Today’s more energy efficient homes cost less to heat and cool but they create other problems, some potentially serious. Learn how today’s more energy efficient homes and heating and cooling systems may contribute to health problems and what you can do about it.

Health and Home Comfort

Homes of just a generation or so ago were poorly insulated and not very tightly constructed by today’s standards. The windows and doors in those homes were fairly loose in terms of keeping out the elements when compared to the tightness of today’s energy efficient doors and windows. These older homes also used very little in the way of synthetic building materials and wall-to-wall carpeting was not as prevalent as in today’s construction.

While those older homes were not as energy efficient as homes built recently, we have come to understand that they provided, in most cases, a healthier environment.

Home Construction and Indoor Air Pollution

Every home, no matter how well constructed, has infiltration of outside air. The most prevalent reason for infiltration is prevailing wind. Whether or not you feel it, there is almost always a prevailing breeze. As it impacts the side of a home it causes air to come into the home through the cracks in the structure, especially around doors and windows.

This infiltration is a natural form of ventilation because it introduces fresh air into the home. As home construction has gotten tighter and tighter over the years, this natural ventilation has been reduced. At the same time homes were becoming tighter, the use of synthetic building materials was proliferating.

Volatile Organic Compounds

These synthetic building materials can be found in almost every area of construction. Cabinets, flooring, composition wood materials and wall-to-wall carpeting contain resins and chemicals that give off gasses called volatile organic compounds. The drying agents in paints and many household cleaning chemicals give off these gasses as well. Two common chemicals, chlorine (bleach) and ammonia (cleaning agent), are known to cause cancer.

With the reduction in natural ventilation caused by tighter construction, concentrations of these gasses increase beyond acceptable levels.

In most cases, mechanically introducing ventilation air into the home in small quantities is sufficient to dilute these gasses to safe levels. This air must be filtered and in some cases dehumidified in order not to create some of the other problems described below.

Particulate Matter

Another major factor in indoor air pollution is microscopic particulate matter. Mold spores, pet dander, household dust, pollen, biological residue, virus, and germs all create health hazards in people. These particles are so small they are measured in microns (1/25,400th inch) and the smallest and most offending particles pass through the body’s natural filtration system unhampered.

Filtration can be very effective in removing harmful particles but often filtration by itself is not enough. The source of the particles must be eliminated.

For example, a leaking air duct system can introduce millions of harmful microscopic particles into the home every hour. Installing an effective air filter will be a waste of money until the duct system is adequately repaired to eliminate the source.

In another example, exhaust fans in kitchens and bathrooms can create such a negative pressure (vacuum) inside the house that these particles are drawn into the home at high rates. Again, the source of the problem must be addressed before the filter will do an effective job.

A word of caution about filters: The effectiveness of air filters can be measured in different ways. One way air filter effectiveness is measured is by how many particles are removed from the air by weight. It is fairly obvious that the largest particles weigh the most and the microscopic particles, the ones harmful to people, weigh the least. When buying a filter make sure to determine what size of microscopic particle it will remove and what percentage of them. Most filter manufacturers publish this information.

Also, some of the most effective filters cause so much resistance to airflow that they can damage your heating and cooling equipment. It is best to consult a licensed heating and air conditioning professional before investing in any filter. You will find that in so doing you will get the filter that is right for you and that will work properly with your heating and cooling system.

Biological Contamination

Biological contamination is also microscopic in nature. It can be in the form of mold and mildew, virus, germs, dust mite allergens, and pet dander to name a few.

People who already have allergies will frequently exhibit an allergic response to mold, mildew and the dust mite allergen.

Symptoms range from mild, flu and cold-like symptoms, to sever and, in some cases, life-threatening symptoms.

One of the major contributors to biological contamination is high indoor relative humidity. Mold and dust mites thrive above 45% relative humidity and your home cooling system is not always capable of removing enough moisture to keep the indoor relative humidity at 45% or below.

Your home cooling system is activated by heat, not moisture. It does its best job of humidity control in the summer when it is very hot. When temperatures are mild outside or during long periods of rain in the summer (or if your system is oversized) your home cooling system does not run enough to properly dehumidify your home.

If you have upgraded your home cooling system in favor of more energy efficient equipment and the installing contractor did not do a heat gain estimate to determine the correct size, your equipment may be oversized and doing a poor job of moisture removal.

Dust mites and molds become dormant at relative humilities below 45%. Some known infectious agents cannot live in an environment where the relative humidity is this low so controlling relative humidity in your home is one of the most important things you can do.

In some cases tightening up the building structure is adequate to control humidity. In other cases mechanical dehumidification is required to control indoor relative humidity to acceptable levels.

Testing: The Only Way to Know for Sure

If you are experiencing symptoms your first stop should be your family physician or allergy specialist. This is your health so please don’t take any chances.

Some symptoms that can be caused by poor indoor air quality are: Nasal congestion, watery (itching) eyes, coughing, wheezing, asthma onset, rashes, fever, chills, headache, dizziness and fatigue. Other symptoms include: dyspnea, severe lung disease, conjunctival irritation, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, cognitive impairment, tachycardia, Retinal hemmorage, and myalgia.*

You may have symptoms or you may just want to know what’s going on in your home in terms of indoor air quality. Before you spend any of your hard earned money on remedies there are inexpensive tests that can be done to provide direction.

One of the tests is for biological contaminants and another tests the integrity of the building envelope (how tight the home is). These two tests are adequate most of the time to tell what course of action should be followed.

The most common solutions are humidity control, filtration, ventilation air and microbial sprays. In the largest majority of instances these remedies correct the problem and the occupants see major improvement in how they feel in a short period of time.

* Excerpted from: Indoor Air Pollution, An Introduction for Health Professionals. A co-operative production of the American Lung Association, The American Medical Association, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Is There a Sure Cure

The short answer is, “No there is not a sure cure.” You could make the interior of your home as sterile as the most sterile laboratory and, unless you were prepared to stay there all the time, you would still be exposed to things that could cause you to have symptomatic reactions.

If you find that you have indoor air problems in your home and you address them as outlined above, the source of the problem is either removed altogether or goes into a dormant state. If you do this are you likely to feel better? Yes. Also, if problems are present in your home and you address them, you provide an environment where your immune system can recuperate.

Getting Help

Many people experiencing allergic symptoms will do almost anything for relief. Many of these people spend large sums of money on ineffective remedies in an attempt to obtain relief. When you examine the reported numbers, the people suffering from allergies and asthma symptoms number in the millions.

This provides a huge market for those manufacturing products posed as solutions to the problem. Many of these products and services are ineffective and others, each touted as the complete solution, are partial solutions at best.

When seeking help, make sure you select a company trained in indoor air quality remedies. A company equipped to diagnose the home’s problem should be able to test for biological contaminants and test the integrity of the duct system and building structure.

Since the home heating and cooling system can be a major contributor to poor indoor air quality, the company you choose should be capable of doing a complete diagnostic on the system.

This company should have a variety of possible solutions from which to choose based on what the tests indicate need to be done.

Ask the companies you are considering for references and check them. Make sure the company is licensed and has adequate insurance coverage.

Finally, check with the local better business bureau, state licensing board and the state attorney general’s office to see if the company has had complaints lodged against it.