Reasons To Install An Air Quality Monitor In Your Home Or Business
Indoor air quality plays an important role in how we feel in our homes and businesses. It is more than just about temperature and humidity. Particulates, volatile organic compounds, and odors can make the space feel stuffy. Poor indoor air quality can also contribute to allergies. Here are 6 of the best reasons why you might want to consider installing an air quality monitor in your home or business.
Indoor air quality plays an important role in how we feel in our homes and businesses. It is more than just about temperature and humidity. Particulates, volatile organic compounds, and odors can make the space feel stuffy.
Poor indoor air quality can also contribute to allergies. Here are 6 of the best reasons why you might want to consider installing an air quality monitor in your home or business.
1. Protect Your Family From Dangerous Gases And Chemicals
One of the best reasons to install an indoor air quality monitor is to protect your family from poor air quality and toxic fumes. For example, carbon monoxide is a toxic gas that is notorious for its danger due to its colorless, odorless, and tasteless properties. In fact, carbon monoxide poisoning is responsible for at least 430 deaths per year in the United States, according to the CDC. It is a byproduct of burning wood, gasoline, charcoal, and other fuels. Special carbon monoxide detectors are available and recommended for every home, but many indoor air quality monitors also detect excessive carbon monoxide buildup.
However, carbon monoxide is not the only risk that you need to be concerned about in your home. Similar to carbon monoxide, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) can cause symptoms such as headaches, irritated eyes, stuffy sinuses, runny nose, throat irritation, and fatigue. Some sources of volatile organic chemicals might surprise you.
For instance, if you put in new carpeting, it can outgas formaldehyde for up to five years. Items such as adhesives, paint, plywood, and many sealants can also outgas volatile organic chemicals long after they can be detected by your nose. Foams used in furniture also can emit VOCs as they break down. These chemicals and gases in your home can cause an immediate health risk, especially in small children and in those who are sensitive.
2. Protect Your Long-Term Health
Some gases might not cause immediate health concerns or symptoms, but they can affect your long-term health. One of these is secondhand smoke. Even if you do not smoke, it is possible to be affected by secondhand smoke if you live in an apartment and your neighbor smokes via shared ventilation.
Radon is another source of indoor air pollution. It forms naturally in rocks and soils. It enters the home through cracks in walls, basement floors, tap water, and other openings in the home. As radon decays, it releases radioactive compounds that can cause lung cancer. Indoor air quality monitors can help detect these indoor air pollutants so that you can take action to remove them and improve the health of you and your family.
3. Reduce Allergies
Another reason to consider an indoor air quality monitor is that it can help you detect excessive dust and allergens, such as pet dander. Many can also help detect mold or other particulates that could be harmful and cause flare-ups of breathing and allergy problems.
If you live in a city, you can also have other outside air pollution that can permeate your home, such as soot, particulate from nearby factories, and pollution from automobiles. Our homes and buildings are not perfectly sealed from the outside, and that is why it is important to protect your indoor air quality using an air quality monitor.
4. Improve Employee Health
If you are a business, you are responsible for providing a safe and clean environment for your employees. Installing an air quality monitor can help assure that you are doing your part to keep them safe. This can have many benefits, including reducing sick days and the need to take time off from work due to too poor indoor air quality.
It can also help you take measures to reduce allergens and cut down on health care costs overall. Knowing that you are providing a safe and clean environment for your employees will help you enjoy the benefits of healthy workers and protect you from liability. In addition, your workers will be happier in a healthy environment, seeing your company as a good place to work.
5. Create A Pleasant Atmosphere For Employees And Guests
An air quality monitor for your business can help make sure that your establishment is welcoming, comfortable, and productive. According to OSHA, poor indoor air quality can cause headaches, fatigue, and trouble concentrating. An atmosphere that is free from particulates and volatile gases has a fresh, clean feel and a scent that can make people feel uplifted as soon as they walk through the door.
Indoor air quality is especially important for those in the hospitality, restaurant, or related industries. Guests might not directly complain about indoor air quality issues, but if the room makes them feel tired or it just feels “stuffy” it might be a reason for them not to return, even if they do not complain. The same can be said for other places of business, such as retail establishments or offices.
6. Give You A Way To Reduce Risks
Many of the gases and particulates that affect indoor air quality cannot be detected without specialized equipment. Many of these compounds are colorless and odorless, or we cannot detect them at low levels. Just because we cannot see or smell them does not mean that they are not harmful or cause our building to feel “sick.”
7. Maintain ISO Standard of Cleanliness
There are some industries that require air purity at the highest levels. Cleanrooms are designed to create spaces where air contamination is at its lowest. The medical and the tech industry are just some prime examples that require constant cleanroom validation.
Wrapping Up
The best reason to install an air quality monitor is peace of mind. You know that there is nothing in the air that is causing you harm. If you do find that the air quality of your home or office is being affected by things you cannot smell or detect yourself, then you can take measures to eliminate them. You cannot address what you do not know about, making an air quality monitor an excellent investment.
Knowledge is the first step to being able to address indoor air quality issues. Conditions change over time, and an indoor air quality monitor will notify you if something changes in your building. This will give you time to seek out the source and take measures to eliminate it. The best reason to install an air quality monitor is that it assures you that you are providing a safe atmosphere for your family, employees, and guests.