Originally published 2/24/2005 in:
Lubbock Southwest Digest
1302 Avenue Q
Lubbock, TX 79401
Republished with permission:
During the past 100 years air quality has changed dramatically in the U.S. In 1900, we were a more rural and less densely populated nation. Coal and wood were the primary forms of energy and smoke stacks in urban areas spewed thick black smoke to support industrial production.
Today state and federal laws addressing air quality have greatly reduced the visible smoke stack emissions. But is the air really clean? Is it clean enough to be healthy? What are the risks we face from polluted and dirty indoor air? As energy costs have increased the construction industry has responded by building tighter and more energy efficient houses, office buildings and schools. These tight buildings do not provide the exchange of inside and outside air previously common in older buildings. Is air quality, therefore, better in older buildings? Not necessarily. Studies have shown that mold and fungi are more common in older houses without central heating and cooling systems than in newer houses with central heating and cooling systems.
Older houses and other buildings are more likely to be infested with mice, rats, and cockroaches than are newer homes. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has found that mold, fungi and rodent droppings, cockroach droppings, dust mites, pet dander, paint solvents, and numerous other items present real-world health risks for many individuals.
As health care cost continues to escalate, insurance companies, HMO’s, and even Medicare-Medicaid are reducing coverage. People with insurance are paying more from their pocket for health care. People without insurance are paying the full cost of health care or doing without.
This article is the first in a series to explore indoor air quality and what you can do about it. There are a number of products, devices and machines on the market to filter or otherwise treat indoor air in an attempt to improve quality and health benefits.
This series of articles will explore topics such as:
- The Allergy Season and Indoor Air Quality
- Quality of Indoor Air vs. Outdoor Air
- Health effects of Bad Air
- Air Quality in Meat Processing Plants
- Airborne mold and bacteria in microbiology laboratories
- Shelf life of meat and fresh produce
- Health risks from air in Doctors’ offices
- Pet dander found in 100% of homes tested (even in those without pets)
- What’s the difference between organic and non-organic dust
- Is West Texas dust just dirt or is it a health risk
- Equipment and processes for cleaning indoor air
- What is a sick building
- Your central heating and air conditioning system is a large vacuum cleaner
- Health hazards of ozone and other chemicals
- It’s not how well your filter the air, it’s how well you clean the air
- Paint solvents, plasticizers, agricultural chemicals and other modern air quality hazards
- We thought asbestos was safe and now we question Teflon
- Paint shop hazards
- Second hand smoke
- Solvents in nail and hair salons
- Jails can be hazardous to your health if inmates have TB – an airborne quality problem
- Why do libraries smell musty? It’s the mold!
- What is the “new car smell”?
- If I have an indoor air quality problem, how do I get help?
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