Why Is Indoor Air Quality Important?

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Why Is Indoor Air Quality Important?

United States residents spend an average of 90% of their time indoors, making it essential to maintain safe interior conditions. While many people are aware of outdoor pollution, most do not know that you can also experience poor air quality inside commercial or residential spaces.

Various pollutants can spread within homes or commercial buildings, resulting in adverse health conditions. Enhancing the air quality helps you avoid the associated negative impacts. Learn more about the importance of improving indoor air quality and how Strada Services can help.

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What Is Indoor Air Quality?

Indoor air quality is a measurement of air quality in and around buildings and how it impacts human health or comfort. Clean interior air is necessary for well-being — exposure to pollutants inside can result in immediate or long-term negative health effects. Different conditions and activities increase exposure to pollution and allow pollutants to enter the air. 

For instance, these harmful contaminants can degrade indoor air quality:

  • Asbestos: Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber found in rocks and soil. Its strength and heat resistance make it a popular choice for construction materials like roof shingles, insulation or ceiling tiles. However, it can significantly degrade indoor air quality. Materials that contain asbestos release particles into the air, and inhaling it can have severe health effects, including contracting lung cancer, mesothelioma or asbestosis.
  • Carbon monoxide: Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that poses a significant risk to health. Burning fuel for stoves, grills, furnaces and other appliances can release carbon monoxide fumes into the air. Proper ventilation is essential to mitigate these fumes and prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
  • Lead: Older homes and buildings, in particular, may have used lead in their construction. Extended lead exposure can lead to kidney damage, cardiovascular issues and negative impacts on the brain and nervous system. 
  • Mold: Mold is a microorganism that grows in damp places, both indoors and outdoors. Mold growth degrades indoor air quality and causes many health effects, such as wheezing, itchiness or prolonged sickness. Mold can develop on surfaces like wallpaper, insulation materials, carpets and upholstery. Flooding or leaking provides more opportunities for mold to develop, as it thrives in wet conditions.

Why Is It Important to Have Indoor Air Quality?

Indoor air quality is important — it limits contaminant spread and improves living conditions. It’s critical to monitor contaminant levels and introduce preventive measures to keep air quality at healthy levels. Clean air facilitates physical and cognitive health, while various pollutants can result in lasting health damage. 

Indoor air quality is also essential for the following factors.

Preventing Short-Term Health Effects

Even minor exposure to contamination can cause immediate adverse reactions. Single encounters might result in symptoms like eye or nose irritation, fatigue or headaches. These symptoms vary depending on the pollutant type and the body’s specific reaction. 

Certain groups might experience more severe symptoms after one encounter, such as those with preexisting medical conditions or young children. By prioritizing indoor air quality improvement, you can limit these negative symptoms.

Limiting Long-Term Health Effects

Limiting Long-Term Health Effects - Improving indoor air quality protects inhabitants or visitors from damaging their physical health or exacerbating existing problems.

Long-term effects from contaminants are another example of the importance of indoor air quality. Repeated encounters with indoor air pollutants can result in debilitating or even fatal diseases. You could contract respiratory diseases, cardiovascular problems or forms of cancer. Improving indoor air quality protects inhabitants or visitors from damaging their physical health or exacerbating existing problems.

Stopping Harmful Cognitive Impacts

In addition, regular exposure to contaminants can harm cognitive development or capabilities, which further displays the importance of indoor air quality. Many studies have linked contamination exposure to degraded verbal abilities and executive function. For instance, students attending a school with poor air quality display poorer performances on tests or activities. Similarly, employees in office buildings can focus or perform better with improved air quality.

Environmental Justice Standards

Maintaining healthy indoor air quality is also essential for meeting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) standards for environmental justice. Environmental justice is the right for all people to experience and fight for environmental laws and regulations, regardless of race, socioeconomic status or other traits. Many studies prove that low-income, elderly and minority populations experience the detrimental impacts of poor air quality more acutely than other groups. Focusing on indoor air quality importance helps these groups achieve environmental justice.

How Can You Improve Indoor Air Quality?

Enhancing your property’s indoor air quality can help you avoid the dangers of poor air quality. These are three strategies for improving air quality in your home:

  1. Control the source: You can reduce contaminants significantly or altogether by identifying their source, then controlling it. In many cases, you can seal, remove or enclose pollution sources and enhance air conditions. For instance, mold might develop due to a ceiling leak. If you resolve the leak and clean the area, it becomes much harder for mold to form. Or, a certain building material might emit asbestos particles into the room when people come into contact with it. You could add an additional seal to the material to prevent others from inhaling or consuming particles.
  2. Enhance the room’s ventilation: You can also target indoor contaminants by enhancing your house’s ventilation. The better ventilation you have, the more you can prevent contaminant buildup. New air filters or air filtration systems prevent pollutant particles from spreading throughout your home. Regular filter changes help improve air quality. In addition, actions like opening windows and doors allow for natural ventilation as fresh air enters your house.
  3. Use air purifiers: Various types of air purifiers target moving particles like bacteria, mold spores or mildew. When you install these systems around your home, you can reduce the negative impacts of pollutants.

Depending on the contaminant type and severity, a certain strategy might work better than others. Heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) professionals can help you determine the best resolution for poor air quality. They can also assist with identifying pollutant sources.

Contact Strada Air Conditioning & Heating Today

Contact Strada Air Conditioning & Heating Today. Schedule appointment!

Indoor air quality is important for safety and comfort. Different types of contaminants infiltrate homes and other spaces, degrading the air. Fortunately, you can enhance indoor air quality with various approaches.

If you want to enhance indoor air quality, choose Strada Air Conditioning & Heating today. We install and service various air filtration systems that can boost your home’s interior air conditions. From air filters to purification systems, our solutions filter out harmful pollutants and improve air quality. Our technicians have many years of experience and work diligently to identify and resolve your air quality concerns.

To learn more about our air quality services and the importance of good indoor air quality, schedule an appointment with Strada Services today.


Additional Resources on Air Quality:

Strada Services CEO, Joe Strada

Joe Strada, owner of Strada Electric, Security & Air Conditioning, started working at the young age of 14. He’s never attended college, but he has spent his life dedicating his time and energy to his trade and providing high-quality services to his customers. At 19, Joe started working at a well-known air conditioning company and developing his commitment to excellence. He has state certifications in electric, plumbing, air conditioning, residential building and general contracting. During his years of training and experience, Joe noticed a sincere need for a dependable electrical contractor in Florida who embodied the same dedication to customer service in which he believed. In 2003, Joe co-founded Strada Electric, Security & Air Conditioning. Since then, the company has been in the business of providing peace of mind to customers. We offer expert electric, security and air conditioning solutions for homes and businesses, leveraging our experience to deliver professional and responsive service with reliability and respect.

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Strada Services CEO, Joe Strada

Joe Strada, owner of Strada Electric, Security & Air Conditioning, started working at the young age of 14. He’s never attended college, but he has spent his life dedicating his time and energy to his trade and providing high-quality services to his customers. At 19, Joe started working at a well-known air conditioning company and developing his commitment to excellence. He has state certifications in electric, plumbing, air conditioning, residential building and general contracting. During his years of training and experience, Joe noticed a sincere need for a dependable electrical contractor in Florida who embodied the same dedication to customer service in which he believed. In 2003, Joe co-founded Strada Electric, Security & Air Conditioning. Since then, the company has been in the business of providing peace of mind to customers. We offer expert electric, security and air conditioning solutions for homes and businesses, leveraging our experience to deliver professional and responsive service with reliability and respect.