Indoor Air Quality
Indoor Air Quality and Respiratory Diseases: Asthma, COPD, and Allergies
Introduction
We spend most of our day indoors—sleeping at home, working in offices, studying in schools, or visiting hospitals. While we often worry about outdoor pollution, we forget that indoor air can also be harmful. Indoor air may look clean, but it can contain dust, smoke, moisture, chemicals, and harmful gases.
How Indoor Air Affects Our Lungs
- Our lungs are meant to breathe clean, fresh air. When indoor air contains dust, smoke, or chemical particles, it irritates the airways. This irritation causes swelling and makes it harder for air to move in and out of the lungs.
- Poor ventilation allows dirty air to stay trapped indoors. Daily activities such as cooking, cleaning, lighting incense, or using sprays add harmful particles to the air. When this happens every day, breathing problems slowly become worse.
Indoor Air and Asthma
- Asthma causes the airways to become narrow and sensitive. When indoor air is polluted, asthma symptoms appear more often. Dust, mold, smoke, pet hair, and strong smells are common indoor triggers.
- People with asthma may experience coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Children are more affected because their lungs are still growing and they breathe faster than adults. Clean indoor air helps reduce asthma attacks and improves daily comfort.
Indoor Air and COPD
- COPD is a long-term lung condition that makes breathing difficult. People with COPD already have damaged lungs, and poor indoor air puts extra pressure on their breathing.
- Smoke, fine dust, and chemical fumes inside homes or workplaces can worsen symptoms. This can lead to frequent breathing trouble, tiredness, and reduced ability to perform daily tasks. Maintaining clean indoor air helps people with COPD breathe more easily and reduces flare-ups.
Indoor Air and Allergies
- Allergies are caused by tiny particles in the air such as dust, pollen, mold, and pet fur. When these particles stay inside buildings, allergy symptoms increase.People may experience sneezing, itchy eyes, runny noses, skin irritation, or breathing discomfort.
- Damp rooms, poor airflow, and unclean spaces allow allergens to grow and spread easily. Better indoor air helps control allergy symptoms and improves comfort.
Why Indoor Air Problems Are Often Ignored
Most indoor air pollutants cannot be seen or smelled. People usually notice symptoms like headaches, tiredness, or breathing problems, but they do not realize the air is the cause.
Because there are no clear signs, poor indoor air is often ignored for a long time. Without checking air quality, problems continue and slowly affect lung health.
How to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Improving indoor air helps protect breathing health. Simple steps include opening windows when possible, keeping spaces clean and dry, fixing damp areas, and reducing the use of strong chemicals.
However, the most important step is knowing what is in the air.
Why Indoor Air Monitoring Matters
Indoor air quality monitoring systems measure air conditions all the time. They track dust, gases, humidity, and carbon dioxide levels and give alerts when air becomes unhealthy.
ESPMSENSE provides smart indoor air monitoring solutions that help homes, offices, schools, and hospitals keep air safe. These systems help identify air problems early so action can be taken before health issues occur.