We spend around 90 percent of our time indoors, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and a majority of that indoor time is spent right within our own homes. Between sleeping, eating, relaxing, and just hanging out in the house, these spaces impact our bodies far more than we often consider.
Because quality air is vital inside our home, we asked experts to spell out the signs that might indicate poor quality, steps to address any issues, and when to consider professional help.
The Importance of Healthy Air Quality at Home
On average, we breathe around 20,000 times per day. “All of those breaths add up to about 2,000 gallons of air, which is about the size of an average swimming pool,” says Michael Rubino, air quality expert and founder of HomeCleanse. “That makes air one of the things we intake the most. It is also one of our greatest routes of exposure.”
Whatever is in the air makes its way into our bodies with every inhale—most of which is microscopic and invisible to the naked eye. “If the air quality within the home is poor, that means contaminants enter the body with every breath taken inside,” Rubino warns. “When you breathe, what’s in the air can enter the bloodstream and nervous system, creating a systemic impact that can span throughout the body.”
Exposure to poor air quality can lead to a myriad of short-term and long-term health impacts. Respiratory distress, widespread inflammation, headaches, disrupted sleep, fatigue, and decreased cognitive function are just a few of the possible short-term effects. These effects are often more noticeable in children, older adults, and anyone with conditions like COPD, asthma, and allergies. Long-term exposure can lead to more dire consequences, including cancer, heart disease and neurological impairment.
Signs You Should Test Your Air Quality
If you have chronic symptoms with no obvious underlying cause and they seem to improve when you leave the house, you might consider testing the air quality in your home. However, it’s best not to wait until you notice a problem or develop respiratory issues before checking. “Many of the most important pollutants are invisible and often have no smell,” explains Chris Turner, founder of Breathe Tech.
Subtle warning signs may include:
- New construction or renovations: This can introduce a range of pollutants into the air, including VOCs.
- Natural events like wildfires: This can lead to pollution indoors.
- Excessive dust, even with routine cleaning: This indicates that a source within the home is adding particulate matter into the air.
- High humidity: This can indicate indoor air quality issues, as mold can grow in humidity of 60 percent and above.
- A water-damaging event: These can allow for microbial growth.
- Musty, earthy, cigar-like odors: This can indicate water damage and mold.
- Visible mold growth: This is a direct source of airborne pollution and exposure we want to avoid.
The Best Ways to Test Indoor Air Quality
The best test for indoor air quality depends on what exactly you’re trying to test, whether a specific contaminant or more day-to-day monitoring. With a range of options on the market, it’s also important to understand what tests are best for specific situations.
For example, when testing for mold, the best first test is dust testing. “Dust acts like a historic record of a home,” Rubino says. “So, if there is an active source of mold, particles like mold spores and mycotoxins (a toxic byproduct created by some species of mold) will end up in the dust. That means that high levels of mold particles in the dust indicate a situation worth investigating further within the home for sources.”
There are also specific testing tools for specific air quality concerns. “Carbon monoxide, lead, and asbestos all come with unique testing methods and monitors,” Rubino says. “Air quality monitors that can assess multiple pollutants simultaneously offer a wide range of protection for a home.”
What to Test Home Air Quality For
Think of indoor air quality as a puzzle. “Carbon dioxide tells you about ventilation, PM2.5 measures airborne particles, VOCs reveal chemical pollution, and humidity can indicate whether conditions are right for mold growth,” Turner explains.
For most homes, these are the measurements he suggests starting with:
- Carbon dioxide: This is a good indicator of ventilation. With more people working from home, it’s become more important, as higher levels can cause drowsiness, reduced concentration, and headaches.
- PM2.5: These fine particles come from cooking, candles, smoke, and outdoor pollution. They’re small enough to get into the bloodstream through the lungs, and long-term exposure can reduce lung function, cause COPD, and increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, lung cancer, and respiratory infections.
- VOCs: These are released from paints, furniture, cleaning products, and fragrances. Exposure can increase asthma risk, harm the liver and kidneys, cause COPD, and reduce lung function.
Rubino also suggests testing for:
- Relative humidity: This is the amount of moisture present in the air.
- Temperature: How warm or cool the environment is.
- Mold index: This indicates the likelihood of mold growth and contamination indoors.
- Carbon monoxide: A poisonous gas that is colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas.
- Nitrogen dioxide: A toxic gas generated primarily from burning fuels.
- Ozone: This is a highly reactive gas.
- Sulfur dioxide: This is a colorless, harmful gas.
- Radon: This is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas that is colorless, odorless, and tasteless.
- Lead: This is commonly found in older homes through lead-based paint, dust, or plumbing.
- Asbestos: Found in some older insulation, flooring, ceiling tiles, pipe wrap, and other building materials.
What to Know About At-Home Tests
At-home monitors are useful for everyday tracking and for spotting poor ventilation or high particle levels before they turn into bigger problems, Turner says. Single-use kits also make sense for specific concerns like radon.
“Just keep their limits in mind,” Turner warns. “Air quality shifts throughout the day. Cooking, cleaning, opening windows, using household products, and just having people in the house can all make pollutant levels go up and down.”
“A one-off test only gives you a snapshot,” he says. “Continuous monitoring will almost always tell you more.”
When to Consider Hiring a Professional
If mold is a concern, a professional should be brought in to assess the entire home for sources, contamination levels, and to determine what led to the growth in the first place so that a remediation treatment plan can be developed.
“If an indoor air quality monitor or measurement tool indicates unhealthy levels of certain airborne pollutants, a professional should be brought in to assess the source and resolve the issue as soon as possible,” Rubino says. “Ultimately, the goal is to determine the extent of the contamination issue as well as the source so that it can be comprehensively resolved and will no longer impact the air quality in the home.”
Ensure that the individual has the proper qualifications based on the contaminant they are there to assess. They should understand that all guidance should be science- and data-based, rather than opinion or generalization. The best professionals have health as their primary driver, not simply selling more testing and products.
When purchasing a new home, it’s a great idea to have a professional assess for indoor air quality concerns. According to Rubino, “Finding problems earlier on helps ensure they can be addressed before impacting the health of those inside the home.”
Read more at Martha Stewart
