Can Poor Indoor Air Quality Cause Dementia?
Proper ventilation seems like a no brainer for those who suffer from allergies, but it is more difficult to sell to the general population. Most homeowners are more concerned with their air conditioner keeping their home cool than maintaining indoor air quality (IAQ).
However, in recent years, an increasing number of studies are linking dementia with indoor air pollution. If you’re worried about the air in your home, let an HVAC Service in Atlanta give you a full report on your air quality.
Read these facts to fully understand how the air you breathe every day can impact your health.
What is Happening to Indoor Air Quality?
Over the past four decades, America’s air has drastically gotten cleaner, but it still remains a major public health concern. According to the American Lung Association, about 15% of the United States population is chronically exposed to levels of particle pollution.
There is evidence suggesting that pollution is the most pervasive cause of brain disease. Since many individuals spend up to 90% of their time indoors, their health is impacted by the long-term exposure to poor IAQ. There have been several recent medical studies that discuss researcher’s findings about ways you come in contact with these pollutants.
How Air Particles Impact the Brain
Neurologists have long suspected that degenerative diseases might be caused from foreign substances being inhaled. When you breathe in polluted air from aerosol sprays and other deodorizers, those particles directly enter your body through your nose and mouth. This can cause several health issues like infections or cancer.
Unfortunately, that’s not even the most damaging part. Particles that make it to your brain can directly kill or damage neurons. Microglia is the brain’s army of immune cells that work to protect any threats to the brain. Chronic inflammation in the brain has been linked to neurological degeneration. This has been proven from old scans and autopsies of patients with degenerative disease like Alzheimer’s. From these images, they have found that highly active microglia are found in the regions of the brain that have lost the most neurons.
Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Research materials have been created to educate homeowners on how they can improve their IAQ. You can start by getting your ducts cleaned and changing your filters routinely.
You might also schedule an appointment to have the radon levels measure around your home. Radon is a colorless odorless gas that can lead to lung cancer.
Natural ventilation can improve IAQ by reducing pollutants that are indoors. Keep your windows and doors open in your house to allow fresh air in.
Be careful when choosing what aerosol or deodorizers you chose. Only a few of them have a limited number of particles that can make their way in to your body. Keep that in mind next time you go to the store and pick out sprays that smell nice. To remove a significant amount of pollutants in your home, bring some plants inside.
There are many factors that affect IAQ that are harmful to you. If you’re ready to take the next step and improve your home’s air quality, then contact Anytime Heating, Cooling and Plumbing today, or call 770-504-5881 to schedule an appointment.