Outdoor allergies are often debilitating for a lot of people in the spring and summer. The environments we subject ourselves to on a daily basis does have a great impact on our health. Believe it or not, poor air quality exposure may be having a negative affect on your health. North Americans spend an average of 90 percent of their time inside, and very few people realize that exposure to indoor contaminants can be 2 to 100 times higher than the contaminants outside. You might be thinking that your house is clean and not polluted, but in all likelihood it is. Indoor air pollution affects almost every person in some way.
Symptoms often include:
- Sneezing often accompanied by a runny or clogged nose
- Coughing and postnasal drip
- Itchy eyes, nose, and throat
- Allergic shiners (dark circles under the eyes caused by increased blood flow near the sinuses)
- Watering eyes
- Difficulty breathing
There are several factors that can contribute to poor air quality in your home. Natural allergens such as: dust, dander, food waste, cooking odors and vapors, pollen, mold, hair, skin, sewer gases and mildew, all increase the risk of pollution. Chemicals hiding in your home are also a factor. These include: solvents, insecticides, herbicides, disinfectants, construction materials and chemicals in carpets.
