When you think of air pollution, your mind probably envisions a smoggy day in a big city. What many homeowners don’t know is that the air within your Portsmouth, Virginia, home could be worse than what you breathe outside.

Irritation of the Skin, Eyes, Nose, and Throat

One of the biggest contributors to poor indoor air quality is mold growth. Mold can start growing shortly after exposure to moisture and often appears in dark, rarely accessed places like the ducts of your heating or cooling system, between the floors of your home, underneath the flooring, and within the walls. Because it’s hard to know for sure if you have mold, you should bring in an expert routinely for testing services. You may also notice that you or others within your home suffer from irritation of the skin, eyes, nose, and/or throat, which are all common allergic reactions to mold.

Other indoor air pollutants that can cause these symptoms include organic chemicals, commonly found in pesticides and cleaning products, and nitrogen oxides, which may come from a malfunctioning stove or oven. 

Breathing Problems

If you suffer from asthma, indoor air quality can wreak havoc on this breathing condition. Other conditions that tend to become exacerbated by poor air quality include COPD and inflammation of the respiratory tract. Even those who don’t have existing breathing problems can find it difficult to breathe when exposed to allergens in the air. Other symptoms include nosebleeds, sore throats, coughs, and nasal congestion.

More Serious Conditions

While these problems can be serious, there are even more concerning symptoms that may come from prolonged exposure to polluted indoor air. You could experience issues like fevers, nausea and vomiting, eye infections, rashes, headaches, dizziness, pain in your muscles, chills, and even increased heart rate.

If you or someone in your family is experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s always smart to swap out the filters in your HVAC system with allergy-reducing options and bring in an expert for a system cleanout. For more information about indoor air quality, call Weather Makers at 757-263-4869.

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