How to Mearure Indoor Air Quality
When youre thinking about moving, whether into a new home or even across the country, its important to understand how indoor air quality can affect your childrens health and yours.
Your adult respiratory system is designed for heating, cooling, and filtering pollutantsnot breathing like a small child. Thats why many people forget that kids breathe in more airborne contaminants than they do oxygen. The older we get, the more susceptible our lungs are to harmful substances.
Be sure to ask questions before you buy any used house or vehicle.
Its important to know your indoor air quality so you can compare it with whatever used home or car you may be considering purchasing. But first, look up basic information about potential homes and vehicles for sale. You should already have some idea of what kind of environment you want to improve your health in (your old home wasnt probably great for you, while a friends new car was perfect), but be certain to ask all possible questions before making an offer.
Ask everyonefrom the kids to the grandparentsif they have a cough, cold, or fever.
It may not seem like a big deal that your dog gets colds and fevers, but when youre infected with a virus, it can actually be dangerous for your dogand you should take precautions. When someone in your family has a respiratory illness, be sure to tell everyone up front, so theres no confusion about whether your pet needs to be put away from the food bowl or is allowed back inside the house.
Pay attention to the weather.
When its hot or warm in your home, you may not notice how bad the air is until something cool like a breeze blows through. But when theres a cold front coming in, that can be the perfect time to take action! That said, its also key to pay attention to the conditions outside. If rain is forecast for the week ahead, make sure to keep an eye on the timing of appointments that require water exposure (see Options for Water-Based Sessions).
Talk to your doctor.
Before you make any indoor air quality changes, talk to your physician or other healthcare provider. They can help you determine what causes of your asthma may be linked to poor indoor air quality and also provide advice on how to improve conditions in your home and workplace.
Change your behavior.
We all have certain behaviors that we tend to do without thinking, like grabbing a cup of coffee in the morning or picking up a fast food burger when youre busy during the day. But those small actions can add millions of times more COVID-19 particles to the air you breathe than what comes out of an industrial fan! It may sound ridiculous, but its true! The more you touch your face, the more likely you are to spread germs and increase your exposure to coronavirus.
Take better photos.
If youve ever had photo quality air pollution sensors, you know how hard it is to get clear images without any interference from digital signs or fluorescent light bulbs. But indoor air quality issues can be just as severe as outdoor onesin some cases even worse! Thats because our houses are full of environmental toxins, like volatile organic compounds (VOCs), that arent present in the air outside.
