GET THE FACTS ~ Healing Homes Guru

GET THE FACTS INDOOR AIR QUALITY

COVID changed everything, at least that is, regarding our perception of indoor air quality. Previous to the pandemic, increasingly health-conscious consumers spent a lot of money on a lot of things to get healthier, but gave our indoor air quality little thought. According to Green Builder Media—a publisher of trade publications targeted to contractors building high-performance homes—Americans collectively spend $40 billion a year on organic food; $20 billion a year on bottled water; and $44 billion on dietary supplements. But spent a relatively paltry $781 million on indoor air cleaners even though we ingest seven times more air than food and water each day. On top of that, one of my favorite healthy home statistics as reported by the EPA back in 1987 and 1989: “Americans on average, spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, where the concentrations of some pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations .” (Emphasis mine) Enter COVID and an age of airborne viruses and that same Green Builder Media reports in their 2020 survey of home-buying consumers that indoor air quality is a top priority. In fact, Millennial and Gen Z consumers now view indoor air quality as a fundamental right and ventilation/ filtered air as important as water purification. So what causes poor indoor air quality? In a conventionally-built home there are a host of factors at play and potential sources of pollutants. These include combustion gases, particulates like dirt or dust, radon, formaldehydes, and a host of other volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs and SVOCs) that off-gas from the myriad of synthetic finishes and furnishings typically found in a conventional home. These factors get magnified when there is water intrusion or faulty/insufficient ventilation. Sewer gases for instance can pollute indoor air if not vented properly or if vent piping get clogged or cracks. Incomplete combustion of any gas-fired appliance like a hot water heater or furnace/ boiler or gas stove or fireplace are other sources of pollutant gases in the home—most commonly carbon monoxide and methane. Commonly used household products like dryer sheets, plug-in air fresheners and fabric POLLUTANT SOURCES