Is your home making it harder to breathe? According to Battelle, an organization and think tank that develops new technologies for industry and government, increasingly energy-efficient homes have created interiors that are a “virtual soup” of odors and fumes from indoor pollutants.

Think about it. We spend 90% of our time indoors, and in some cases the quality of air may be worse than what’s outside. Newer homes and commercial buildings are sealed so well that despite circulation by state-of-the-art heating and cooling systems, odors and particulates swirl around with nowhere to go but in our lungs.

Respiratory problems including asthma and allergies are on the rise, too. Some experts attribute this to synthetic fiber used in building materials and carpets, pet hair and dander, outdoor pollens that become trapped indoors, mold and mildew spores, and inadequately vented cooking and food odors.

Those problems might seem fairly obvious, but don’t overlook combustible sources like oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, and tobacco products; asbestos-containing insulation; wet or damp carpet; and cabinetry or furniture made of certain pressed wood products. Household cleaning products can also cause problems with indoor air quality in your home, as can outdoor sources such as radon, pesticides, and outdoor air pollution.

How much and how hazardous?
It might seem like anything in our homes will be an issue when it comes to clean air, but don’t be overwhelmed. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the importance of any single source depends on how much of a given pollutant it emits and how hazardous those emissions are. In some cases, factors like how old the source is and whether it’s properly maintained is a big enough concern to cause alarm. For example, an improperly adjusted gas stove can emit significantly more carbon monoxide than one that is well maintained – and carbon monoxide poisoning is a life-or-death concern.

Other sources like building materials, furniture, and household products like air fresheners, release pollutants more or less continuously. Those sources related to activities carried out in the home are more likely to release pollutants intermittently. These include smoking, using un-vented or malfunctioning stoves, furnaces, or space heaters, ozone generating air cleaners/purifiers, using solvents for cleaning and/or hobbies, using paint strippers for redecorating, and using cleaning products and pesticides.

It’s important to note that high pollutant concentrations can stay in the air for a long time – well after the activity is complete.

Of course, ventilation is key. If too little outdoor air enters a home, pollutants can accumulate to levels that can pose health and comfort problems. Unless they are built with special ventilation features, homes that are designed to minimize the amount of outdoor air that can “leak” into and out of the home may have higher pollutant levels than others. However, because some weather conditions can drastically reduce the amount of outdoor air that enters a home, pollutants can build up even in homes that are normally considered “leaky.”

Besides air quality, dust mites and molds in bedding, furniture, and carpets are another issue that affects our ability to breathe easier in our homes. Mites are hard to get rid of and are blamed for a host of allergies. Mites are tiny insects that can be found throughout the home, but they flock to warm, dark, and damp fabrics – those usually found in our bedrooms.

Solutions to breathe easier
What’s a gasping and wheezing homeowner to do? The EPA says that inadequate ventilation can increase indoor pollutant levels by not bringing in enough outdoor air to dilute emissions from indoor sources and by not carrying indoor air pollutants out of the home. High temperature and humidity levels can also increase concentrations of some pollutants.

The first step is making sure your home is properly ventilated. That will go a long way toward improving the air quality in your home. As for mites, the best way to deter these pesky creatures is to reduce the amount of humidity in our homes.

According to the Texas Cooperative Extension at Texas A&M University, the three strategies (in order of effectiveness) for reducing pollutants in indoor air are source control, ventilation, and air cleaning.

• Source control is generally the most effective strategy to reduce pollutants in indoor air since it eliminates individual sources of pollutants or reduces their emissions.
• Ventilation brings outside air indoors, but there are limits to the extent ventilation can be used to reduce airborne pollutants. In addition, costs for heating or cooling incoming air can be significant, and outdoor air itself may contain undesirable levels of contaminants.
• Air cleaning can be a good supplement to source control and ventilation; however, the use of air cleaning devices alone cannot ensure adequate air quality, particularly where significant sources are present and ventilation is inadequate.

The EPA has launched the Healthy Indoor Air for America's Homes program, which was developed to provide basic but comprehensive information to consumers on how to get a handle on indoor air quality in their homes. The Texas coordinator for the program is the Texas Cooperative Extension at Texas A&M University. For more information, call 979/845-3850.