INDOOR AIR QUALITY

Healthy Living and Your HVAC System

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the air inside the average home is up to five times more polluted than the air outside. Results from in-home air tests across North America support this government finding. Nearly every home (96%) had at least one indoor air quality problem.

This statistic alone shows how important indoor air quality (IAQ) should be to all of us. Unfortunately, there are many other disturbing statistics on IAQ. The good thing about poor indoor air quality is that we can do something about it. There are ways to cut back on the Pollen, dirt, pet dander, dust mites, bacteria, viruses, mold, and more. For all the problems along with the solutions to poor indoor air quality visit our IAQ Problems & Solutions page.

Hopefully, this website has all of the information you need to answer all of your questions and concerns with Indoor air quality. If you need further information you are welcome to visit the Where to Get Help page that offers links to all of the sites where this information was sourced.

AIR SCRUBBERS

Air scrubbers are indispensable tools used for cleaning and deodorizing an environment that has been contaminated by air pollutants such as toxic gases, chemical fumes, dust, mold, and other harmful particles. These pollutants can be caused by water damage, fire damage, sewer damage, or just regular air pollution. Water/fire damage restoration professionals, construction crews, and janitorial service providers can all benefit from having an air scrubber on hand. If you frequently work in small spaces, there are also portable air scrubbers to provide You a compact, lightweight solution for indoor air pollution. In fact, Air Industries offer a range of air scrubbers that can get the job done.

Whole-Home Air Filtration System Highlights

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS

Removes up to 99.98 percent of allergens from the filtered air
Catches particles down to .1 micron in size
Eight times more effective than the best HEPA room appliance
100 times more effective than a standard one-inch throwaway filter or ionic-type room appliance
Delivers cleaner air and more of it
Reusable filter can be cleaned by vacuuming

Air Purifiers

Air purifiers help ensure the air we breathe into our bodies is as pure and clean as possible. Clean air is just as important as the things we eat. Air purifiers that ensure better air quality, undoubtedly ranks as among the major factors in our health, making air purification our top priority. With the knowledge from our experienced air purifier staff, our hands-on testing and training, and the feedback from our neighbors, friends and clients like you, we have personally selected each of our Air Purifiers to best protect you and your family’s health so you can breathe easily.

HVAC – Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Facts

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the air inside the average home is up to five times more polluted than the air outside. Results from in-home air tests across North America support this government finding. Nearly every home (96%) had at least one indoor air quality problem:
- 86% had high levels of particles and bioaerosols like dust, pollen and viruses
- 71% were filled with odors and potentially harmful chemicals and gases
An EPA economic analysis of repairs performed at an elementary school showed that if $370 per year over 22 years (a total of $8,140) had been spent on preventive maintenance, $1.5 million in repairs could have been avoided.
According to the American Lung Association, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) aka “secondhand smoke,” a major indoor air pollutant, contains about 4,000 chemicals, including 200 known poisons, such as formaldehyde and carbon monoxide, as well as 43 carcinogens.
According to the EPA, Women who work in the home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than women who work outside the home.
Biological pollutants, including molds, bacteria, viruses, pollen, dust mites, and animal dander promote poor indoor air quality and may be a major cause of days lost from work and school. In office buildings, heating, cooling, and ventilation systems are frequent sources of biological substances that are inhaled, leading to breathing problems.
To help prevent growth of mold when humidity is high, make sure bathrooms, kitchens and basements have good air circulation and are cleaned often. The basement in particular may need a dehumidifier. And remember, the water in the dehumidifier must be emptied and the container cleaned often to prevent forming mildew.
An estimated one out of every 15 homes in the United States has radon levels above 4pci/L, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency-recommended action level. Radon, a naturally occurring gas, can enter the home through cracks in the foundation floor and walls, drains, and other openings. Indoor radon exposure is estimated to be the second leading cause of lung cancer. A recent report by the National Research Council estimates that radon is responsible for between 15,000 and 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States.
Formaldehyde is a common chemical, found primarily in adhesive or bonding agents for many materials found in households and offices, including carpets, upholstery, particle board, and plywood paneling. The release of formaldehyde into the air may cause health problems, such as coughing; eye, nose, and throat irritation; skin rashes, headaches, and dizziness.
Many asbestos products are found in the home, including roofing and flooring materials, wall and pipe insulation, spackling compounds, cement, coating materials, heating equipment, and acoustic insulation. These products are a potential problem indoors only if the asbestos-containing material is disturbed and becomes airborne, or when it disintegrates with age.
Heating systems and other home appliances using gas, fuel, or wood, can produce several combustion products, of which the most dangerous are carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Fuel-burning stoves, furnaces, fireplaces, heaters, water heaters, and dryers are all combustion appliances.

