Improving Your Indoor Air Quality
This page contains information about allergies within the home. You can find information about house dust mite, pet allergy and mould allergy advice. All factsheets are downloadable at the bottom of this page. Click here to access them.
We are a leading partner in the fight for increased recognition of the devastating effect that poor indoor air quality can have on health. We are supporting Clean Air Day as a way to bring the issue of poor indoor air quality to the attention of politicians, decision makers in the building and construction industry and the broader public.
Good indoor air quality is crucial for human health and particularly important for vulnerable groups i.e. babies, children, the elderly, as well as people living with respiratory and allergic diseases. Our Head of Clinical Services, Amena Warner explains: “Social behaviour has changed and today people spend on average 90% of their time indoors. Our indoor environments are often poorly ventilated causing humidity to rise and creating ideal conditions for mould and house dust mites to thrive in our soft furnishings and bedding. We are a nation of pet lovers, with our pets often living indoors which can also add to allergens in the indoor environment.
“A minimum of 9,000 deaths every year are attributed to indoor air pollution in the UK and indoor air levels of many pollutants may be 2-10 times higher than outdoor levels. This is shocking and we are encouraging everyone to use Clean Air Day as an opportunity to learn more about indoor air quality and why clean air matters. We need to act now to protect future generations by working together to find solutions to improve the quality of the air we breathe in our own homes.”
Many of the allergens that cause an allergic reaction can be found in our own homes (and even our place of work).
House dust mites, for example, are tiny creatures, just a quarter of a millimetre long. House dust mite allergy is very common and associated with asthma, eczema and perennial allergic rhinitis. Mites are found in carpets, soft furnishing and clothing but a significant amount of exposure to house dust mite allergens happens in bed. You can take measures to avoid house dust mite, which will help, but will not entirely remove dust mite allergens.
Mould is another culprit. It is the spores from the mould that can trigger allergic symptoms such as runny/itchy nose, itchy eyes, eczema and, most importantly, asthma. There are ways to avoid moulds - ventilation is key to help stop moulds flourishing in a damp environment.
And our domestic pets can also cause problems. Contact with our pets can lead to exposure to animal allergens and in the UK, pets are the second most important cause of allergy in the home and it’s not only cats and dogs. There can also be allergic reactions to other animals such as rabbits, hamsters and other furry domestic pets.
For more information, symptoms and tips to avoid allergens in the home please see our fact sheets.