National Indoor Air Quality Month

State of Indoor Air Quality The US Environmental Protection Agency states “The air quality in the average American home is a minimum of 3-5 times more polluted than outdoor air and can be as much as 100 times more polluted than outdoor air” This indoor air quality problem stems from many variables including the tighter, more energy efficient building materials and upgrades, our homes no longer “breathe” in the way the older homes did, resulting in a more stagnant, stale air quality coupled with the increased amount of chemicals in our modern homes, lifestyles, furnishings, cleaning products, beauty products, off-gassing, etc. We have created quite the toxic indoor air cocktail complete with high allergens and irritants.

The US EPA ranks indoor air quality as the #1 environmental health problem reporting “6 out of every 10 homes and buildings are sick, meaning they are hazardous to your health to occupy as a result of airborne pollutants.”

The consequences of poor indoor air quality are often times life altering in many ways, for example Medical Director of Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, E. Neil Schachter said “If you live in a home with chronically poor air quality, you can experience frequent headaches, long lasting colds and bronchitis as well as chronic asthma.”

Human beings breathe – inhale and exhale – 10,000 to 70,000 times every day just to sustain life. Not really surprising, but what is surprising is how very little attention we pay to the quality of the air we are breathing so often every day. Especially when compared to the countless hours and billions of dollars we spend considering the food we eat, beverages we drink, the lotions we put on our skin and the effects they have on our health and well-being. The time has come for us to recognize the quality of air is having a direct impact on our health and happiness.

With over 60% of the American population reporting some allergy symptoms it’s no wonder that we have seen “Perennial (year-long) allergens are 10- to 100-fold higher indoors than outside” reports William J. Calhoun, MD, chair department of medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch

What does all of this mean?

Sick Home Syndrome by definition is when a person suffers “acute, adverse health effects that can be linked to spending time within a specific structure and are not caused by an illness.” For example, do you get headaches only when you are at home? Do you start to feel better once outside? Or do you regularly stay up at night suffering with a cough and scratchy throat that keeps you from getting a good night’s sleep, only to feel better once you get outside? These are just a few of the symptoms of “Sick Home Syndrome”, others include:

allergies, asthma, sinus and respiratory infections, itchy, dry skin, fatigue, sneezing, coughing, insomnia, scratch throat, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, the list goes on and on.

The good news is that we can help homeowners do something to combat this growing health concern. Even better news is that it does not include major home renovations or serious lifestyle changes…by simply increasing the home’s air exchanges YOU can make a difference.

Helping to reduce the natural stack effect (tendency for basement/crawlspace air to rise up into the living space) you can improve indoor quality. This will also provide a path of escape for the bad air to exit which will further prevent polluted indoor air from accumulating to unhealthy levels and entering the living environment. By exhausting that bad air out and increasing air exchanges you can dramatically improve the indoor air quality…and the health of the occupants!

It’s really a very simple solution to a complex problem. By increasing the ventilation rates in the home sourced at the lowest part of the foundation, you will see a reduction in indoor allergens, humidity levels, trapped gasses and pollutants, as well as all of those nasty chemicals we introduce into our indoor environment every day.

Create a fresher, cleaner, drier indoor air environment naturally, without expensive air filters, air cleaners, scrubbers, etc. When you increase ventilation there is no need for any harmful air fresheners, sprays, plug-ins, candles, chemical masking agents or fragrances. These synthetic compounds do nothing to improve the air quality and oftentimes add dangerous chemicals further polluting an already compromised air quality.

If we need to breathe up to 70,000 times per day just to sustain us, it’s probably a good idea to be sure that the air we are inhaling is the healthiest it can be to support us in being the healthiest we can be!

To Learn more about how the EZ Breathe Ventilation System and CrawlSpace Conditioner System can: