09/24/2020
Ok everyone as promised here you go. I know it’s a little long but it’s a very good read here is the information about indoor air quality I said I would post.
Homefront Heating & Cooling
Waxhaw NC, 28173
980-214-8614
INDOOR AIR QUALITY
We tend to think of air pollution as something outside, smog, ozone, or haze hanging in the air, especially in the summer. But the truth is, the air inside our homes, and other buildings can be more polluted than the air outside. According to the EPA, indoor levels of pollutants may be 2 to 5 times, and occasionally 100 times, higher than outdoor pollutant levels. Indoor air pollutants have been ranked among the top five environmental risks to public health. The air inside your home may be polluted by lead (in house dust) fire-retardants, even volatile chemicals from fragrances used in conventional cleaners. Some pollutants are tracked into the home.
In that mix, you’ll also find microscopic dust mites, a major allergen, plus mold and lots of pet dander. Even if you don’t have pets, you’ve probably have pet dander. Pet dander has become know as what’s called a community allergen. Pet owners carry it on there clothes and shed it throughout the day. You can’t get away from it.
Children, people with asthma, and the elderly may be especially sensitive to indoor pollutants, but other effects on health may appear years later, after repeated exposure.
Indoor allergens and irritants have become much more important in recent decades because we’re spending more time indoors, and because modern homes have become more airtight, these irritants can’t easily escape. We are exposed to a greater degree than we were three or four decades ago.
Here are some simple steps you can use to improve your homes indoor air quality.
Chemicals and allergens can accumulate in household dust for decades. By using a vacuum with a hepa filter you can reduce concentrations of lead in your home. You can also get rid of other toxins, like brominated fire-retardant chemicals (PBDEs) as well as allergens like pollen, pet dander, and dust mites.
Using a vacuum cleaner that has a strong suction, rotating brushes, and a hepa filter ensures that dust and dirt won’t get blown back out in the exhaust. In high traffic areas, vacuum the same spot several times. Don’t forget walls, carpet edges, and upholstered furniture, where dust accumulates. For best results, vacuum two or more times each week and wash out your filter regularly.
Mopping picks up the dust that vacuuming leaves behind. You can skip the soaps and cleaners and just use plain water to capture any lingering dust or allergens. New microfiber mops (and dust cloths) reportedly capture more dust and dirt than traditional fibers and don’t require any cleaning solutions whatsoever.
Put a large door mat at every door. People track in all sorts of chemicals via the dirt on their shoes. A door mat reduces the amount of dirt, pesticides, and other pollutants from getting in your home. If the mat is big enough, even those who don’t wipe their shoes will leave most pollutants on the mat, not the floors in your home.
Dust mites and mold love moisture. Keeping humidity around 30%-50% helps keep them and other allergens under control. A dehumidifier (and air conditioner during the summer months) helps reduce moisture in indoor air and effectively controls allergens. An air conditioner also reduces indoor pollen count, another plus for allergy sufferers.
You may associate that lemony or piney scent with a clean kitchen or clean clothes. But synthetic fragrances in laundry products and air fresheners emit dozens of different chemicals into the air. You won’t find their names on the product labels. Conventional laundry detergents, fabric softeners, dryer sheets, and air fresheners in solid, spray, and oil form may emit such gasses.
In one study, a plug-in air freshener was found to emit 20 different volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including seven regulated as toxic or hazardous under U.S. federal laws. But these chemicals were not included on the label, only the word “fragrance” is required to be listed. But the actual composition of fragrance is considered a “trade secret.”
Most fragrances are derived from petroleum products, and generally haven’t been tested to see if they have any significant adverse health effects in humans when they are inhaled. (tests usually focus on whether a fragrance causes skin irritation.) some that have been tested raise concern. Phthalates are a group of chemicals often used in fragrances and also used to soften plastics. Studies show that phthalates disrupt hormones in animals. What can you do.
• Look for fragrance free or naturally scented laundry products.
• Switch to mild cleaners that don’t include artificial fragrances.
• Stop using aerosol sprays- deodorants, hair sprays, carpet cleaners, furniture polish, and air fresheners.
• Let in fresh air. Open windows so toxic chemicals don’t build up in your home. What if your child has pollen allergies? Then keep rooms ventilated with a filtered air conditioning system.
• Use sliced lemons and baking soda to get a clean scent in the kitchen.
• Bring nature indoors. Any room is prettier with a fern, spider plant, or aloe vera. It’s also healthier. NASA research shows that indoor plants like these act as living air purifiers, the foliage and roots work in tandem to absorb chemical pollutants released by synthetic materials. If you have kids or pets, make sure the plants aren’t poisonous if ingested.
Research shows that filtration is one of the many effective ways to improve your indoor air and reduce or remove the sources of indoor pollutants. Using a portable air cleaner and/or upgrading the air filter in your furnace or central heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can help improve indoor air quality. Portable air cleaners are designed to filter the air in a single room or area. Central furnace or HVAC filters are designed to filter air throughout a home.
HVAC air filters have a MERV rating. MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, and is a measure of how well a filter removes particles from the air. MERV ratings fall on a scale from 1-20, with the higher numbers indicating better performance. So, when you look at the full spectrum of what’s floating around in the air in your home, MERV ratings reflect a filters performance. Higher numbers indicate a better filtration of the smaller particles, like pollen and smoke, that in many cases cause respiratory issues. Standard HVAC air filters have a MERV rating of 1-8. Whole house air cleaners/media cabinets can be added to system to accommodate higher performance air filters with a MERV rating of 13 and above that can trap smaller particles, including many viruses. In many cases air cleaners/media cabinets can be combined with UVC light to remove the smaller particles like mold, bacteria, viruses, and allergens. UVC light technology has been proven to be most effective at killing germs, and removing odors by reducing chemical vapors known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Some of them like formaldehyde and toluene, which are known to be toxic.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about your HVAC system and how we can help to make it better.
We at Homefront Heating and Cooling strive to give you the homeowner piece of mind by knowing your HVAC system is running as safe as possible to keep your family safe, healthy and comfortable.
Sources that data, facts and information were taken from include:
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• NC DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
• ASHRAE
• David Lang, MD, head of allergy and immunology, Cleveland Clinic
• American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology
• NASA
