The sick building syndrome
The sick building syndrome is a term used to describe a sudden onset of acute symptoms, that seem to appear when spending time inside a specific building, due to poor air quality; The same phenomena could be responsible for recurring or chronic conditions that you experience at home.
Perhaps that the foggy brain sensation or that endless streak of headaches and allergic reactions may have nothing to do with the allergy season or the busy week you had at work. What if the underlying cause for these ailments is lurking inside your home? Unseen, unattended.
Assuming 8 hours of sleep per day and the average 2 hours per day performing household activities, the average American spends no less than 10 hours a day indoors. During hot summer days or brutal cold winters we rely on our air conditioning system to keep our homes comfortable, yet most of us don’t think about the myriad of risks that build up minute after minute and hour after hour inside our dwellings.
Radon, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Formaldehyde, Bacteria, Mold, and Viruses; All slowly building up and filling our homes as they are endlessly inhaled by our loved ones. I often wonder if my former ignorance has deprived my loved ones of opportunities or cause them irreversible harm that is yet to be seen. This is nightmare fuel.
Here are five things you can do to improve the indoor air quality at home:
Invest in air quality monitoring. Since most air quality threats are invisible, having the means to measure them is a must. Air quality monitoring systems can alert when pollutants are building up inside your home so you can take action!
Make that kitchen fan an exhaust. This is a fairly inexpensive upgrade that will spare you from smelling like eggs and bacon all day long. A critical upgrade if you have a gas stove. The cherry on top: You can use exhausts to help remove stuffy indoor air and replenish with fresh outside air.
Check your bathroom fan exhaust. It is not unusual to see exhaust vents that discharge inside the soffit, or into the attic, and are routed using plastic hose. If that steamy shower air is not routed all the way out, it will increase the relative humidity (water content in the air) and create the proper conditions for yeast and mold to grow. Extra points if you have a dehumidifier to keep things under control during the warm months.
Avoid household cleaning products with harsh chemicals or high VOC contents. Breathing bleach fumes while cleaning the shower or toilet bowl is not doing you any favors. Thymol-based cleaners, or Hydrogen Peroxide mixed with baking soda will take you a long way without all the nasty fumes. For the kitchen and other surfaces, 3% Hydrogen Peroxide is a much safer and rather effective disinfectant; The beauty of Hydrogen Peroxide is that it will decompose into water and oxygen, leaving no nasty chemical residues behind.
Replace the furnace filter regularly and ensure that is properly installed. A properly installed, adequately rated filter will help reduce particulates in the air. Schedule a furnace inspection and ask your HVAC professional to recommend the best MERV rating for your furnace (Aim for MERV 11, if possible). Filters must be replaced regularly, and the frequency depends on several factors.