How Indoor Air Makes Asthma and Allergies Worse
Allergies, asthma, and other respiratory conditions can be very difficult to live with and control, especially during the spring when pollen levels are high, and you and your family spend more time outdoors. Many people assume that these kinds of health issues are caused by contaminants and particles in the outdoor air, prompting them to spend more time inside their homes when the weather is nice. However, when your home’s air quality is just as bad or worse than the outdoors, staying inside can actually make allergy, asthma, and other respiratory symptoms worse.
Conducting an Indoor Air Quality Assessment at Home
Wisconsin Home Improvement can conduct an indoor air quality assessment in your home as part of its whole home energy audit process. During this process, we will determine the underlying cause of high levels of contaminants in the home, including issues with air sealing and ventilation.
Air Sealing
Many homes require some degree of air sealing to help prevent further air quality and moisture issues from developing. Air leaks often occur due to tiny holes and cracks, particularly those that hide out in the attic, crawlspace, or around doors and windows where you can’t always see them. Through the home energy audit process, we will identify the location of these air leaks and offer solutions for fixing them.
Steps to Prevent Indoor Air Quality Issues
The only way to prevent home air quality issues is to carefully manage the air that comes into your home and upgrade your HVAC system to ensure that the air inside is always fresh and clean. Air sealing service is the first step in this process, as it prevents bad air from getting in and good air from getting out.
Understanding Indoor Air Quality’s Effect on Your Health
Indoor air quality negatively affects your health in a number of ways, even if you do not suffer from allergies, asthma, or other respiratory conditions. Pollutants in the air can cause people to regularly experience many of the following symptoms:
- Eye, nose, and throat irritation
- Headaches, nausea, and dizziness
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Hypersensitivity
- Coughing and sneezing
Preventing Poor Indoor Air Quality
During a Wisconsin Home Improvement home energy performance assessment, we will conduct a number of tests to measure your home’s air quality and the factors that may be contributing to it. The test include:
- Blower door testing
- Infrared thermal imaging
- Combustion heating system safety testing
Help Keep Allergies and Asthma Symptoms Out of Your Home
Many substances in the home can negatively affect air quality and potentially cause or aggravate allergies, asthma, and respiratory symptoms, including:
- VOCs (volatile organic chemicals) that may leak from the building materials in your home, such as paint and cleaning supplies
- Increased moisture levels from cooking, taking hot showers, and generally high humidity levels that lead to mold growth without proper home ventilation
- Pet dander, dust, and dirt circulating in your HVAC system and interior air, especially if your home isn’t regularly cleaned
- Radon entering through your basement and crawlspaces
- Air leaks in your building’s exterior that let in pollen and outdoor air pollution
Next Steps to Consider
If you or members of your family suffer from allergies, asthma, or respiratory symptoms, it is important to have your home’s indoor air quality tested and to take the proper steps to improve it. At Wisconsin Home Improvement, we not only perform these tests, but we can also help fix the problems that cause them in the first place, including sealing air leaks and improving the quality of your home’s insulation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions we get about home insulation improvements and how insulation works. If you have a question and don’t see the answer below, please let us know.
What are the most common indoor air pollutants?
Common indoor air pollutants include gases such as carbon monoxide and radon along with allergens like dust, pollen, and dander. Excessive moisture in the home can also lead to mold and mildew growth.
How can indoor air quality be improved?
You can improve the quality of your indoor air by maintaining tight air seals that prevent leaks as well as upgrading and maintaining your home’s ventilation and HVAC systems to ensure that air is filtered and moving well.
How does the quality of indoor air affect respiratory health?
Indoor air can contain two to five times higher concentrations of some air pollutants than outdoor air, causing symptoms such as eye, nose, and throat irritation; coughing; sneezing; headaches; and fatigue.
Why are my allergies worse inside my house?
Due to poor ventilation and buildup of pollutants, indoor air can contain two to five times higher concentrations of some air pollutants than outdoor air.
Why is my house triggering my asthma?
Poor indoor air quality can include a buildup of dust, pollen, dander, and humidity, all of which trigger asthma symptoms.
Can indoor air cause asthma?
Yes. Poor indoor air quality can aggravate or even cause asthma among vulnerable populations.
Will an audit of my house include allergy and asthma issues?
Yes. A whole home energy audit includes a full assessment of your home’s indoor air quality as well as an investigation into the underlying factors that cause the air to be poor, such as ventilation and air sealing issues.