© 2003 Electro-Air Canada

Indoor Air Quality

The Air We Breathe Can Affect Our Health,
Comfort And Productivity

    We can’t do much about the pollution outside, but we can do something about
the pollution inside, where we spend 90% of our time. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor pollution levels can be 25 times,
and occasionally more than 100 times polluted than outdoor air.

    In our well insulated homes and buildings, we lock in and recirculate pollen,
mold, fungi, bacteria, viruses, dust and mites. We even add to the problem by
contributing tobacco, wood or cooking smoke, pet dander, insecticides, toxins
emitted from air fresheners, carpets, glues, household cleaners, paints, varnishes,
press board furniture and lots more. In fact we breathe in about 50,000 of these
pollution particles with every breath, and we take 20,000 breaths a day!

    These airborne contaminants adversely affect our health, comfort and
productivity, as they lodge themselves in our mucous embranes and our lungs.
Their symptoms can be short or long-ranging, from itchy eyes, sneezing, runny
nose, headache, fatigue, tightness of chest, shortness of breath, epidemics of colds
or flu, and may even lead to allergy, asthma and respiratory illness.

    These contaminants also have damaging, staining power as they collect on
our walls, ceilings, upholstery, window coverings, electronics and more.