7 Dangers That Could Be Hiding in Your Home's Air: Causes of Unhealthy Indoor Air Quality

Your home is supposed to be a safe and happy place for you and your children. But what if it’s not? What if there are health risks hidden throughout your home – health risks you can’t always see? It’s time to start taking indoor air quality seriously.

How Healthy Is The Air Inside Your Home?

Last year, a study was published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. The study, which was conducted by a team of scientists from Australia and Europe, found that greater effort needs to be given to monitoring indoor air quality in real time. However, even they may have been surprised by the results.

“When we think of the term 'air pollution,' we tend to think of car exhausts or factory fumes expelling gray smoke," the study’s co-author Prashant Kumar says. “However, there are actually various sources of pollution that have a negative effect on air quality, many of which are found inside our homes and offices. From cooking residue to paints, varnishes and fungal spores, the air we breathe indoors is often more polluted than that outside.”

Did you catch that last part? It’s possible that the air inside your home is more dangerous to your family’s health than the polluted air outside. However, there is a positive side to this unsavory finding. Unlike outdoor air pollution, which requires a collective commitment from millions of citizens, industries, companies, and governments in order to improve, indoor air pollution is totally within your control.

The Contributing Factors to Poor Indoor Air Quality

Before you can make the effort to improve the air quality inside of your home, you have to understand the problem. What’s causing poor indoor air quality and how can you eliminate these unhealthy factors? Well, here are a few of the most common elements that lead to unhealthy air. Learn more about them and consider if they’re present in your home.

1. Radon

Let’s start with one of the single most dangerous elements found in some homes: radon. This highly toxic gas is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. What makes it so scary is that, unlike the leading cause – smoking – victims are oblivious to the fact that they’re exposed to radon. It’s a colorless, odorless gas that naturally occurs from rocks and dirt. When outdoors, radon tends to be diluted to a low enough concentration that it doesn’t affect people. However, it can get trapped inside of homes and lead to long-term health issues.

2. Asbestos

Another extremely dangerous material, one that you’re probably more familiar with, is asbestos. Also a naturally occurring substance, many older homes have trace levels of asbestos in building materials. And while researchers say it’s fine if left undisturbed, inhaling asbestos fibers can lead to mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other serious health issues years down the road.

3. Mold and Mildew

In humid environments, the growth of mold and mildew is often a problem. Typically, you’ll see mold in bathrooms – specifically in and around showers and tubs. However, it can also grow in the kitchen or other rooms where water is present. Mildew frequently builds up on wood and may be found around windows and doors.

4. Household Pets

Do you have dogs or cats in your home? For all of the joy that a pet brings, they often contribute to poor indoor air quality. Things like pet dander, saliva, and shedding can all create a high concentration of allergens inside the home.

5. Toxic Chemicals

You may think you’re doing your home a service by using various commercial cleaning products to wipe down floors, countertops, windows, mirrors, and bathroom fixtures. However, many of the ingredients found in these cleaning products are toxic. It’s almost always better to make your own household cleaners with organic ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, and lemon.

6. Heating Sources

The heating sources found inside your home keep you warm, but do they emit dangerous CO, nitrogen dioxide, VOCs, and other particulate matter? If you have gas or wood fireplaces, gas or oil furnaces, or gas water heaters, then you’ll want to be aware of how these systems are used and where they’re located.

7. Smoking

The final one is a no-brainer, but smoking inside the home is a leading cause of poor indoor quality. Even smoking outside and then entering the home is dangerous. Some of the smoke that’s absorbed by your skin, hair, and clothing will inevitably be released into the air.

What You Can Do to Protect Your Family's Air Quality?

Being unaware that your home’s air quality is poor is one thing. Knowing and not doing anything about it is something entirely different. Now that you’re aware of the various factors that contribute to poor indoor air quality, it’s time to do something about it.

The first step is to purge your home of any and all elements that could be contributing to poor air quality. This may include toxic chemicals and air fresheners, disturbed asbestos, mold and mildew, and cigarette smoke.

Then, once the root causes are removed, you should focus on cleaning your house from top to bottom. Finally, in addition to regularly maintaining a clean house, you should invest in an air purifier system and regularly change out furnace filters.

If you follow these three steps, there will be a noticeable difference in the quality of your home’s air. It’ll take time, effort, and perhaps a little bit of elbow grease, but your commitment to protecting your family won’t go unrewarded.

Shop With Atomic Filter

When it comes to keeping your home’s air safe and healthy for the entire family, you need to make sure you’re filtering out the all of the toxins and microscopic elements that hurt your health and immune system over time.

At Atomic Filter, we’re here to provide families like yours with the leading air filters and air purifiers for your home’s various systems. Atomic has leading brands and compatibles for Carrier, Lennox, and Whirlpool, but they’re heavily discounted and delivered to your doorstep without delay.

Feel free to browse our inventory of air purifier filters, as well as our furnace filters. Atomic has all the information you need on how to choose the right filter for your home’s system.