YOUR HOMES' INDOOR AIR QUALITY - FAMILY HEALTH RISK?

Outline of residential indoor air quality issues with strategies to improve.

[USPRwire, Fri Apr 07 2006] If you’re like most of us we rarely think about the air we breathe in our homes. With spring on the way many of us are looking forward to opening the windows again and breathing in all that fresh air. Why do we feel so much better and have so much more energy when spring finally rolls around after a long Midwest winter? Part of the reason has to do with the air we breathe.

There is a growing body of scientific evidence indicating the air within our homes can be a major factor in our health and well-being. The Environmental Protection Agency states that levels of air pollution inside the home can be 2 – 5 times and occasionally up to 100 times higher – than outdoor levels. Indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental risks to the public health according to the EPA. With Americans spending 90% of their time indoors and 65% of that time at home, poor air quality is a serious health risk.

Poor indoor air does have an impact on your chances of developing asthma and allergies.
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (www.aafa.org) asthma and allergies strike 1 of 4 Americans with over 60 million people affected at a cost of over $60 billion. Asthma has more than doubled in children in the last ten years with no scientifically determined cause for the increasing trend identified.

“The quality of indoor air is something all Americans should be concerned about,” said Dr. Linda Ford, President American Lung Association (www.lungusa.org). Symptoms of indoor air quality issues include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, sinus congestion, allergies and asthma. Individual reactions vary widely depending on sensitivity, concentration, and exposure to the pollutants. If the symptoms fade or go away when a person is away from the home and return when the person returns, an effort should be made to identify and fix the possible causes.

There are basically two different types of air pollutants: particles more properly called particulates and gases. Pollutant sources in the home can be further divided into a few major categories. Biologicals are one of the biggest indoor air pollution concerns. This category includes mold, dust mites, bacteria, pollen, and viruses. Combustion pollutants are produced by anything in the house that is burning such as heating systems, stoves, fireplaces, smoking, candles, or car exhaust. These include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, among others. Radon is a colorless, odorless gas occurs naturally in this area. Volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) are organic compounds that can release gases into the home. These frequently include paints, solvents, pesticides, cleaners, air fresheners, stored fuels, and dry-cleaned clothing.

You can effectively reduce your exposure to pollutants in your home and improve your indoor air quality. Indeed, taking these steps can reduce the possibility your family will develop respiratory issues or be impacted by chronic allergies or asthma. While many may seem like common sense, they are only effective if you follow through and make them a long-term strategy to protect you and your family from the adverse effects of indoor air pollution.

Preventing indoor air quality issues in homes requires an integrated approach to be effective. Following these three basic strategies will put you on the path to a healthier living environment. In the EPA’s “The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality” (www.epa.gov) they identify these strategies to improving your indoor air quality.

Source control is the most effective way to eliminate individual sources of pollution or reduce emissions. Start by getting rid of any chemicals, paints, solvents stored in the house. Eliminate smoking in the house, keep pets away from living areas and bedrooms, and get your home checked for radon and carbon monoxide. Use building materials that are certified to have low emissions and use sealed combustion when buying or replacing your water heater or furnace.

Too much moisture in the home is a major contributor to poor air quality. There is a proven correlation between health issues and damp environments. High moisture levels show up as condensation on the windows, dampness on surfaces, and mold. Keeping indoor humidity levels less than 50% will reduce the potential for dust mites and mold dramatically. Ideally keeping the humidity level between 30 and 50 percent will allow for comfort and better health. Always use exhaust fans when cooking or bathing. Fix water leaks quickly and dry out what gets wet. Drain rainwater away from the home.

Keeping your home clean is also important aspect for air quality. Dust is a mixture of material fiber, dirt, dust mites and their feces, pet dander, and insect parts. Indeed, a single ounce of dust can contain 42,000 dust mites. Since dust mite feces are a proven allergen and asthma trigger and a leading cause of childhood asthma, this can be extremely important. Frequent vacuuming with a HEPA filtered vacuum is highly recommended.

Regular annual heating and air conditioning system maintenance is also important. Cleaning your coils and checking your airflow and filters is a good practice. Checking for duct leakage is a good idea to prevent unconditioned or contaminated air from entering your home.