Household cleaning agents, personal care products, pesticides, paints, hobby products, and solvents may be sources of hundreds of potentially harmful chemicals. Such components in many household and personal care products can cause dizziness, nausea, allergic reactions, eye/skin/respiratory tract irritation, and cancer.

These statistics are scary but they can be avoided or cleaned up with proper solutions.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I HAVE MY AC SERVICED?

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WHAT CLIENTS SAY ABOUT US

We have a rental unit in Dana Point and our tenant called, saying no heat. I called Kalka Heating and Air and Jarrad took my call, and scheduled Ryan to service the unit. Replacing the Furnace Filter was all it needed. We have perfect heat again! I received a call from Vanessa to say there was no charge for the service call. I was so happy to hear this! Thank you's to everyone at Kalka Plumbing and Heating for making my day! And thank you Kevin for running such a straightforward company. This is so much appreciated! Your professionalism shows in your choice of employees and in your work.

Ryan and his co worker (I forgot his name, sorry!) were a pleasure! They were very careful about putting on shoe coverings and wore masks the entire time. They spent a good amount of time tuning up our AC and furnace. Ryan was very detailed about how everything was running and had a couple of suggestions that would make our system better. We appreciated their professionalism and friendliness. We will take them up on their suggestions. We will definitely use Kalka again!

I have had two plumbing emergencies that they have responded to and repaired right away. They also did a great job replacing my air conditioner and water heater. They are kind and professional, and their work quality is excellent.

Ryan and his trainee were not just on time for the appt, they were actually a little early! I was so impressed with that! They both were wearing masks and those booties to cover their shoes. They were professional and very friendly. It is always a pleasure doing business with Kalka.

WHY YOU NEED GOOD INDOOR AIR QUALITY?

Many people don’t realize that Indoor Air Quality is just as important to their health and well-being as outdoor air quality. Indoor pollutants can be just as dangerous for your health, and they’re often not even visible. The good news is that you have the power to change the quality of your indoor air with some simple changes in lifestyle or home modifications.

Indoor air quality is the health of your indoor atmosphere, which you are breathing in every day. The sources for Indoor Air Quality can vary from building to building and we must look at some specific examples so you know what types of things affect Indoor Air Quality.

These specific examples could be: where the workplace is located (elevator shaft), how old a home or office space might be (buildings built before 1990 typically have less effective heating and ventilation systems), and even whether or not people smoke inside their homes or businesses. The key here though is having good Indoor Air Quality depends on us knowing what affects our Indoor Air Quality, such as high humidity levels resulting in condensation forming on cold surfaces.

The effects of poor indoor air quality are serious. Indoor air pollutants that are common in homes can raise the risk of asthma attacks, allergies, and other respiratory illnesses. Poor indoor air quality can also have long-term health consequences such as heart disease or cancer. Indoor Air Quality is something you should be concerned about when it comes to your home’s environment because these invisible particles could seriously harm your family members who live with you.

Indoor Air Quality affects everyone differently, depending on their age group and existing medical conditions including, Asthma sufferers experience reduced lung function if exposed to poor IAQ for a prolonged period. They may not notice any symptoms at first but this will lead to worsening problems later down the line – even death in extreme cases.

Indoor air pollutants can cause a variety of health problems, including allergies and asthma. Indoor Air Quality is very important! Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) has become increasingly more critical in the past few years mainly because we spend 90% of our time indoors.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s IAQ Indicators Report for 2008, poor indoor air quality causes about 40 percent of all building-related illnesses, and approximately 50-70 million Americans suffer from symptoms that may be attributable to these illnesses year.

There are four states: California, Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey where there are laws requiring inspections when residential units change ownership or tenants move out. The common thought process was if you were going to sell your house it needed an inspection, but this has changed. Indoor Air Quality is becoming more important in the real estate business when people are buying or renting homes.

Indoor air pollution may be categorized into groups according to their sources:

Indoor Biomass Pollution, which includes tobacco smoke and cooking fires without proper ventilation. Indoor biomass pollution affects primarily developing countries where there are large amounts of deforestation resulting from population pressures, fuel shortages, and poverty;
Indoor Radon Gas pollution arises primarily due to the accumulation of radon gas at levels that present health risks inside houses located on soils with certain geological features (e.g., granites rich in uranium ores);
Building material pollutants are emitted by building materials used indoors, such as formaldehyde from particleboard, VOCs from new furniture and carpets. Indoor air pollution is a major environmental health issue across the world. In recent years it has been recognized by medical experts that there are many diseases associated with this problem including cancer, allergies, asthma-like symptoms among others.

The Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) developed The IAQA Indoor Air Quality Guidelines to guide homeowners who want to improve indoor air quality in their homes through testing and remediation methods. This includes an overview of common contaminants found in home environments along with suggested actions you can take to reduce or eliminate them at their source.

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