In honor of National Indoor Air Quality Awareness Month, HomeTeam Inspection Service explains how IAQ impacts your health and outlines steps you can take to ensure long-term wellness.
Indoor air quality (IAQ) has a significant impact on the health and well-being of a household. Many families spend a notable amount of time in their homes, so ensuring the air they breathe is clean and free of harmful pollutants is crucial. Poor indoor air quality can be caused by a range of things, including dust, dander, mold, allergens and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are released as organic materials age.
In many cases, the negative health effects of poor indoor air quality are cumulative, meaning they only become more severe as exposure continues, and they are especially hard on sensitive groups like those with asthma, young children, the immunocompromised and seniors. While many people struggling with indoor air quality will reach a “breaking point” at which they reach out for help, proactive screening allows homeowners to catch any issues before they have too much time to fester and cause even more severe symptoms.
“The health effects of poor indoor air quality encompass a wide range of symptoms, from respiratory issues and allergic reactions to more severe conditions such as headaches, dizziness, and chronic heart and respiratory diseases.,” said Josh Spires, vice president of HomeTeam. “Accurately identifying and addressing the root causes of poor indoor air quality can be complex, often requiring the expertise of trained professionals.”
What To Know About Indoor Air Quality Management
Indoor air quality can be impacted by a wide range of factors.
“If you’ve had water damage inside your home, it’s possible that the resulting moisture may have facilitated mold growth, which can negatively impact indoor air quality,” said Joshua Holland, a HomeTeam franchise owner in Florida. “Additionally, common outdoor elements such as pollen, dirt, and pet dander can contribute to poor indoor air quality, if not properly managed.”
There are some easy steps that homeowners can take to mitigate indoor air quality issues, like adding a few small air purifiers throughout the home, using high-quality filters in the HVAC system and remaining diligent about dusting and vacuuming to minimize the amount of dust and debris floating throughout the home.
However, not everything can be prevented, identified or treated on a do-it-yourself basis.
“A lot of times, a test that you get at a big-box store will use charcoal. Because of this, any type of change in the air can put off a mold spore, and your test will indicate that there’s mold in the home,” Holland said. “Now, not all mold is bad, so these tests don’t clearly differentiate between something that is normal and something that may be a concern. When we perform mold testing through labs, we take air samples, tape lifts and swabs. Those are sent to a lab to identify what kind of spore it is, whether it’s harmful, and how it should be treated.”
While there are things like mold tests available at big-box retail stores, it’s crucial to engage someone who has the tools and expertise necessary to not only perform a thorough, full-circle evaluation but also accurately interpret the results.
“Our comprehensive tests can identify issues like these that are generally invisible to the naked eye, and our teams have the expertise necessary to help you identify potential hazards. Once the client gets their lab results, we get them in touch with our partner, EMSL Labs, to ensure that they have the best possible understanding of what the findings mean,” Holland said. “It’s important to note that we’re not medical professionals, so we’re not diagnosing or treating our clients; we empower them with the information and give them language to use to discuss our findings with their physicians.”
The Importance of Regular Indoor Air Quality Assessments
The causes of poor indoor air quality vary widely, and the consequences can be extreme.
“The area that we operate in is what the EPA has labeled a level-one region for radon — an invisible, odorless gas. We have the highest average levels of radon there are on the EPA scale,” said Brad Lawler, the owner of several HomeTeam franchises in Kentucky and Southern Indiana. “From an indoor air quality standpoint, radon is a major contributor. It’s the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers, so it’s a pretty serious issue. About 52% of our clients opt to get a radon test for this reason.”
In addition to an indoor air quality assessment at the time of purchase, sticking to a regular schedule with annual assessments is an easy way to stay abreast of exactly what’s happening in your home and identify risks and contributors before symptoms and impacts compound.
“I’ve recently started using a new, artificial intelligence-driven tool for preliminary readings; they’ll tell you if there are different particles detected in the air and at what level they’re found,” Lawler said. “Something like this, which is relatively inexpensive and typically takes less than an hour, is a great option for annual testing. We’ll set up the sensors, do a quick walkthrough while they run, and go over the report. It may indicate that the home needs more in-depth air quality testing, or it might just need a thorough deep clean and sanitization. Either way, you’ll know and can make a more informed decision.”
“The long-term health consequences of poor IAQ can range from irritating to devastating,” Lawler said. “The cost of an IAQ assessment is a small investment to make for the knowledge that you and your family are safe and healthy, and we strongly encourage homeowners to seek an assessment on an annual basis to ensure they can identify and address any potential dangers early on.”
