The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines the bacteria, molds, mildew, viruses,
animal dander, dust mites and pollen within your carpet as "biological contaminants."
There are many sources of these pollutants, including plants, people, animals, soil
and plant debris, and urine (which becomes airborne when it dries). Contaminated
central air systems can serve as a breeding ground for mold and mildew, which can
spread these contaminants throughout your entire home.
But how can these contaminants affect our every day lives? Some biological contaminants
trigger allergic reactions, including hypersensitive pneumonia, allergic rhinitis,
and certain types of asthma. Also, infectious illnesses, such as influenza, measles
and chicken pox are transmitted throughout the air. Specific symptoms for each of
these illnesses can include sneezing, watery eyes, coughing, shortness of breath,
dizziness, lethargy, fever and digestive problems.
As you may know, these allergic reactions occur as a result of continued exposure
to various contaminants. To prevent such an environment, the EPA suggests to keep
your house clean. Vacuuming regularly does reduce some dirt, however, vacuuming
also increases the airborne levels of mite allergens and other biological contaminants.
Using central vacuum systems (which are vented to the outdoors) or vacuums with
high efficiency filters can reduce these airborne levels.
According to EPA research, people spend approximately 90% of their time indoors,
meaning that for many people, the risks of health may be greater due to increased
exposure to indoor air pollution. Also, many human activities can be a major source
of air pollutants within the home. However, these health effects can range from
an immediate reaction to years after exposure!
Another way to judge whether your home has developed indoor air problems is to identify
potential sources of these pollutants. Although the presence of such sources does
not necessarily mean that you have indoor air quality problems, being aware of the
type and number of potential sources is an important step toward assessing the air
quality in your home. For cleaning frequency help, check out the
EPA Cleaning Schedule Chart.
*Information and suggestions those from the Environmental Protection Agency website
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