Indoor Air Pollution

When you hear about air pollution, you are likely to think of outdoor air contaminants. But what many of us don't consider is the air quality inside. In reality, the air we breathe indoors can contain pollutants that may cause allergies and health problems.

Not all homes suffer from air pollution, but if you suspect the air you are breathing indoors isn't as clean as it could be, it could be time to take steps toward removing unwanted air particles. If you or someone in your home notice allergy flare-ups, asthma, headaches, or other problems, you may need to see if poor air quality is a cause.

You can treat, prevent, or eliminate certain contaminants in your home. There are a few things to know when it comes to indoor air pollution and helping to reduce it:

• Indoor air pollution can come from various sources. These include gases, smoke (from smoking, candles, and cooking), mold, pet dander, asbestos, products you use in your home (such as cleaning products), and pesticides.
• If you have a problem with indoor air pollution, people in your household may experience symptoms like runny nose, itchy eyes, asthma flare-ups, fatigue, itchy nose and throat, and headaches, to name a few. Although these could be symptoms of something else, they can be a giveaway that something is going on with indoor air pollution. Observe any occurrences of these problems in your home, and if they seem related to air quality you may need to do something to fix the issue.
• One possible way to reduce indoor air pollution is to find and remove the source. You may need a professional to help with this. Watch out for mold, poor ventilation in your home, dirty air ducts, or any other evidence of a pollutant source. Some may be an easy fix, while others might be very serious and dangerous to deal with on your own.
• You can start using an air cleaner or purifier indoors. These can work to remove and capture any unwanted particles in the air, releasing only clean air back into your home. These can be somewhat expensive, but can work well in certain situations.

It is important to your health that you take care of any air pollution problems in your home. Try to locate the source of the issue, then work on ways to fix the problem so you can breathe easier.