The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranks indoor air quality as one of the top five concerns to your health. Poor indoor air quality can affect everything from sneezes, coughs and colds to allergies and asthma. Although many individuals think the air outdoors has a strong impact on the rise and fall of allergies and varied sicknesses, the air indoors can be just as impactful.
Poor indoor air quality presents a number of risks in the home, office and other buildings, but it is something that can be controlled. Preventative measures can be taken in order to increase the pure air you are breathing on a daily basis.
Ben Hubbert and Tony Martinez, owners of Champion AC, began their business with the significance of air quality in mind. After studying the astounding impact and affects of poor indoor air quality, Hubbert and Martinez developed a business model emphasizing the importance of controlling the weather in your home.
“Those of us who suffer from allergies know that allergy season affects your sleep and work performance,” Hubbert said. “Air purification systems allow an escape from those allergens that can infiltrate homes.”
In the Home
When you think about controlling the weather inside your home, one of the most important factors is regularly changing your air filter. Air filters cost only a couple of dollars to replace. This is the easiest and most inexpensive thing you can do to improve air quality inside your home and make sure your family is breathing clean air.
If clean air inside your home isn’t enough to get you to regularly replace your air filter, do it for the savings. A clean filter helps your AC run more efficiently - meaning it will use less energy. Higher ventilation rates reduce the transmission and spread of infections in the home.
In Schools and Office Buildings
Poor indoor air quality can impact the comfort and health of employees in the workplace and students in schools. Research by the EPA shows this can affect concentration, attendance and employee or student performance.
In addition, if office or school management fails to respond in a timely manner to poor indoor air quality, students and staff are at an increased risk for short-term health problems such as fatigue and nausea, as well as long-term problems such as asthma.
Common sources of indoor air pollution include tobacco smoke, biological organisms, building materials and furnishings, cleaning agents, copy machines and pesticides. The EPA reports a review of building investigation reports suggests regular heating, ventilating and air conditioning maintenance can have significant impact on health and performance. Airborne particle reduction has shown continued benefits to both health and comfort.
“The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports that poor ventilation is an important contributing factor in many sick building cases,” Hubbert said. “The characteristics of ‘sick building syndrome’ include physical symptoms without clearly identifiable causes. Symptoms can include eye, nose and throat irritation, among other ailments, and can lead to increased sick days.”
Studies taken by the EPA in various schools and office buildings show that when facilities given a lower ranking by its inhabitants, the most frequently cited problems are related to poor indoor air quality.
Air quality has specifically become a health issue for the Alamo City. The City of San Antonio Office of Environmental Policy has its own Air Quality Health Alert Plan, intended to serve as a document for city operations on Air Quality Health Alert Days. The alert season ranges from April through October, but individuals should take the impact of air quality into consideration year-round.
“Indoor air quality products can make a major impact to not only your family’s health, but also the health of your home,” Hubbert explained. “Installing these systems [can] also extend the life of central air conditioning systems and help them run more efficiently, which helps lower utility bills.”
We often take the air we breathe for granted, but it is important to pay attention to the quality of air in your home and office. Take the time to clean up the air you breathe. Minor adjustments to your home and revisions in your daily routine can have a major impact in the purity of your indoor air quality. Keep this in mind the next time you take a breath.
The Statistics
• The EPA lists indoor air pollution as one of the top five risks to overall health.
• Children inhale more air than adults and are more sensitive to poor air quality in the home.
• New homes aren’t exempt. The World Health Organization estimates 30 percent of new or remodeled homes have indoor air quality problems.
• Asthma affects more than 23 million Americans, including an estimated seven million children.
Tips
- Change your air filter.
- Don’t smoke in your home.
- Keep your house clean.
- Fix water leaks in your home or car immediately.
- Disinfect bathroom and kitchen surfaces.
About EPA: More information about air quality can be found online at www.epa.gov.
About Ben Hubbert and Champion AC: Hubbert is the president and co-owner of Champion AC, an air conditioning and heating company in San Antonio. Champion AC is a leader in the “green” movement and focuses on controlling the weather in your home. Find out more by phone at 210-699-0022 or on the Web at www.championac.com.
