The quality of the air in your home has a profound impact on your health and well-being. Poor indoor air quality is a major health concern as it can lead to many health issues like respiratory problems and cognitive impairment. Understanding the effects of poor indoor air quality in your home is important when considering a healthy indoor environment for your household.
1. Eye Irritation
Poor indoor air quality can lead to eye irritation because of the presence of pollutants like dust, pollen, and dander from pets, triggering an allergic reaction in the eyes. Additionally, dry air may exacerbate the problem by causing your eyes to itch and become irritated. Other pollutants that may irritate your eyes include pollen, increased humidity levels, cigarette smoke, and fumes from paint or other chemicals in your home.
It may be time to become concerned about the indoor air quality in your home if you notice eye symptoms like dryness, redness, burning, itching, blurred vision, and watery eyes. Long-term issues that may arise because of indoor air pollution may include dry eye syndrome and many other long-term problems.
Air pollutants cause eye issues mainly because they lead to chronic dry eye. If you tend to have dry or irritated eyes when you are in your home, it is imperative to contact one of our team members to check the indoor air quality in your home. Once we do an assessment, we can recommend a humidifier, air purification, or air filtration device so that you are more comfortable in your home.
2. Immune System Suppression
If you feel like you have a weakened immune system, it may be because of poor indoor air quality. There are various symptoms caused by poor indoor air quality that depend on your immune system. If you already have a weakened immune system, it is easier for contaminants inside your home to harm you further.
Some of the health issues that you may have as a result of a suppressed immune system include congestion, coughing, sneezing, breathing difficulty, dizziness, fatigue, rashes, nausea, and vomiting. At Liberty Comfort Systems, we have solutions like air filters and humidifiers to help ensure that the air you breathe offers comfort and peace of mind and that your environment is conducive to a healthy immune system.
3. Sleep Problems
Poor indoor air quality impacts sleep in several ways. Exposure to indoor pollutants can trigger respiratory issues like coughing and wheezing, which make it harder to fall and stay asleep. Indoor allergens, such as dust mites and mold, can also increase your symptoms and impact the quality of rest you get.
Certain indoor air pollutants, like volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which come from household products, have the potential to disrupt your natural circadian rhythms and affect the quality of sleep you get. The use of an air purifier as well as proper ventilation and regular cleaning are all solutions that can help improve indoor air quality and lead to a more restful sleep.
4. Cardiovascular Problems
Poor indoor air quality may contribute to cardiovascular issues. Pollutants like VOCs, fine particulate matter, and nitrogen dioxide can enter the bloodstream through your lungs and lead to oxidative stress and inflammation. VOCs can also contribute to cardiovascular issues because they may react to other pollutants and form harmful compounds.
Nitrogen dioxide, primarily produced by combustion sources like gas appliances, can be harmful to existing cardiovascular problems. Nitrogen dioxide may cause airway inflammation, leading to increased cardiovascular and respiratory stress. Improving indoor air quality can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular issues caused by pollutants. Regular cleaning, proper ventilation, and air purifiers can help remove pollutants from your home.
5. Respiratory Problems
Poor indoor air quality can cause or contribute to infections and chronic lung diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and asthma. There are many contributors to poor indoor air quality that have harmful effects on your respiratory system. Some of these contributors are from building construction and furnishings that can have harmful pollutants like asbestos, paint, carpet, lead, and formaldehyde. These pollutants can irritate the nose, throat, and eyes and cause nausea, a headache, and a runny nose.
You can also develop allergies from these pollutants, which are long-lasting. If you have asbestos in your home, tiny fibers can enter your air passages and get into your lungs, causing, at minimum, a cough. Many years may pass before seeing all of the effects of asbestos on the lungs. While newer homes are no longer built with asbestos, it’s commonly found in older homes.
You can also see a huge effect on your respiratory health if you have fuel-burning appliances. These appliances decrease indoor air quality by adding carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, and other pollutants to the air you breathe. These pollutants may irritate your respiratory system because they get into your lungs and affect the air sacs. This can cause anything from a cough to lung diseases like COPD and asthma. You may also experience difficulty breathing as well as wheezing.
Excessive moisture in your home may also contribute to poor indoor air quality because of mold. Mold causes sore throats, congestion, coughing, worsening asthma, and sneezing. The best way to control mold in your home is to make sure that the humidity levels are below 50% and that you have a well-ventilated home.
Poor indoor air pollution that affects your respiratory system may also be from activities or pests in your home. Cockroaches, dust mites, pet dander, and dust are all contributors to poor indoor air quality. Also, secondhand smoke is a big contributor. Cockroaches cause allergic reactions and worsen asthma from their fecal matter, body parts, or saliva.
The amount of humidity in your home will determine the amount of dust and dust mites that cause your respiratory issues. Keeping your home clean and controlling dust and ventilation is a good start to ensuring that pests don’t affect your respiratory system as much. It’s also important to smoke outside of the home so that it doesn’t affect the respiratory systems of the other people and animals in your home.
6. Cognitive Function
Poor indoor air quality may impact your cognitive function because of exposure to pollutants like carbon dioxide or VOCs. High levels of carbon dioxide in a poorly ventilated space can reduce cognitive performance by causing reduced concentration, slower reaction times, and even drowsiness.
Memory, orientation, arithmetic function, object naming, and executive function are all at risk of deteriorating in an environment with poor indoor air quality, especially if you are middle-aged or older. Along with cognitive function in older adults, there is also a possibility that indoor air quality can worsen mental health issues, especially in older adults who already have depression or anxiety disorders.
At Liberty Comfort Systems in Anoka, Minnesota, we provide indoor air quality, humidifiers, and duct cleaning services for homes in the area. Our friendly team also provides plumbing, heating, and cooling services. Contact Liberty Comfort Systems for more information today!