According to EPA research, Americans, on average, spend about 90% of their time indoors, and the quality of air inside our homes is often 2 to 5 times worse than the outdoor air.
Like the food we eat, the air we breathe impacts our health in multiple ways. Breathing clean air is simply vital to your family's good health.
Air pollution has been linked not only to allergies, chemical sensitivities, fatigue, asthma, and bronchitis, but also heart attacks and other chronic illnesses.
There are many potentially harmful impurities that affect indoor air quality.
Allergens
Scents
Chemicals
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
Outdoor air pollution (which makes its way inside)
You may not be able to control the air outside, but you can certainly help inside.
What’s in Your Indoor Air?
Indoor air commonly contains pollutants and particles like allergens, scents, chemicals, and VOCs, and other sources of indoor air pollution.
Allergens
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, more than 50 million Americans experience various types of allergies each year.
Indoor allergens that trigger reactions include pollen, mold, dust mites, and pet dander. While these allergens often settle on surfaces, they can become airborne when disturbed.
Scents, Chemicals, and Gases
Scents can also affect your indoor air quality. Perfumes, scented candles, and cleaning supplies are common culprits, but any kind of scent can trigger an allergic reaction or asthma symptoms, and may even cause longer-term effects, like immune system disorders.
Other items in your home release gasses called VOCs. Sources of VOCs can include:
New furniture, mattresses, and carpet
New building materials
Paint
Cleaning Supplies
Pesticides
Other Sources of Indoor Air Pollution
Smoke from cooking, tobacco, fireplaces, or candles
Wood-burning stoves and kerosene heaters
Carbon Monoxide from attached garages with cars or lawnmowers
Radon
Air purifiers can help reduce these airborne contaminants in a home or confined space.
The units have fans that draw in dirty air through filters and push clean air back out into the living space.
Impurities are captured inside the filter. How frequently you will have to change filters varies based upon the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Symptoms of Poor Air Quality
If you experience any of the symptoms below on a regular basis, your health may greatly benefit from improving your indoor air quality at home or in your office.
Itchy and/or stuffy nose
Clear nasal discharge
Itchy, watery, swollen, bloodshot eyes
Sneezing
Scratchy, swollen throat
Cough
Wheezing
Tightness in the chest
Shortness of breath
Fatigue
Some air impurities cause acute symptoms like those listed above. But some, like VOCs, accumulate over time and can lead to cancers like leukemia and lymphoma.
To help my patients overcome their health issues, I frequently recommend a high-quality air filtration unit.
Choosing the Right Air Filtration Unit
Clean air and the body's immune system are inextricably linked, as breathing clean air enables the immune system to rest and rejuvenate.
Here are some tips for selecting a unit for your home or office:
Make sure to select a model appropriate for your room size & dimensions.
Choose a model with TRUE HEPA to filter out ultra-fine particles in the air.
To filter VOCs & gases, choose a portable air cleaner with an activated carbon filter or another specially designed filter.
Run the unit 24/7 for optimum air cleaning
Clean or replace filters as recommended by the manufacturer
There are several manufacturers of air purification units, and I am often asked which I recommend.
I’ve spent countless hours researching the available options. Ultimately, I decided to work with Austin Air.
Austin Air units are manufactured in Buffalo, New York, and their filters have been consistently ranked #1 in the country based on consumer and commercial tests.
Not only are they the only clinically proven, medical-grade air purifier made in the USA, but I’m able to offer my patients a discount when purchasing their units from my site.
Questions?
If you have questions about whether an air filtration unit is right for you or if you need help choosing one, contact the office by phone or email here - https://www.elevatewellnessmd.com/contact.