Indoor Air Quality for Our Health

Indoor Air Quality

What is Indoor Air Quality? Do we have any idea about the air quality we breathe in the places we live in? Indoor air quality?

Do we have any idea about the air quality we breathe in the places we live in?

Mankind has faced indoor air problems since the day he discovered fire. It was soon learned that the smoke inhaled in the caves reduces human life. Mankind, who learned to remove the smoke from a hole in the ceiling of the cave, had to deal with indoor air problems in the next millennia. It was observed that among the workers working in the construction of the Egyptian pyramids, those working inside were more likely to get respiratory diseases than those working outside. The Romans invented floor heating in order to be able to heat without smoke. In the 11th century, Ibn-I Haldun pointed out in his Mukaddime that air pollution would cause diseases.

Air is one of the most important human needs. Although a person can stay hungry and thirsty for days, he cannot stay longer than a few minutes without breathing. It has been determined by researches that an adult human needs about 15 kg of air per day to survive. The air, which is so important for people, should be healthy and clean. People spend 70-98% of their daily lives indoors.

It has been determined that many indoor environments are sometimes more polluted and dangerous than the outdoor environment. This is even more pronounced in the winter months. Toxic chemicals, which may consist of some components or activities in the home, can cause discomfort such as headache, cough, burning in the eyes, and dizziness, apart from many types of cancer. in houses; Intoxication and death incidents caused by local combustion systems such as gas stoves, coal stoves and water heaters are frequently encountered.

Pollutants that impair the indoor air quality of living spaces; heaters, building materials, cigarettes and similar substances, household goods, air conditioners. It is necessary to improve the indoor air quality, which directly affects people’s health and working efficiency, and to eliminate negative environmental effects.

Indoor Air Quality and Human Health

Indoor air quality, where we spend most of our time, is very important in terms of human health, comfort and productivity. The chemicals (VOCs – chemical volatile organic compounds) that are given out by the materials used in the interior are easily mixed with the air at room temperature. In this context, low-VOC ecological materials used in the building should be used in order to increase the indoor air quality.

The use of low-emission materials in order to increase indoor air quality in a sustainable building is an important factor for the health and comfort of both the workers and the users of the building.

In order to be protected from the negativities affecting indoor air quality, we should at least be familiar with the following concepts and try to stay away from them; Asbestos, carbon monoxide (CO), cigarette smoke, sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), lead (pay attention to paints, dust and drinking water), formaldehyde (various wood products and furniture, various insulation materials and cigarette smoke, domestic products), radon (uranium in the rock and soil in which the house is built. Radon gas enters the home through contaminated floors, wall and floor cracks, floor drains and reservoirs. Radon is the second largest cause of lung cancer after smoking), pesticides (pesticides are added to bacteria, fungi and other organisms chemicals used to kill or control vermin such as flies and rodents), biological contaminants (including bacteria, molds, fungi, viruses cat saliva, house dust mites, cockroaches and pollen)

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC): These can be irritant, neurotoxic or carcinogenic. It can enter the home environment for many reasons, from the chlorine in the water to the polish used at home, from the outdoor air to the shoe polish. Pesticides used outside the house can enter the residential environment, and pesticides used inside the house can lead to the formation of dangerous particles. There are hundreds of volatile organic compounds in indoor air.

The International Healthy Buildings organization shows that the most important causes of bad and inadequate air quality are mold fungi and bacteria. In approximately 72% of buildings found to have bad and insufficient air, this is due to airborne particles, and this problem can be solved with good filtration. Biological particles (bacteria, fungal seeds and other products from them) are the most important cause of poor air quality in approximately 40% of these buildings.

Attention should be paid to these issues in new renovations or interventions and revisions we will make to the areas we live in, and we should be sensitive about material selection and application methods.