Ways Air Quality In Your Home Can Affect Your Health

Despite being considered a safe haven among a vast majority of Americans, your home is often guilty of causing a variety of unexplained illnesses. In reality, poor air quality inside your home can be extremely detrimental to your health. Many times when we come down with a bad case of the sniffles, we assume that staying indoors is our best option for a speedy recovery. However, the truth is, that the air quality inside our homes may be the source behind that chest-hurting cough that you just can’t seem to kick.

There are some health symptoms that may start appearing after a single exposure to a pollutant. Such exposure could cause irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. While some symptoms are short-term and treatable, simply by removing the root cause of irritation, others are not as easy to detect. This is mainly because people haven’t had the opportunity to be educated on the side effects of poor air quality. If you didn’t think keeping an eye on your air quality was important, you’ll want to read below for just how much of an impact air quality can have on your health.

Worsened Allergy and Asthma Symptoms

Those with breathing troubles beware. Common air contaminants such dust mites, pollen, mold spores, and pet dander can send someone with allergies into a tailspin. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to step outside your home to feel the telltale signs of allergies. Almost all of these air contaminants are found inside your home and have the power to trigger serious health concerns, such as asthma. Another major stimulant of an allergic reaction is smoke. Smoke can easily circulate throughout your home, permeating furniture and carpet fibers and provoking unwanted health complications for you and your loved ones.

Poor Overall Health

You may think to yourself, I don’t have any pre-existing conditions, I’ll be fine. Even if you don’t have any respiratory problems, the pollutant-loaded air inside your home can have negative, lasting effects on anyone. The impact can range from a chronic cough and congestion to watery eyes and allergies. If you start experiencing fatigue and constant headaches, your home could have mold, high levels of VOCs, or low-level buildup of carbon monoxide.

Long-Term Health Issues

There are certain health issues that may arise after years of exposure. Some effects can include respiratory disease, heart disease, and even cancer. You must routinely clean and maintain your home in order to eliminate any unwanted pollutants from creeping into your breathing air, subsequently leading to unwanted ailments. Inhaling contaminants in your home’s air is extremely detrimental to your well-being and can mutate into severe, even life-threatening, health concerns in the future.

In order to preserve your health, you must always be aware of any odors, questionable dark spots, or water marks that suddenly appear in your home. If you have pets, you need to pay extra attention to your space and clean frequently. The abundance of hair that our four-legged, fluffy pals shed will accumulate over time, saturating our breathing air and lowering the quality of what we inhale into our precious bodies.

There will always be a degree of uncertainty pertaining to the concentration of allergens inside your home or how long you’ve been exposed to these ailments. Especially since people, based on various factors, all react to these irritants differently. Always maintain a clean house and monitor for any abnormalities in you or your family’s health. If you notice something suspicious, contact a professional to inspect your home as soon as possible to avoid any long-term health concerns.

About The Author

This article was written by Wendy Michaelis, owner of FixAIRx of Richardson, Texas.

Additional Resources

Selling A Home With Mold by Sharon Paxson

Should You Have An Indoor Air Quality Test Done by Paul  Sian