers and aerosol spray cans containing methylene chloride, there are virtually thousands of consumer household products that add up to one big health concern.
Formaldehyde
A widely used chemical used in the manufacture of building materials and household products, also a by-product of combustion. Formaldehyde is found in everything from permanent press fabrics, laminate flooring, ink, caulk, cosmetics, adhesives, carpet and tobacco smoke to pressed wood products containing urea formaldehyde resins like particleboard, sub-flooring, cabinetry, and medium density fiberboard (which contains a higher resin to wood ratio than any other fiberboard). Exposure to formaldehyde can result in a burning sensation in the eyes and throat, watery eyes, and difficulty breathing if exposed to levels exceeding 0.1ppm.
Inadequate Ventilation
Innovations in building materials and construction methods have led to highly energy efficient homes and buildings. This helps businesses and families save money on heating and cooling, but it also contributes to poor indoor air quality by diminishing the introduction of fresh air while trapping contaminated air inside. It’s estimated that we spend almost 90% of our lives indoors and that indoor air is anywhere from 2 to 100 times more polluted than outdoor air. Long New England winters mean long periods of time inside a tightly sealed house, while spring time brings yet another reason to keep the windows shut: pollen and allergies.
Radon
Radon decays into daughter elements such as Polonium. According to the National Research Council, these electrically charged elements “can attach themselves to tiny dust particles in indoor air. These dust particles can easily be inhaled into the lung and can adhere to the lining of the lung. The deposited atoms decay, or change, by emitting a type of radiation called alpha radiation, which has the potential to damage cells in the lung. Alpha radiation can disrupt DNA of these lung cells. This DNA damage has the potential to be one step in a chain of events that can lead to cancer.”
Second-hand Smoke
Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) contains a mixture of over 4,000 compounds, 40 of which are known to cause cancer.
Wood Burning | Fossil Fuel Combustion | Gas Stoves and Heaters
The major pollutants released by combustion are carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter from incomplete combustion.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that disrupts the process of oxygen circulating throughout the body.
Nitrogen dioxide is a colorless, odorless gas that irritates mucous membranes. Prolonged exposure to even low levels of nitrogen dioxide can lead to respiratory infection while high rates of exposure can lead to lung diseases such as emphysema.