Improving the Air in Your Home
In today’s health conscious society, all of us take great interest in the quality of food we eat and the water we drink. What
about the air we breathe? In fact:
We eat approximately 2-3 lbs. of food per day.
We drink approximately 3-4 lbs. of water per day.
And we breathe approximately 30-40 lbs. of air per day.
When we think of air quality we often
think of air pollution from cars and
factories or smog, haze and ozone.
However, since you are reading this
article you undoubtedly have interest in
the quality of air in your home or place
of business. In fact, you may have
already realized that there is a lot of
information out there, much of it based
on extensive research done here in
Canada by organizations such as
Health Canada, the Research Division
of the Canada Mortgage and Housing
Corporation and the National Research
Council. It is significant to point out that
the results of the research in Canada,
is entirely consistent with information
presented by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S.
and the World Health Organization.
From all of this research there are
some important statements that help
define the impact of air quality on your
home and on your family:
• IAQ is important because one in
five Canadians has some form of
respiratory disease,
• Indoor air has 2-5 times as many
chemical pollutants as outdoor air;
• There are over 20,000 radon
induced lung cancer deaths per year
in North America
• Everyone can be affected by IAQ,
some more than others – the young,
the elderly, the ill.
• The effect of dampness and molds on
the respiratory health of children is
equal in power to that of parental
smoking.
We sometimes hear that by making
houses more energy efficient which
involves tightly sealing the home, this
practice is at fault for air quality
problems. However, indoor air quality
is more complex than this and there
are a number of factors that should
lead us to be concerned about the
quality of air in our homes.
• We spend far more time indoors
all year round – as much as 90%
of our time – especially now that
air conditioning is so popular. That
means 27 out of that 30 lbs of air
we breathe each day is indoor air
– much of it from our homes.
• We have introduced more
pollutants into houses – more
furnishings, more cleaning
chemicals, more personal hygiene
products and more recreational
activities. There at least 4,000 –
6,000 chemicals that may be
found in our houses. Moreover,
because we are inside more, we
often bring plants and pets into our
homes that add dust, dander,
pests and other pollutants.
• Our interest in better comfort,
lower noise and greater security
reduces the use of windows for
natural ventilation.
• Our expectations for comfort and
health have increased.
These important statements and facts
can be researched further in the helpful
articles and Frequently Asked
Questions on HRAI’s website or on the
websites of the CMHC or the EPA,
however, we suspect at this point most
visitors simply want to know 2 things:
1. How do I know if the air in my
home is healthy?
2. What can I do to make the air in
my home as healthy as possible?
We feel the professional HVAC
contractors represented by HRAI are in
a unique position to help you with
these important questions. Our
knowledge and experience with the
movement and control of heat, air and
moisture in buildings is very valuable
when diagnosing and resolving indoor
air quality.
With respect to knowing whether the
air in your home may be affecting the
breathing of your family, ask yourself
the following questions:
• Does any one in your household
suffer from asthma, allergies or
respiratory problems?
• Do their symptoms appear to be
worse when they are at home or in
specific places at home?
• Has your home under gone
significant changes such as the
replacement of windows, complete
renovation of a basement or an
addition in the last few years?
• Do you notice excessive window
condensation in winter or is your
basement damp or musty in the
summer?
• Do you feel the need to use air
fresheners or scented candles on
a regular basis to keep your home
feeling fresh?
• Do you find that odours linger in
your home from morning to
evening?
• Do you notice stains, spotting or
dampness on walls or excessive
dust on floors?
• Do visitors to your home suffer
from allergic reactions?
• Do pets live in your home?
If you answered yes to more than 2 or
3 of these questions, then a trained
and experienced HVAC professional is
in a unique position to help you both
diagnose and resolve underlying
issues that may be affecting the quality
of air your family is breathing.
When it comes to improving the quality
of air in your home, it is important to
recognize that there are many things
that you can do on your own and then
there are items that will require the
assistance of a qualified professional.
Usually, air quality improvements
require a systematic and integrated
approach – it is unlikely that any one
measure solves all problems – and
HRAI members have the training and
experience to help you find the most
cost effective ways to ensure the air
you breathe is as healthy as possible.
For more on the simple things you can
do on your own to improve the air in
your home look on the HRAI website.
To find a professional HRAI contractor
in your area that has the knowledge
and experience to help you cost
effectively diagnose and find solutions
to your air quality concerns click here.
