How many breaths do you think you take every day?
If you guessed around 20,000 breaths each day, you would be right.
Those 20,000 breaths represent a LOT of air passing through your lungs and your body daily. Clearly, how clean that air is can have a huge impact on your health.
In this post, find out what could be in your air supply that could increase your risk of cancer and other serious illnesses.
Most importantly, find out what you can do NOW to protect your family from airborne toxins.
What’s In Your Air Supply?
Here in Canada, we are very lucky. Our outdoor air supply is much cleaner than that of many countries, and we’ve worked hard to achieve that.
But more recent studies are revealing another clear and present air quality danger: the air we breathe inside our homes and workplaces.
To make matters worse, current estimates indicate that the average Canadian spends up to 90 percent of the average day indoors, breathing inside air. So even if we have the cleanest possible outside air, we are breathing that air only about 10 percent of the time!
Our inside air is where the most lethal toxins reside today. In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) released an official statement linking air pollution with death from cancer. And this memo detailed only the hazards that exist in our outdoor air supply!
The air supply circulating in many homes and workplaces contains even more virulent toxins in the form of toxic gases, mould and mildew, pet dander, dust mites, pollen, toxic chemical compounds, bacteria and viruses and other highly undesirable particulate matter.
The National Radon Defense has released a 5-level toxic air guide that highlights common airborne toxins in their order of seriousness, along with notes about health hazards associated with each.
Level 1: Toxic compounds (formaldehyde, acetone, benzene)
- Comes from: cleaning products, building materials, furniture, home furnishings, beauty products.
- Can cause: depression, asthma, headaches, dizziness, blurry vision, memory loss, lung disease, liver damage, cancer.
Level 2: Infectious illnesses (bacterial, viral, fungal)
- Comes from: Flu, strep, colds, pneumonia, bronchitis.
- Can cause: Mild to serious health conditions.
Level 3: Allergens and particulate matter
- Comes from: Tobacco smoke, wood smoke, pet dander, pollen, dust.
- Can cause: Sinus infections, eye problems, respiratory illnesses.
Level 4: Mould spores, mildew
- Comes from: Fungi exposed to damp conditions.
- Can cause: Asthma, sinus infections, lung infections, lung cancer.
Level 5: Dangerous gases (radon, carbon monoxide)
- Comes from: Outdoor soils and rocks, appliances powered by combustion (HVAC, furnace, boiler, wood stove, water heater).
- Can cause: Headaches, fatigue, vomiting, lung cancer, death.
Putting Air Quality Protection in Place
It is scary to read about what is in the air we breathe. After all, we need to breathe in order to live! There is no practical way to completely avoid exposure to any toxins that happen to be floating around in the air outside. Of course, you can do your part to reduce your carbon footprint, but you are just one person, and you can’t control whether others choose to pitch in or not.
Thankfully, there is a great deal more you can do to clean up the indoor air you breathe daily.
Here are some of our favorite methods for helping our customers clean up, maintain, and sustain pure, fresh indoor air at home and at work.
Schedule an indoor air quality test
An indoor air quality test will tell you exactly which toxins are lurking in your air supply.
Make an appointment for a professional indoor air duct cleaning
Cleaning out your air ducts will remove years of trapped toxins.
Make an appointment for a professional dryer vent cleaning
Your dryer air vents get clogged with particulate matter over time, reintroducing toxins into your indoor air via your clothes.
Install a heat recovery ventilator
A heat recovery ventilator guards against the chance that stale, toxic outgoing air could get reintroduced into your indoor air supply.
Install a carbon monoxide monitor
Carbon monoxide is a silent airborne killer — odourless, colourless, undetectable unless you have a detection system in place.
Be sure your smoke detector is working properly
Your smoke detector is your 24/7 guard against one of the most lethal of all extreme weather dangers — fire.
Clean your exhaust vents thoroughly
Clogged exhaust vents can breed hazards ranging from fire risk to mould growth to an increase in dust and debris circulating inside your home.
Schedule an HVAC inspection and cleaning at least annually
Not only will an inspection and cleaning ensure your HVAC unit and/or furnace is not a fire risk, but it will save you on costly unexpected repairs and keep your indoor air as clean as possible.
Change your air filters monthly
Your air filters are the hardest working components of your HVAC unit. Changing them monthly ensures trapped toxins will not be reintroduced into your air supply.
Install a HEPA-rated air filtration system
HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air and it is guaranteed to remove 99.97 percent of particulate toxins from your indoor air supply.
Start using an air purification system
Whether you choose to use an air purifier just in higher risk areas of the home (such as the kitchen and bathroom) or throughout your home, you will breathe easier knowing free-floating chemicals and toxins are no match for your in-home purifier.
Keep your indoor humidity levels between 30 and 50 percent
Maintaining optimal humidity levels all year long ensures that your sensitive respiratory tissues always stay moist and healthy.
Contact Clean Air Solutions For Help
Our experienced and knowledgeable staff can perform a thorough air quality test in your home or office and can advise on the best steps to achieve clean, quality indoor air. You can reach us at 905-544-2470 by phone or online.
