If you eat rotten fruit, you will probably get sick. If you drink spoiled milk, you will regret it. If you breathe air that is polluted, you may also suffer depending on exposure. It might not be as immediate as bad food or drink that hits your digestive system, but it will affect your health through your respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Poor indoor air quality could lead to conditions that negatively affect your health, and just like rotten fruit, can be avoided.
So, can poor indoor air quality affect your health?
Breathing air that is polluted with chemicals, molds, smoke, carbon monoxide, or other hazards can negatively affect your health. Being exposed to these regularly can cause headaches, asthma, respiratory infections, or even cancer.
Some hazards you know you are being exposed to and can avoid, such as second-hand smoke. Others, such as molds, aren’t as easily detected and may need to be tested to be identified. If you suspect mold to be growing in any part of your home or office, it is a good idea to have tests run to find out for sure.
So, How Does the Air in Our Home Become Unhealthy?
As hard as you try to keep bugs, rodents, and molds from excessive moisture out of your home, sometimes they just find their way in. They can clog your air ducts or grow in your walls, and when this happens, the quality of your indoor air suffers. Any foreign object that prevents your airflow system from working properly can negatively affect the quality of the air you and your family are breathing.
Leaks can also be the source of contaminated air. Water leaks are common and can foster the buildup of molds. Carbon monoxide leaks from things like heaters and furnaces can make your indoor air dangerously unhealthy.
Poor ventilation leads to unhealthy air. Because of the carbon dioxide people naturally produce, too many people in a contained area with poor ventilation can lead to unhealthy levels of this gas. Using cleaning chemicals without proper airflow is bad for your health and products have warnings on their bottles to encourage ventilation to keep you safe.
So, What are Some Symptoms?
Some of the symptoms of poor air quality are similar to other sicknesses and so you may not connect them to air pollution at first. These are headaches, nausea, sore throat, wheezing, coughing, and increased fatigue. Poor air quality affects your breathing, your oxygen intake, and your lungs, so changes to these parts of your body should alert you to check out changes in your environment.
Other symptoms include increased irritation or sensitivity to existing conditions. This could be experiencing more frequent asthma or allergy attacks. If you go from needing your inhaler once a month to once a week, you should examine the air quality of your home, work, or school.
Related Questions
So, How Does Air Duct Cleaning Help?
The ventilation system in your home is the heart of your airflow and the control center of your air quality. Regularly scheduled cleaning of this system can help take care of problems that could negatively affect your health. Catching problems sooner rather than later will keep you and your family as safe as possible.
So, What Happens if You Don’t Clean Them?
You are leaving your health to chance if you don’t take care of your air ducts and your ventilation system. Debris, rodents, bugs, and molds could all be growing and infecting your air supply, and you would never know.
Overview
The air you breathe directly affects you through the oxygen you take in and whatever other particles happen to be along for the ride. If there are pollutants in your home, you may be setting yourself up for many sicknesses, including cancer. A great way to stay as safe as you can is to take care of your ventilation system by having your air ducts cleaned regularly.
Unique Air Duct Cleaning in Livonia is a local Michigan business that provides air duct cleaning and dryer vent cleaning services that make a difference. What sets us apart from others in the industry is our commitment to great customer service and respect for your home, family, and pets. With continuous referrals, we know we are doing something right.
We use an advanced air cleaning system with flexible equipment that thoroughly cleans, dislodges and air washes dirt, dust, and contaminants out of your home in one pass. Call for a Free Estimate and experience the difference in clean air throughout your home!