Most people know that outdoor air pollution can damage their health, but over the last several years studies have shown that the quality of the indoor pollution may be even worse than that of outdoors.

The recent trends have been for residences to be sealed as tight as possible to conserve energy, thus trapping germs, dust and airborne particles in our homes. This also leads to the increase in chemical exposure, in part due to more synthetic materials and products, chemically formulated personal care products, pesticides and household cleaners.

Environmental Protection Agency TEAM studies concluded the following:

• For many pollutants, levels inside are 2-5 times higher than outdoors
• In both rural and heavy-industrialized areas, personal exposures and indoor concentrations exceed outdoor concentrations for essentially all of the prevalent volatile organic compounds
• After some activities, indoor pollutant levels can be as much as 1,000 times higher than outdoors
• In new non-residential buildings, levels of volatile organic compounds can be as much as 100 times higher than outdoors

Since nearly 90% of an average person's time is spent indoors, it is necessary that you become well educated and take the appropriate actions necessary to maintain the best Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) possible.

Following are six simple steps you can do to help prevent IAQ problems as recommended by the National Association of County & City Health Officials:

1. Housekeeping - Maintain a written housekeeping checklist; have workers document housekeeping that is completed; keep a record of all cleaning supplies used in the building; and avoid using cleaning supplies with strong odors. Keep the building/residence clean and dust levels low.
2. Building Maintenance - Set a maintenance policy and stick to it for either a residence or building; keep records of work done and any inspection, repairs, etc. Retain all manuals, warranties, and other documents related to building/residence systems. Keep the building/residence in good working order. If things break, fix them.
3. Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Maintenance - Keep the temperature and humidity at comfortable levels. Make sure the HVAC system is properly maintained. (i.e.; have qualified HVAC contractors maintenance the system regularly; make sure adequate amounts of outside-air is entering the system; change filters according to instructions; keep vents and ductwork clean and in good condition to maintain proper control.) See Carbon Monoxide link at bottom of page.
4. Mold and Mildew - If mold and mildew are present; most importantly, find and remediate the sources of air pollution (i.e.; leak in wall, roof and plumbing). Remove any porous materials (carpets, insulation, sheet rock) that have been wet. Clean remaining smooth surface areas with a 1-3% bleach solution.
5. Organic Contamination - Follow directions above for minimizing mold and mildew. Use throw rugs as a substitute to wall-to-wall carpeting. If using wall-to-wall carpeting ensure that carpets are kept clean.
6. Chemicals - Minimize chemical use and make sure that chemicals are used according to instructions. Do not mix chemicals. Take measures to ensure chemicals are stored and disposed of properly. If you must use chemicals, use them in a well ventilated area.