Is Indoor Air Quality Worse than Outdoor?
Posted in Air Quality, on October 03, 2018
There are many differing opinions on air quality - is indoor air quality worse than outdoor or is it the other way around? You may be surprised to learn that indoor air quality is often similar to, or greater than outdoor pollution regardless of where you live (or in some cases because of it). Maintaining a high indoor air quality is a key part of good health, and it’s worth knowing how poor indoor air quality may affect you.
What Does Research Tell Us?
Some of the latest scientific opinions on indoor air quality aren’t good. Because of smoke, spores, and chemicals, your indoor air quality may be more harmful to you than the pollution outdoors. Air pollution is more than just factory smoke or car exhaust and a recent study published in Science of the Total Environment found that sources inside the home like cooking residues, paints, varnishes, and mold made the air inside our homes more dangerous than the air outdoors.
The researchers noted that environmental sensors are now relatively inexpensive and could help people keep tabs on their indoor air quality. When it comes to developing nations, the question of is indoor air quality worse than outdoor takes on a different tone - the WHO says that in homes where the cooking is done on coal burning stoves, over 4 million deaths were attributed to this type of indoor air pollution in 2012, versus just under 3 million deaths from outdoor air pollution.
Why Indoor Air Pollution can be Worse than Outdoor
So why is indoor air quality worse than outdoor? Knowing what may be polluting your indoor air quality and reducing or eliminating the causes can have a positive effect on your respiratory system, skin, mood, and more. Toxins in the air can even cause your skin to age prematurely, so clean indoor air might even help you stay young!
Common pollutants in your indoor air quality may be:
- Tobacco smoke
- Building materials
- Cleaning products
- Furniture and textiles
- Air fresheners
- Printers and photocopiers
Problems like a lack of ventilation or too much or too little humidity can make the effects of these pollutants worse. If you have family members who suffer from asthma or other respiratory complaints, indoor air pollution can aggravate and increase symptoms and attacks.
How SafeAir Can Help
Is indoor air quality worse than outdoor in your home? If you don’t know the answer to this, SafeAir can help. We have over a decade of experience helping people correct and improve their home or business’s indoor air quality. We use specialized professional equipment to enable us to make sophisticated readings that can help pinpoint the exact cause of any air quality disturbances. As trusted professionals, we work with you to help you achieve your indoor air quality goals for a safer, happier home environment. The answer to the question, Is Indoor air quality worse than outdoor? can change from home to home based on complex factors that take into account many things, including your home’s outdoor environment. Therefore, if you have any questions about the measures you can take to improve your indoor air quality, please get in touch!