Indoor Air Pollution: Mitigating the Affects
Posted in Air Quality, on January 24, 2022
Owning a home involves a lot of maintenance work, and many people downplay services like indoor air quality testing. But overlooking testing is a mistake — air quality can significantly affect your health, daily routine, and indoor comfort. SafeAir is a GTA-based company that helps families assess their home by performing mold testing, radon testing, and other indoor air quality tests. After over a decade of experience in the field, we’ve helped thousands of families safeguard their respiratory health by improving their indoor environment.
The Importance of Good Air Quality
Did you know that indoor air pollution is one of the most common health hazards worldwide? While smog days and external pollution get all the headlines, indoor pollutants can be 2-5 times more concentrated than those outside. This is bad news for our skin, lungs, and body since we spend up to 90% of our time indoors.
Indoor air quality affects every breath we take. Oxygen feeds our brains and bathes our skin, and when it’s affected by microscopic pollutants, our bodies absorb these particles and can experience allergic reactions and inflammation.
How to Find the Indoor and Outdoor Source of Pollutants
Particles and chemicals that affect our indoor air quality can come into our homes from various sources. Sometimes they are caused by things we bring in or change, such as building materials used in a renovation. Other times it’s the daily cleaners and cleansers we use to tidy up that introduce VOCs or other chemical compounds.
The truth is, each home has a different ecology and may have its own unique indoor air quality issues. At SafeAir, our mission is to help you understand this ecology and amend it to prevent adverse outcomes.
DIY Radon Testing
Radon testing is a service recommended by many GTA municipalities for a good reason. This radioactive particle comes from deep underground and is the second most leading cause of lung cancer in Canadians. It’s impossible to see, smell, or hear — the only way to know if your home is affected is to have a radon test done. SafeAir’s professional radon testing services offer a higher-quality and more accurate result than DIY or hardware store kits. Ask us about how to arrange testing for your home.
Tools You Can Use to Monitor Indoor Air Quality
At SafeAir, we’re looking for the best solution for your home — and budget. The good news is that indoor air quality problems don’t have to be expensive. Sure, some situations (like severe mold infestations) may need time and money to solve, but most of our clients can affect change using simple and sometimes FREE solutions. Our favourite DIY air quality fixes include:
- Using a dehumidifier to dry out damp basements — preventing mold growth.
- Buying a temperature and humidity monitor from the hardware store and using it in key rooms.
- Opening the bathroom window when showering to prevent humidity build-up.
- Cleaning with scent-free products.
- Choosing low-VOC or emission-free paints, glues, and solvents.
Improvements To Air Quality = Improvements to Health
As you can see, a safe and clean indoor air environment is a crucial part of everyday health and wellness. Homes of all ages, sizes and construction types (condos — we’re looking at you!) can be affected by indoor air quality issues like mold, VOCs, radon gas, asbestos, lead paint, and more. Identifying these issues and eliminating them can help you breathe easy — both literally and metaphorically. To learn more about how SafeAir’s indoor air quality testing works, get in touch with our team through our contact page.