When the term ‘fresh air’ is used, most people think of outside air. Which is not surprising, really, since the quality of the air around a busy crossing may be twenty times cleaner than the air inside your own home. Yet many people don’t think about the air quality in their homes. Still, it may have a great impact on their health. Especially when you consider that we spend around eighty percent of our time indoors.
There’s something in the air...
A poor air quality inside the home is one of the five most severe health risks. Yet many people are not aware of this. The air inside the home may be contaminated for many reasons and people with bronchial problems are extra sensitive to this.
The following causes will affect everybody to a certain extent:
- Allergens, such as house dust mite, pets, mould, pollen - natural as well as artificial substances - may cause allergic reactions.
- Problems caused by mould and house dust mite are often connected to damp problems in the home. Here you will find a number of tips to help you easily prevent these.
- Another health hazard is tobacco smoke, which contains large quantities of toxic gases.
- Other hazardous substances are volatile organic compounds, which are a part of many ordinary household products, including paint, glue, cleaning agents, cosmetics, air fresheners, and construction materials. These are released into the air by means of evaporation.
- Finally, natural building materials, such as brick, concrete and cement, will release toxic gases, including radon. New buildings will generally contain more of these than older ones.
Risk of health problems
On average, we breathe in around 12,000 litres of air every day. This means that we are continuously inhaling air containing hazardous substances. Dirty air may cause a number of health problems, such as:
- Stinging eyes
- Reduced concentration
- Headaches
- Drowsiness
- Tightness of the chest
- Chronic cough
- Allergic reactions, e.g. to house dust mite or pets
- Asthma
- Bronchitis
- Pulmonary emphysema
- Hay fever
Optimum climate control - also in winter
Especially during the cold winter months, your health is running great risk. Today houses are very well insulated, resulting in very little natural ventilation. Moreover, people tend to keep windows and doors closed in order to keep in the warmth. And we turn up the heating to a comfortable level. The resulting dry air will contain a lot of dust, causing allergic reactions. And the moisture that is produced - by cooking, washing, drying, ironing and breathing - will precipitate on the colder surfaces around the home, causing mould, flaking paint, and peeling wallpaper. This puts the air quality inside the home under a lot of pressure, especially in winter. With the help of a Qlima air purifier, you will be able to easily control the quality of the air inside your home.