Tis’ a Reason for the Sneezin & the Wheezin!
by Gregory M. Gandee
Things were different when I was growing up. Our homes were drafty, ice would form on the single pane windows, floor furnaces without ducts heated our homes, and there was no air conditioning. When we got hot, we opened the windows, when we got cold; we blocked the drafts with towels. We played outside more often than our children today not because we were smarter, but because it was boring to be inside the house and we always got in trouble when we played inside. Mold would grow in our windowsills from condensation, in our bathrooms due to lack of ventilation and in a multitude of other places. Indoor air quality was not a problem even though our homes were more contaminated. We had plenty of air exchanges going on 24 hours a day from outside to inside and as a result upper respiratory problems were virtually non-existent.
I only knew one person in 18 years in our community that had asthma.
The “energy crisis” of the 70’s with the resulting tight homes and offices and central HVAC systems has created indoor air quality problems that didn’t exist when I was a kid. We spend 90% or more of our time indoors and today, there are over 35 million Americans who suffer from upper respiratory symptoms and an additional 15 million who suffer from asthma. That is almost one in every five Americans who suffer respiratory problems on a consistent basis.
When my son Charles was in the second grade, my wife and I noticed that he seemed to be having trouble breathing correctly. One night as he was sleeping he began desperately gasping for air. We immediately took him to the emergency room and they said asthma. We did all the things we knew to do; saw the specialists, removed the carpets, special bed coverings and pillows, shots, most of you probably know the routine. He improved, but his asthma persisted for several years.
He joined the Boy Scouts when he was 11 and began camping. We usually would go camping one weekend every month and a week during the summer. Charles would be having terrible breathing problems and his mother always made us take one of his inhalers. An interesting observation was made that he never once needed the inhaler when we went camping for over seven years. We finally figured out that if we cracked the window in his bedroom, he seemed to not have breathing problems and today it is rare that he has an asthma attack or symptoms.
I realize that this is anecdotal and not scientific, but there definitely seems to be a direct correlation between indoor air quality in today’s homes and offices and respiratory ailments. The pollutants that build up in tight enclosed environments overcome our defense systems and before you know it, you’ve got 50 million people with problems. So here are my recommendations:
- Have your heating and AC system modified in your home to bring in outside air. There are several models available from any HVAC contractor. Cost is approximately $600-$1000.
- Keep your home clean. Use HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuum cleaners. Be sure they are DOP (dioctyl phthalate) tested. Many manufacturers put HEPA on their label because they are using a HEPA filter (.3 microns). Using a HEPA filter does not mean that the vacuum is not leaking high volumes of air and dispersing particulates all over the place. If a machine is DOP tested, then the entire unit is HEPA approved. Be sure to ask this when making a purchase.
- Keep the air ducts clean in your home. Duct cleaning every two years is recommended. If you have small children, elderly, infirmed, or immuno-compromised individuals in your home, a higher frequency may be required.
- The type of filters in your HVAC system is very important and can prevent a host of problems. This is a complex subject that will require more space in a subsequent newsletter.
With over 11 million doctor visits a year and over 4,000 deaths in the US alone, the air quality in our homes and offices needs more attention. It is time for all of us to become more educated and pay close attention to this national problem.