5 Items That Can Affect Air Quality In Your Home

Posted in Air Quality, on July 16, 2015

Are you constantly experiencing headaches, dizziness, or fatigue? Perhaps, the items in your home are the sources of indoor air pollution. We spend most of our time indoors, where we face considerable health risks because of constant exposure to air pollutants in our homes as well as other indoor settings. Pollutant exposure can result in various long-term and immediate health problems ranging from confusion to allergic skin reactions. Here's a list of items that could potentially affect your home's air quality.

1. Carpet

Carpet materials can release various volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Furthermore, these household items harbor dust mites, dirt, among other particles that can cause lung irritation and prompt asthma attacks and reduce the indoor air quality of your home or office. The chemicals that manufacture carpets also play a major role in polluting the air. Formaldehyde is the most common chemical present in carpets. The chemical can cause throat irritation and lung damage. Few carpets use natural products in their manufacture and the processes that manufacture them are less natural. It isn't uncommon to find people experiencing odd health effects following installation in their homes. Older carpets can also pose health risks and affect air quality. Dust, dander, mold, and dander can settle in, making the removal process hard. Various pollutants settle in older carpets before reaching the air and your lungs. These pollutants produce various problems including skin irritation and frequent headaches. Nevertheless, you can purchase carpets that use nontoxic materials.

2. Cleaning Products

Cleaning products are essential for sustaining healthful and appealing conditions in the home. However, these products can pose numerous environmental and health concerns. They may comprise chemicals linked to skin, eye, or other health issues. Furthermore, the concentrated forms of some cleaning products are hazardous, creating possible storage, disposal, and handling issues for users. VOCs in cleaning products can also affect air quality besides contributing to smog formation in external air. For this reason, it's imperative you buy environmentally friendly and non toxic products.

3. Furniture and Cabinets

Cabinets, shelving, furniture and other household items made with pressed wood possibly have formaldehyde affecting the air quality. When new, furniture items and wood products can release formaldehyde that can also lead to nose, eye, and throat irritation as well as coughing, fatigue, and skin rash. Moreover, the sealers, stains, and topcoats conventionally used by the furniture industry comprise solvents that pollute the air. High concentrations of formaldehyde may also trigger asthma attacks. People who experience severe reactions to formaldehyde should avoid using pressed wood merchandise and other formaldehyde-emitting products. Regardless of whether you experience such reactions, you may wish to decrease your exposure by buying products, which release less formaldehyde.

4. Kitchen Stove

Numerous kitchen appliances emit colorless pollutants. For instance, heating equipment, particularly stoves can emit carbon monoxide, which can produce headaches, fatigue, and dizziness. Carbon monoxide could also result in death at high exposure levels. It can also produce particulates and nitrogen dioxide, which could cause respiratory problems, eye, throat, and nose inflammation. Simply cooking on a stove could actually produce unsafe nitrogen dioxide levels into the air, increasing the likelihood of asthma attacks and other respiratory problems and negatively affecting indoor air quality. Another concern is steam, which can encourage mold growth.

5. Air Freshener

Although they cover up bad smells, these items could actually worsen indoor air by releasing deadly pollutants at levels that may produce health risks. Researchers reveal that numerous fresheners comprise considerable quantities of ethylene-based glycol ethers, which produce blood and neurological effects, including fatigue, tremor, nausea, and anemia. Numerous air fresheners also comprise phthalates- a chemical that softens plastics and is present in plastic products and toys. These items also comprise formaldehyde, which can generate symptoms such as headaches and dizziness.

While most people don't think about indoor air pollution, it can produce adverse health reactions. Consequently, it's imperative you examine the items that could potentially affect your home's air quality. If you need assistance with air quality issues, kindly contact us for a solution: (416 )414-5690