6 Sources of Indoor Air Pollution in Dalton, GA

Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) impacts both small towns and bigger cities like Dalton, GA, alike. It can cause breathing problems and other symptoms that affect every member of your family. Take a look at six common sources of indoor air pollution that can affect your home’s IAQ:

Asbestos

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a partial ban on asbestos in 1989 due to its connection to certain health problems. If you live in a home built before 1989, there’s a chance you have asbestos. It’s sometimes found in newer homes, too.

Asbestos was a popular building material and still exists in homes around Dalton, GA. It can appear in roof shingles, floor and ceiling tiles and even some paints. A high level of asbestos is a source of indoor air pollution.

Cooking Equipment

Another source of indoor air pollution might be some of the cooking equipment you regularly use. Nonstick cookware has a special coating that keeps food from sticking to the surface. Also known as Teflon, this coating can release fumes that float around your home.

It’s not just Teflon you need to keep in mind. Every time you cook and burn food, you release carcinogens into the air that affect the breathing of others. Even some of the foods you cook and serve can produce fumes and odors that affect the air quality.

Tobacco Smoke

You already know that smoking is dangerous to your health, but you should know that it also affects the health of others. Every time you smoke inside your home, the tobacco can spread to other rooms and even reach people on different floors. You’ll also find that the nicotine sticks to the walls, floors and other surfaces.

Even if you quit smoking or never smoked, it can be a source of pollution because of secondhand smoke. Anyone who smokes around your house causes secondhand smoke, such as a neighbor who smokes in their backyard or a friend who smokes on your porch. That smoke enters through any opening, like your front door and windows.

Heating Pollutants

Heating pollutants include all of the fuel sources you use on cold days and nights. Using a stove or heater that burns coal or wood can produce particulate matter. Exposure to particulate matter can irritate your throat or cause coughing fits.

Those pollutants also come from coal and wood you burn in a fireplace. They often worsen the symptoms of asthma and other breathing conditions and can eventually lead to lung cancer. You should always use caution when you burn fuel.

Cleaning Supplies

Use caution when it comes to the cleaning products you use because they can also affect your indoor air quality. Ammonia and bleach are two common chemicals found in most homes, but mixing them together creates a toxic gas. This can also happen when you mix different cleaners that use those ingredients.

Other dangers occur when you use bleach to clean up after your pets. Both dog and cat urine contain ammonia, but it’s more commonly found in cat urine. This essentially creates a substance that is similar to the mustard gas the military used.

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide is a very dangerous pollutant that has no taste or odor. A buildup can occur inside your home because you didn’t clean the chimney before using your fireplace or you run heaters that use gas. Carbon monoxide poisoning presents with symptoms that are similar to those that occur with the flu.

To reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, install detectors and alarms around your home. You usually need at least one on each floor. The alarms will significantly help you prevent the death of others due to the substance.

Discover the Causes of Indoor Air Pollution

Indoor air pollution affects the IAQ of your Dalton, GA, home and can make some of your family members sick or exacerbate their symptoms. Reach out to Dalton Heating & Air to schedule quality heating services to maximize winter comfort and minimize indoor air pollution.

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