Allergy Season is Over… Or Is it?
The first frost of fall brings relief for many seasonal allergy sufferers, with pollen-producing trees and plants winding down for a long winter’s nap. We make our own preparations, bringing in the patio furniture, raking leaves, digging out the sweaters. The chill in the air even inspires some to eat differently, turning to soups and savory dishes instead of watermelon and grilled favorites as we start spending more time indoors.
Indoors – where we’re safe and comfortable. Or are we? The truth is, many of the things we do in our homes – cooking, cleaning, crafts, even remodeling and decorating projects – can contribute to indoor air that’s 2 to 5 times more polluted than the air outdoors, according to the U.S. EPA. In fact, indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental health risks.
What’s in Your Home’s Air?
There are three types of indoor air pollutants: particulates, bioaerosols, and gases, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Particulate Matter: We’re most familiar with this type of indoor air pollutant – dust, pollen, pet dander, candle soot, cigarette smoke and dirt particles can circulate through our home’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, causing allergic reactions, collecting on surfaces in the home, and causing wear and tear on our HVAC equipment.
Bioaerosols: Bioaerosols are airborne particles of microbial, plant or animal origin, and include mold spores, fungi, bacteria and viruses. It’s widely believed that exposure to bioaerosols is directly linked to a wide range of adverse health effects, including contagious infectious diseases, acute toxic effects, allergies and cancer.
Gaseous Pollutants and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): According to the U.S. EPA, VOCs are gaseous chemicals found in paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, varnishes and waxes, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment, moth repellents, air fresheners, and dry-cleaned clothing. Many adverse health effects have been linked to VOC exposure, including cancer.
Other potentially dangerous gaseous pollutants include carbon monoxide, radon and nitrogen dioxide – none of which can be filtered from the air. Seek professional guidance from your local HVAC contractor on radon mitigation, and invest in regular tune-ups for all combustion appliances to ensure proper ventilation and safe operation.
Protecting Your Indoor Air
When it comes to keeping your home’s air comfortable and free of irritants, focus first on removing the source of the pollution – store chemicals in airtight containers, outside your living space if possible; launder bedclothes weekly in hot water to kill dust mites; vacuum frequently to remove pet dander; control moisture to inhibit mold growth; limit cigarette smoking to outdoors (better yet, kick the habit!); and make sure your home is properly ventilated. Your local utility, HVAC or weatherization expert can help you measure your home’s “tightness” via a blower-door test, and make recommendations on how to ensure your home is both well-ventilated and energy efficient.
Particle Removal
After source control, air cleaning is the next step toward ensuring your home’s air is both safe and comfortable. Once you’ve settled upon an air cleaner type, it’s important to maintain its efficiency by changing filters regularly, according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Gaseous Pollutant Removal
Removing some gases and odors is possible through use of a gas-phase filter, which utilizes a material called a sorbent (such as activated carbon) to collect the pollutants. Keep in mind, though, that proper ventilation is the first line of defense when it comes to diluting harmful gaseous pollutants indoors – gas-phase filtration is limited to a specific number of pollutants, and cannot reduce concentrations of other pollutants they’re not designed for.
Pollutant Destruction
Simply capturing bioaerosols such as mold spores, viruses and bacteria doesn’t ensure they won’t continue to grow and do harm. Many air cleaners use UVGI (ultraviolet germicidal irradiation) lights to go a step further – they destroy living pollutants that circulate in the air, or grow on HVAC surfaces (i.e. cooling coils, drain pans, ductwork).
For more information on indoor air quality and air cleaners, read more at www.epa.gov/iaq and www.epa.gov/iaq/pdfs/aircleaners.pdf.
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