In America, we spend much of our time indoors. This could be in our homes, in our places of employment, in schools, and even in daycare agencies. When considering subpopulations such as people who live with disabilities, the elderly, young children, and infants, that amount of time might be even more. Because of the sheer amount of time that we spend indoors, it is critical to understand that our exposure to various pollutants occurs both inside and outside, and we need to work to decrease this increasing amount of pollutants to our environments that can be found inside our buildings… pollutants that can increase the amount of harmful chemicals in our bodies.
Nobody wants their home filled with pests. If you are going to attempt to deal with pests yourself as opposed to calling one of the pest control services in your area, try to use methods that do not contain any sort of chemicals. If you do have to use a pesticide, make sure to ventilate the area well after using it. If you can find natural pesticides, this would be best. They have fewer of the harmful side effects and they break down in the environment more quickly than those filled with synthetic chemicals. Try not to forget that they are poison and can be very harmful to you. You might even try to find some ant and roach killer that is poison free. These use mint oil that is food grade and it takes only seconds to kill bugs. Also, if you have any indoor pets and or plants, try to wash them frequently because they will attract bugs.
There might already be pollution inside your home. Test your basement for radon, and check other spaces in your home for things like mold and excessive dampness. You can try to prevent the growth of mold by making sure that water doesn’t collect near your drainage systems or at those areas where your mechanical ventilation condenses. This is important because mold can contribute to a variety of health conditions such as fatigue, asthma, and other types of ailments. Other places to check for mold include skylights, windows, leaky pipes, and the like… anywhere where you think moisture might be able to creep in.
Indoor Air Contaminants
Contaminants in the air indoors can come from inside the building itself, or they may be drawn inside from outdoors. If the sources of the contaminants are not controlled, then you can begin to have problems with the indoor air quality. This can be true even when your HVAC systems are well maintained and have been designed properly. It might help if you think of pollutants to the air as falling into various categories. These categories include things like contaminated outdoor air, emissions from sources nearby, soil gas, standing water or moisture that promotes an excess of microbial growth, and more.
The HVAC system in a building will include all of the ventilation, heating, and cooling equipment that serves the building. This can include things like steam piping, filters, ductwork, exhaust fans, air handling units, cooling towers, chillers, furnaces and boilers. Your HVAC system can also be a source of contaminants. There might be dust in or on the ductwork or on some of the other components. You might have mold or other types of microbial growth in your coils, ductwork, humidifiers, and or drip pans. There might be improper use of things like leaning compounds, sealants, and or biocides. The combustion products might not be venting properly. Also, the refrigerant might leak.
CO, or carbon monoxide, is an odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas that is produced as a product of combustion when the fuel that is used is burned incompletely. Any vehicle or appliance that burns charcoal, wood, oil, propane, kerosene, or gasoline will create this gas and can be a risk for anyone exposed to it. This means that CO emissions can come from things like wood burning fireplaces, stoves, dryers powered by gas, hot water heaters, space heaters, and furnaces. Exposure to this gas can lead to your cardiovascular and neurological systems being adversely affected. To avoid being poisoned by this gas, it is recommended that you have a carbon monoxide detector on each floor of your buildings and homes.