How Indoor Air Quality Affects Your Health

We've been discussing indoor air quality quite a bit lately in the Planet Green blogs. It is important to have fresh air circulating throughout your domicile. Although we may want to seal up our thermal envelope nice and tight, we have to do it in such a way that we are able to change old, stale air with new fresh air. But you don?t have to take my word for it. You can ask Steve Thomas about green design. He'll tell you.

But what are the health consequences of poor indoor air quality? The most common symptoms are irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, headaches, fatigue and dizziness. Usually, these symptoms go away when the person is no longer exposed to the irritants.

But it is also possible to develop long-term chronic conditions and diseases like asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis and humidifier fever. Other health effects won't even be noticeable till years after the exposure: Respiratory disease, heart disease and cancer. It is extremely important to keep your indoor air healthy.

The full health extent of the chemicals in our homes is unknown. For more information, visit the EPA's indoor air quality site.