Have you ever considered the fact that the air quality in your home could be causing those never-ending allergies and worsening your asthma? You see, the air quality in your home could be a lot worse than the air quality outdoors, and having dirty air ducts worsens the situation.
When most people think about air pollution, they only think of the outdoors. On the contrary, air pollution does not only mean giant industrial smokestacks or the smoggy haze in big cities – because your home could be worse.
The concentration of pollutants could be 2 to 5 times higher than that of the outdoors, and in some cases, as high as 100 times. The concentration is increasing by the year due to energy-efficient homes that may lack sufficient ventilation.
Increased use of synthetic materials such as furnishings, pet care products, household cleaners, pesticides, and personal care products is also a contributor.
How Dirty Air Ducts Could Be Affecting Your Health
You’d be surprised at the number of people in Venice, West Villages, Nokomis, and Sarasota areas that overlook the ductwork of their HCAC system. Leaving it dirty means it could be a source for these pollutants. It may facilitate illnesses and risk the health of your family. You see, air ducts are the perfect home for pests, rodents, and insects when they seek a place of refuge.
When they spread bacteria and illnesses, the air coming in and out of your home will be contaminated. When you breathe it in, you’re likely to contract these illnesses. This is especially risky for children and seniors with weaker immune systems.
If by any chance, your air ducts are clogged, it could result in trapped moisture and mold growth. This will impact your indoor air quality.
Mold can be dangerous, and it’s quite easy for the pores to get into the air. They eventually get into your lungs, triggering allergies, asthma, and other related illnesses. With clean air ducts, you’re likely to eliminate all these pollutants, and even better, it’ll improve the efficiency of your HVAC system.
Major Ways Dirty Air Ducts Can Affect Your Health
If you want to take good care of you and your family’s health, it’s vital that you do more than the occasional filter change on your AC. Dirty air ducts need to be cleaned periodically because they could result in major health issues.
You don’t have to do it yourself as you can hire an HVAC professional in Venice, West Villages, Nokomis, and Sarasota areas to clean your air ducts. All you have to do is look for signs that your air ducts need cleaning, and make that call.
Let’s take a look at some of these health issues.
1. They Collect Dust and Debris
Dust, in this case, refers to pet dander, pollen, and other dust particles that get trapped in the ducts. When these particles are trapped, they compromise the airflow in the AC system and contaminate the air that comes into your home.
When you breathe in this air, the dust particles could cause allergies and may eventually lead to serious health conditions such as chronic respiratory diseases.
This low air quality is also very dangerous for people already suffering from these illnesses because it only aggravates the situation. If you have been wondering why those allergies just never seem to go away, the dirty air ducts in your AC system may be contributing to it.
2. They Cause Sinus Problems
When left for a long time without cleaning, air ducts can cause sinus problems due to the bad air quality. When all the dirt, debris, and pet dander gets into the nasal passages, they cause inflammation that soon turns into sinus infections.
Every year, over 35 million Americans are diagnosed with sinusitis, which is often caused by infections, fungus, viruses, or nasal allergies. Symptoms include coughing, congestion, weakness, fatigue, and fever. If you have sinusitis or a family member that has it, clean your air ducts as it could potentially reduce the problem.
3. They Facilitate Mold and Mildew Growth
If there’s one dangerous culprit you can find in dirty air ducts, it’s mold and mildew. Dirty ducts tend to have an imbalance of moisture, which results in the growth of mold and mildew. Mold and mildew spores get into the air, which is then blown back into your home and pollutes the air quality in the house.
Mold is a kind of fungus and comes in a variety of colors, such as black, white, green, orange, or even purple. Once the pores spread, they can grow in other parts of your home, including walls, furniture, carpets, bathrooms, basements, laundry rooms, and crawl spaces.
Once mold gets into your home, it has an ability to produce allergens, mycotoxins, and irritants, some of which can be toxic to sensitive people.
These mold particles tend to irritate the nose, throat, and lungs and make conditions such as asthma and chronic lung problems a lot worse. It may cause allergies, and when it triggers the production of microbes and bacteria, it could lead to other health problems such as fungal and bronchial infections.
These could be illnesses like chronic rhinosinusitis, bronchitis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, among others. Besides, mold has a really bad smell, which will affect the comfort levels in your home.
4. Cause Heightened Autoimmune Disorders
People suffering from autoimmune disorders experience heightened symptoms when living in a house with dirty air ducts. If you have a person with an autoimmune disease, it’s vital that you be extra vigilant about the quality of the air they inhale to avoid worsening their illness.
Having clean air ducts is one of the best things you could possibly do for them because you’ll ensure the system only circulates clean air.
5. Causes Fatigue
When indoor air quality is compromised, it leads to discomfort and fatigue. Combined with all other health issues, you may be feeling more tired than usual, and the poor air quality could be causing your drowsiness. Inhaling an excess of pollen, dust, dander, bacteria, and mold spores can be a major contributor to your fatigue.
Stale air has never been suitable for anyone, especially if it contains radon, an odorless and colorless gas that causes lung cancer.
Eliminate Illnesses by Cleaning Your HVAC Air Ducts
If your family in Venice, West Villages, Nokomis, or Sarasota has been experiencing any of these symptoms and illnesses, your dirty air ducts may be the cause or contributor to the problem. Even as they see a doctor, it’s vital that you catch the cause, and you can start by cleaning your AC air ducts.
This is a job for the professionals, and if you feel it’s the right time to have them cleaned, please request an appointment with us today. We have professional HVAC experts that know how to clean air ducts effectively.
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