Sunday, April 28, 2024

130 million Americans breathe unhealthy air, State of the Air report finds : NPR

how can you check the air quality in your house

Refer to the top of this page for Los Angeles’s forecast air quality data and real-time air quality data. Portable air cleaners (also known as air purifiers), particularly high-efficiency particle air (HEPA) filters and electrostatic precipitators, can reduce levels of some air contaminants. But electrostatic precipitators collect pollutants with electrostatic energy, which causes pollutants to stick to the filter. Increasing ventilation in your home can reduce the indoor levels of pollutants produced by household items and furniture.

Renovations and home improvement

Air quality monitors range from simple and inexpensive indoor air pollution testers to pricier smart devices that continuously detect a full range of hazards. Home air quality monitoring devices will alert you if pollutants reach dangerous levels. However, there are many things you can do to prevent levels from reaching dangerous levels in the first place.

Secondhand Smoke

That number is larger in 2023 than in years past, despite significant long-term and ongoing efforts to clean the nation's air. Wildfire smoke from Canada caused dangerously unhealthy air quality in New York City and across much of the U.S. in 2023. While air quality has improved greatly in the U.S. in recent decades, wildfire smoke and other climate-influenced problems are endangering that progress. Los Angeles’s shipping industry is another key contributor, particularly in recent years as trade with Asia has expanded. The Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach are the two busiest container ports in the United States.

how can you check the air quality in your house

Air quality index (AQI) and PM2.5 air pollution in Los Angeles

You can also test for lead, mold, and radon levels with specific at-home test kits. There’s no single air quality test that detects all possible contaminants. Take a multilayered approach toward testing that includes continuous air quality monitors, always-on carbon monoxide detectors, routine mold tests, and radon tests. Testing the air quality in your home is a great way to make sure you’re not dealing with any problems, like mold, allergens, or radon. We’ve put together a list of different ways you can test your home’s air quality yourself as well as some tips on how to recognize symptoms of poor air quality.

Real-time Los Angeles air quality ranking

Many of us think that if we dust and vacuum regularly, as well as disinfect the surfaces around the home, then we are safe from particles that can cause us harm. The interface displays which of the four factors are in the healthy range and which are not. Certain Temtop models allow for Wi-Fi connectivity for better tracking of trends over time. Mold can be found on window frames and surfaces that are close to moisture and high humidity. If mold gets into your HVAC, you’ll need to clean your AC unit to avoid its spread.

How to Test Your Home's Air Quality and Make It Safer - TIME

How to Test Your Home's Air Quality and Make It Safer.

Posted: Tue, 14 Mar 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Some air cleaners with electrostatic precipitators may also produce low levels of ozone, which can irritate the lungs. Ozone generators are sometimes marketed as air cleaners, but they are not recommended in homes. Dampness in indoor spaces can lead to many health hazards, including mold growth.

How Easy Is It to Use a Home Testing Kit?

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can cause serious health problems, including death. It is produced when fuels such as wood, oil, coal, or kerosene are burned incompletely. Secondhand smoke can be dangerous, and that’s why you shouldn’t smoke or allow others to smoke inside the house or car. Additionally, buying an air quality test is not enough; one must also interpret the test results correctly to come up with meaningful information. The easiest way to keep yourself healthy and safe is by finding out what harmful toxins are lurking inside your home and then taking the steps to get rid of them. Using a lead test kit will help you to determine if you have an issue with lead in your home, so you can keep yourself and especially any children you have safe.

Formaldehyde Test Kits

For example, pros who offer air quality testing may also specialize in mold prevention and removal. Not every home requires air quality testing for every potential particulate or pollutant. Often, the types of symptoms you experience and the age and location of the home can help you narrow down potential pollutants. Be sure to consult a doctor if you are experiencing health problems that you suspect are related to your home environment. A doctor can help identify and treat health issues related to exposure to mold, radon, and carbon monoxide. When installed and used according to guidelines, air quality sensors in monitoring stations can give you a good baseline on pollutant or contaminant levels in your home.

Or, you can jump over to our best home air purifier page to see what’s available for your home. The most ideal situation is the leave the device running throughout the day, so that if any harmful particles enter the room, then they’re immediately captured by the machine. As you can see, this combination of materials will give you all of the tools you will need in order to make your house a healthier place. In this sense, knowledge is very powerful because it helps you determine what problems needs to be fixed before it has a chance to really damages your health. The results you get back are simple and easy to understand, and give you enough information to help you determine what pollutants are lurking around your home.

Read on for more information on what causes poor air quality, how to test air quality, and how to improve air quality. A common household pollutant that your indoor air quality monitor won’t report on is mold. Everybody has seen mold in their home at some point, probably on some bread that they forgot to throw away.

Allergen detectors can be purchased at most hardware stores or online. They can test for the presence of allergens such as dust mites, pet dander, and cockroach allergens. Secondhand smoke is tobacco smoke exhaled by smokers or arises from the burning of cigarettes, cigars, or pipes.

Air pollution helps hasten tens or even hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year in the U.S. alone. It is one of the most profound public health risks in the nation, says Pruitt. Among the most promising efforts is the shift towards electric vehicles (EVs). Currently, motor vehicles represent the leading source of city-wide PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide, an ozone precursor pollutant.

How to Improve Indoor Air Quality Wirecutter - The New York Times

How to Improve Indoor Air Quality Wirecutter.

Posted: Fri, 04 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Even if you don’t own a gas dryer or stove, it can’t hurt to install these still. Carbon monoxide may not be a prominent danger in your home, but anything that burns gas creates CO. A few alarms is a small price to pay for complete assurance of safety from the silent killer.

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