Common Indoor Air Pollutants

Did you know that indoor air pollution is, on average, 2-5 times worse than the air outside? In fact, the EPA has rated indoor air quality as one of the top 5 environmental risks to public health.

This is largely because modern homes are built to be well-sealed areas, so that we can efficiently make use of heating and air conditioning systems. Generally, the newer the home, the more tightly it will be sealed. This ultimately reduces ventilation and prevents fresh outdoor air from circulating and rejuvenating the indoor environment.

In addition, today’s modern lifestyle leaves us spending about 90% of our time indoors (that’s over 21 hours every day)! With growth in pet ownership and an ever-increasing chemically driven marketplace, there has been a rapid rise in health problems associated with the increased concentrations of allergens and toxins in our homes.

While some of these contaminants, such as pollen and exhaust fumes, may be introduced to your home from the outside, studies show that almost half of your daily exposure to ultra-fine particles comes from indoor sources. Below is a list of the most common sources of allergy and asthma triggering, as well as toxic, contaminants in the home.

The above list is by no means exhaustive and is intended only to show you that we are constantly being bombarded by a wide variety of contaminants, which build up in our homes over time.

Of these contaminants, some are easier to detect and remove than others. Depending on your individual sensitivites, some of these contaminants may be particularly harmful to you or your loved ones and you will likely want to address these first. Many of the smallest contaminants can be the hardest to recognize and remove and also have the ability to be the most harmful.