TIPS TO HAVE CLEAN AIR IN YOUR CONDO

For many condo dwellers whether you have it as a condo rental or you own it doesn’t exempt you from breathing in polluted air when you are living in your condo as the pollutants rise and are dispersed with air currents.  Cool air is relatively heavy and tends to trap pollutants closer to ground level, while warm air is lighter and rises, carrying pollutants with it. Aside from this, condo owners are exposed to two types of indoor air pollution:

1. Particle matter such as dust, smoke, pollen, animal dander and particles associated with tiny organisms such as dust mites, moulds, bacteria and viruses and

2. Gaseous pollutants such as gas from cooking stoves, volatile organic compounds or VOCs found in many building materials like adhesives, paints, varnishes, paint thinners, some furnishings and carpets; as well as cleaning products and pesticides.

Provided are tips on how to have clean air in your condo and how important it is to avoid concentrations of volatile organic compounds or VOCs are consistently higher indoors than outdoors even up to ten times higher and persist in the air long after their use. Adverse effects due to exposure to high concentrations of VOCs include eye, nose and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver kidney and central nervous system. There is a growing awareness among developers and architects for the need to use building materials that are low in volatile organic compounds or VOCs. Reputable furniture and carpet makers have also begun using low VOC materials and it is getting easier to find information on the internet about which brands and products use harmful chemicals.

The simplest and easiest way to protect yourself and your family as condo dwellers against indoor air pollution is through proper ventilation and a good air filtration system. Aside from allowing unpleasant odors to escape and keeping a room’s temperature down, good ventilation ensures a steady inflow of oxygen and prevents a build-up of dangerous gases such as Carbon dioxide or LPG gas. In addition good ventilation would discourage the growth of mould and mildew, which would aggravate Asthma and may cause allergic reactions.

The simplest way to protect yourself from air pollution is to put indoor plants in your condo. Plants give out oxygen which is crucial to our body and take in carbon dioxide. Plants help clean the air in your condo unit and to maintain good air quality, it is important to have a plant for every 10 square meters of your condo. Plants also help remove stress from your body and can help you breathe better.

Excerpts from Bautista, J.,  Condo Living