How Can You Tell if your Home’s Air Contains Pollutants?

To answer right away....you just don't know.  You don't know, but doing some investigating in and around your home and using your 5 senses, you should be able to determine if it does.

I've did some research and came up with a 30-point checklist that highlights the typical sources of indoor air pollution in the average home. You can use it to decide whether or not your home is likely to be experiencing air quality issues.

If you check off any of the following "opportunities", the chances are good that your home could use some indoor air remedial action. The more checks you make on your list, the greater that action likely needs to be and the faster it probably should happen.

If you didn't check off any opportunities, that indicates your home is probably free of indoor air quality problems, but it’s wise to adopt a few principles of healthy precaution to keep things that way!
1. Does my home have unusual and/or lingering odors?
2. Does my home regularly have stale or stuffy air?
3. Is my central heating and cooling equipment dirty or not working properly?
4. Does anyone in my household suffer frequent colds, allergies, respiratory problems, or burning eyes?
5. Does my home regularly experience high humidity?
6. Are mold or mildew present in any room?
7. Does anyone in my house smoke indoors or do I regularly have guests who smoke indoors?
8. Does my basement have a radon problem?
9. Is my fireplace or woodstove malfunctioning or improperly vented?
10. Does my home typically accumulate a lot of dust that requires regular removal?
11. Do I use any synthetic chemical household cleaners?
12. Do I use any room deodorizers and/or air freshening products?
13. Do I use hair spray or other synthetic personal care products, especially spray products, perfumes, and nail polish supplies?
14. Do I use any pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or other poisons inside or outside my home?
15. Has my home been recently painted or have any furnishings been recently painted or varnished?
16. Is my home weatherized or otherwise sealed tightly to conserve energy?
17. Does my home contain any ceiling panels, acoustic ceiling tiles, or similar products?
18. Does my home contain any decorative wallpaper less than one year old?
19. Has my home been remodeled or added onto in the last two years?
20. Does my home contain any new furniture or carpeting less than one year old?
21. Has my home had any furniture or fixtures like cabinetry added to it in the past two years that are made from pressed or composite
    woods?
22. Do I use kerosene or other non-electric space heaters?
23. Does anyone in the house engage in hobbies or other activities that make frequent use of adhesives like rubber cement or model glue,
    strippers, finishes, paints, wood fillers, etc.?
25. Do I have any textile product labeled permanent press, easy-care, wrinkle-free, flame-resistant, etc. that are less than one year old?
26. Does my home contain any synthetic foams?
27. Do I use dry cleaning services regularly?
28. Is my home located on or near any heavily traveled roads?
29. Are any of my home’s various flue pipes, vents, or chimneys damaged in any way?
30. Does my home contain any copy machines or computer laser printers?

Do You Have an Indoor Air Quality Concern?

According to the EPA, there are three basic methods in finding out...

1) Unexplained Health Problems
Are you feeling ill? Do you have unexplained health problems after moving, remodeling, refurnishing ...or using pesticides? It could be more than just coincidence. Discuss it with your doctor and see if it related to indoor air quality. He may recommend you to an allergist or specialist, in order to find answers to your health concerns.

2) Who are the Culprits?

Find out the causes of your poor indoor air quality. Spend some time and go through your home and look for sources of potential indoor air pollution. Although the presence of such sources does not necessarily mean that you have an indoor air quality concern, being aware of the type and number of potential sources is an important step toward assessing the air quality in your home.

Some of those sources may include:

1. Pressed wood products, like particle board
2. Dirty air and furnace filters
3. Paints, lacquers and varnishes
4. Mold and areas of water damage
5. Dust
6. Cleaning products

3) Poor Ventilation

Homes that have been built in the last 40 years have been "sealed"...extra-insulated...for energy efficiency. Obviously you should keep your home maintained... fixing leaks and cracks, but at the same time, finding ways to adequately exchange stale, polluted air with fresh air. In other words...adequately ventilate the air.

Signs of a poorly ventilated home include:

1) Smelly, stuffy air
2) Moisture condensation on windows and walls
3) Mold growth on books, shoes, or other items
4) A dirty central cooling/heating system

Hopefully, your home has very few indoor air quality opportunities. An ounce of prevention is all it takes to keep it that way.

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