Adequate ventilation is even more important now we are tightening up our homes to improve our energy efficiency. Robert Moffitt, a spokesman for the American Lung Association’s Healthy House Program, states “Homes become breeding grounds for allergies by trapping pollutants inside. Adequate ventilation relieves the problem while also controlling moisture.” Ventilation is an excellent way to dilute the concentrations of pollutants in the home.

Obviously, just opening windows when it gets stuffy would be a great solution. However, temperature, security, pollen, and pollution issues prevent this option most times of the year. So other methods have been developed to solve the problem.

Mandated ventilation rates are based on ASHRAE Standard 62-89 that recommend a minimum of 15 cubic feet per minute (cfm) per person that is intended to operate continuously, and a total ventilation capacity of at least .35 air exchanges per hour that could be used if needed. This is equivalent to replacing all the air in your home every three hours.

Heat recovery ventilators (HRV) and energy recovery ventilators (ERV) are good choices for improving your ventilation without a major energy penalty. They are balanced ventilation systems that remove stale air at the same time supplying an equal amount of fresh air through a heat exchanger. Most models operate between 70 and 80 percent efficiency. The main difference between a HRV and an ERV is the ability of the ERV to also maintain the humidity level of the air being exchanged. These systems normally tie into your forced air heating and air conditioning plenum.

Air cleaners run the gamut ranging from relatively inexpensive tabletop units to whole house systems. Some are much more effective at reducing indoor pollutants than others. Some so-called air cleaners actually add to the pollution by creating ozone, a known respiratory irritant. Go to www.epa.gov and read “Ozone Generators that are Sold As Air Cleaners” for a scientific review.

The effectiveness of an air cleaner is based on how well it collects pollutants and how much air it draws through the cleaner or filter. The long-range effectiveness also hinges on maintaining it according to the manufactures directions.

One of the easiest ways to minimize particulates in the air is to keep your furnace filter clean. Using a filter with a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 8 or above being careful that the filter does not exceed the pressure drop your furnace fan can handle. Some high efficiency filters produce too much backpressure that will reduce your systems airflow and energy efficiency dramatically. This can also cause the air conditioning evaporator coil to ice up during cooling because the lack of airflow reduces heat transfer.

Electrostatic air cleaners are very effective and do not produce much back pressure but they also have some drawbacks. As they accumulate the particulate their efficiency is reduced. Frequent cleaning of the electrostatic precipitator is required with the minimum interval of one month between cleanings recommended. Without frequent cleaning they are actually worse than regular filters since they allow the dust to pass through easily versus regular filters that improve their filtration as they fill with particulates.

High efficiency particle accumulator (HEPA) filters were developed by the Atomic Energy Commission to filter out plutonium particles in their labs. They are often used in hospitals and clean rooms. Due to the high pressure drop across the filter they are not used frequently for furnace systems. Bypass units that take part of the air stream from the return plenum and circulate it through the HEPA filters are very effective. Portable units for room cleaning are also very effective. There is general agreement from the EPA, American Lung Association, and asthma and allergy associations that HEPA filters are effective in reducing particulate in the air.

Ultra violet (UV) light sterilization of airborne contaminates has been used in hospitals since 1934. Since 2003 all new government buildings must be equipped with UV systems. Whole house UV purification units are available for the homeowner and are quite easy to install. These units create UV light in the 200 -300 nm wavelengths that or germicidal range that sterilizes any microorganisms. The units sterilize mold spores, bacteria, viruses, dust mites, and common cold and flue bugs that pass by them in the air stream.

We all breathe air 100% of the time. Breathing air that is good for you should be a priority in our lives. Most of us believe air inside our homes is cleaner and healthier than outside air. Unfortunately, most times this is not the case. Taking the time to evaluate and test your home’s air quality is a great investment in your health and well-being.

Tom Garfin has a Master of Science degree and is the owner of airEnalasys Twin Cities. airEnalasys is a business dedicated to testing and improving the air we breathe. He can be reached at 651-325-1171 or at tgarfin@airenalasys.com.

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