Most people expect to have clean air in an apartment, since it shares an HVAC system with the rest of the building. This HVAC system is usually rated for industrial capacity, and subject to building codes and health regulations. However, over the years individual apartments can develop poor indoor air quality.
Here are ten things you may not know about the indoor air quality in your apartment.
1. Bad Indoor Air Quality Creates a Serious Health Risk
Indoor pollution can become five to 100 times worse than outdoor air pollution. The health risks caused by this come from some seemingly innocent sources including poorly designed or installed ventilation, burning candles frequently, air fresheners, and some household cleaners.
2. Some Flame Retardant Furniture Can Hurt You
Furniture made in the US before 2006 may contain a toxic substance used as a flame retardant. It also appeared in children’s pajamas. Banned in the 1970s, this chemical can still remain in your home if you have older pieces of furniture.
3. Some Air Fresheners May Contain Dangerous Chemicals
When you spray an air freshener to gain a nice smell in a room, you may unwittingly be spreading harmful chemicals that disrupt hormone function, cause respiratory ailments, and in some cases, affect reproductive development. Explore natural alternatives to air fresheners.
4. Smoke from Cooking and Smoking
Smoking doesn’t just hurt your lungs, it also causes damage to those around you in the form of secondhand smoke. Install an air purifier if you can’t quit smoking or another person in the household can’t. Make the smoker smoke outdoors. When you cook, turn on your kitchen ventilator so you remove the bad air from your kitchen. You can keep cooking enjoyable and safe by properly ventilating your kitchen.
5. Home Printer Ink Can be Hazardous
The ink used in your home printer contains a substance called glymes, an industrial chemical linked to human developmental issues and reproductive damage. Explore safer printer ink options.
6. Too Much Wood Fireplace Smoke Can Harm You
The occasional wood-burning fire causes no harm, but regularly using a wood fireplace creates a health risk. Over time, it can slow your immune system’s function. Using vent free gas logs can solve the problem by removing the toxic chemicals that can leach into the air.
7. Seniors and PDAs Face Greater Risks
The elderly and disabled fall into the highest risk category for harm due to poor air quality. They spend a great deal of time indoors and their marginalized health makes them more vulnerable to the pollution effects.
8. Kids Bring Home Effects of Bad Air from Schools
The enclosed nature of schools can be a breeding ground for ailments. Everything from colds to mono can spread in class and your child or the neighbors’ child brings it home. Since the apartments all share the same HVAC and ventilation system, these can make their way around neighboring apartments if the filters aren’t periodically cleaned or replaced.
9. Poor Indoor Air can Exacerbate Respiratory Illnesses
Poor indoor air quality can exacerbate asthma. This illness affects the lungs and puts the individual at greater risk for other respiratory illnesses. Bad air inside can also make allergies worse for those who suffer from them.
10. Indoor Air Exposures Cause Serious Damage
We’re inside most of the day. This increases human exposure to these pollutants. We breathe in the bad if the apartment building’s air quality stinks. The fine particulate matter of pollutants makes it easy to inhale them. They quickly move through the human bloodstream and begin to do damage. Symptoms of this bad air include dry eyes, fatigue, nausea, headaches, and nasal congestion. Over a long period of time, it can exacerbate asthma, and contribute to the development of strokes, neural distress, lung infections, lung cancer, immune dysfunction, and depression.
Improving Your Air Quality
Just making the small changes suggested in this article and having your ducts cleaned by an independent professional HVAC contractor can help. You can also improve your apartment’s air quality with an air purifier, by better ventilating each room, and regularly cleaning air filters. You can appeal to your apartment complex to improve the overall air quality, too.
