The Lowdown on IAQ
Did you know that women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those that work outside the house? Or that 50% of all illnesses in the U.S. are caused by poor indoor air quality (IAQ)?
When you consider the fact that we spent 60% to 90% of our time indoors, you can see why poor indoor air quality is a problem that can have a real impact on the health of occupants… and it’s a lot bigger problem than most people realize. Here are some other IAQ facts:
- The EPA found that indoor air can be 5X more polluted than outside air – and it’s sometimes as much as 100X more polluted.
- 96% of homes tested had IAQ issues. 86% of these included high levels of ducts, pollen and air-borne viruses. 71% of the air in homes tested was filled with potentially harmful chemicals and gases.
- Improvements in IAQ in the workplace/classroom can increase productivity by up to 10%
- An EPA analysis found that if a school spent just $370 each year on preventative IAQ maintenance for 20 years (a total of $8,140) it would save about $1.5 million in repairs.
- 2 out of 3 indoor air quality problems involve the HVAC system. Many of these are directly related to leaky ventilation shafts and other ductwork.
