The Air We Breathe (Part 2)OUTDOOR AIR, INDOOR AIR AND AIR-CONDITIONING
controlling your exposure to triggers outdoors is hard. You may have to avoid outdoor air pollution, pollen, and mold spores. Any time air pollution and pollen levels are high; it's a good idea to stay indoors.
The air at home is easier to control. Some people with asthma and allergies notice that their symptoms get worse at night. Trigger controls in the bedroom or wherever you sleep need the most care. Let's remember that we are in our bedrooms 8 to 10 hours each 24 hour period. If the air quality in the bedroom is bad, we are most likely going to be effected.
Air-conditioning can help, It allows windows and doors to stay closed which keeps out some triggers, but can also trap other and more potentially harmful contaminants inside. The E.P.A. has done studies on the indoor air quality of residential homes and found that many homes have much worse indoor air quality than outside. In fact the E.P.A. has quoted 2 to 20 times worse in most cases. Why is the inside air in so many cases worse than outside? If you think about it, anything that is outside is getting inside as well, and then we add to our indoor air quality hair spray, cleaning products, VOC'S from our building materials in the home such as Formaldehyde or high VOC paints. So why is it such a surprise that our indoor air quality is bad? So what does this all mean? What does that tell us! Running our A/C will lower indoor humidity which helps to control mold growth and dust mites, but if the indoor air quality is already bad, closing up the house will only make you feel worse. Here is the key to this problem in my opinion. Get your home professionally inspected for airborne contaminants by a trained and certified I.A.Q. professional. www.jlcinspections.com The American Indoor Air Quality Council is the only third party certifying body in the United States. Visit their web site to get a qualified person in your area. www.iaqcouncil.org
After you get the home inspected, follow the recommended next steps of your inspector, such as cleaning up any water damage and mold, or cleaning and or eliminating carpet, and then keep a good air flow going through the home whenever possible. Whenever it is not possible try to avoid too much air-conditioning or too much heat. Room air temperature should be comfortable for someone with allergies or asthma. Some people can't tolerate a big change in temperature, particularly from warm to cold air.
There are some devices that effectively remove particles from air such as HEPA filtration is a great help for some people. If you have a large problem in your home, this is only a band aid and is not the final answer. The next edition will talk about common triggers and how to control them. See ya on the next addition of The Air We Breathe
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