The Importance of Air Quality

A stuffy or stale room can be easy to stop noticing and forget once you’ve been inside for a while, but the difference is overwhelming when you finally step outside into fresh air. It’s uncomfortable, unpleasant, and it can be a morale killer even when we think we’re no longer noticing it. In addition to being generally uncomfortable, a stuffy room is an indicator of a larger problem – air quality – which has more than a superficial impact on those dealing with the reality of it. When it comes to your home or business, air quality is important, so here’s a quick introduction on what influences air quality, why it matters, and how you can make sure you’re living and working in a healthy environment.

Indoor air quality

When we think about the quality of air and pollutants, we’re usually thinking about allergens and fumes outdoors, but not in our own homes and offices. We spend eight or more hours a day in our work environments, and a large portion of the other 16 hours in our homes either sleeping or living our lives. Needless to say, exposure to harmful air adds up quickly over such extended periods of time, day after day and week after week.

What influences indoor air quality?

It can be a number of things, but there are some common culprits you can work to avoid. The first is smoke, or secondhand smoke – even if the smoking is done outside, if it’s too close to the building, it can easily find its way inside. Gas pollutants are another, and while we can’t stop them from existing outside, we can do a better job keeping them there. The third common culprit is gases – such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide – which come from fuel-burning appliances, such as space heaters, water heaters, etc. that are improperly vented and finding their way into your breathing space.

How do we fix it?

Your ventilation and filtration system is your first line of defense. If the pollutants are coming from outside, you can also make sure your home or office is sealed well and insulated so that polluted air isn’t bypassing your system. If the pollutants are inside, the only real solution is to make sure they are being filtered out properly or stopping them from occurring in the first place, which may mean updating certain fuel-burning appliances.

Why does it matter?

Poor quality air means poor quality health, it’s just that simple. If this is your business, it’s in your best interest to provide clean air, as unhealthy employees means more sick days and less productivity. So whether you’re looking at your home or your business, clean air means a higher quality of life, and everyone deserves to enjoy the air they breathe.