The air inside your home or business may contain harmful pollutants and fine particles that are invisible, but are being constantly inhaled. A professional air quality inspection in Dallas-Fort Worth will reveal these issues and provide clear solutions. For those experiencing breathing issues, it can be surprising to learn what’s affecting your indoor environment. Let’s look at how the factors that cause poor indoor air quality can impact your breathing.
How Poor Indoor Air Quality Affects Breathing
Since most of us spend the majority of our time indoors at home or work, being aware of our indoor air quality is essential. Environmental monitoring ensures that you have the information needed to prevent unnecessary allergies, asthma and breathing difficulties.
Why Indoor Air Quality Matters for Breathing
Poor indoor air quality increases your exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like cleaning chemicals, particulate matter, formaldehyde, ammonia, nitrogen dioxide, and various other particles and gases. In some instances, poor indoor air quality can also be related to active mold growth in the space. This exposure can irritate the lungs and airways, resulting in shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing. Removing high levels of pollutants from the air allows your lungs to function efficiently, and can prevent chronic respiratory issues.
Why Indoor Air Can Be Worse Than Outdoor Air
According to the American Lung Association, indoor air pollution can actually reach levels 2–5 times higher than outdoor pollution, and in some cases up to 100 times worse. Given that Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, this is a serious concern. Common reasons for this increased indoor pollution include energy-efficient buildings sealing in both air and pollutants, while poorly maintained HVAC systems recirculate the same air.
Common Sources of Indoor Pollutants
Prevalent sources of increased indoor pollution include off-gassing from building materials and furnishings, gases from appliances like stoves and fireplaces, moisture problems from high humidity, and pollen and vehicle exhaust emissions entering from outdoors. Along with testing air quality, you may need a mold inspection, as active mold growth can also affect breathing.
Signs That Poor Indoor Air Quality Is Affecting Your Breathing
Poor indoor air quality affects people in various ways, from persistent congestion and mild shortness of breath to headaches, fatigue and severe asthma attacks. Unfortunately, pinpointing the source of your breathing-related issues can be difficult. However, if your condition improves when you leave your home or workplace, an air quality inspection is recommended.
Simple Steps to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Simple steps, such as maintaining your HVAC system, removing harsh cleaning chemicals, installing air purifiers, and opening windows to increase airflow can help improve indoor air quality. If problems persist, you can request an air quality and mold inspection service in DFW to monitor a wide range of metrics that are likely triggering breathing difficulties.
Expert Indoor Air Quality Testing in Dallas-Fort Worth
If you’re suffering from respiratory issues or your asthma is getting worse, you may have an issue with indoor air quality. Our DFW team will conduct comprehensive testing for chemical pollutants, particulates, ventilation problems and other common causes of poor air quality. Call Barrett Environmental at (214) 886-3108 or request an inspection.