Indoor air quality is one thing in life that most people do not take seriously. Nonetheless, it is one of the most important aspects of the well-being of any being. Inadequate air inside your home, office, and practically anywhere else condition can manifest in various forms of discomfort and could even cause other health complications; hence the need to be aware of indications demanding action in your indoor air quality. This blog will guide you through these signs, indicating to you why an indoor air quality investigation and the need for constant air quality monitoring in Malaysia have become so crucial.
1. Eliminating Odours Is Out of the Question
With bad indoor air quality, one of the very first easy indicators is usually the presence of foul smells that just don’t seem to go away. Ordinarily, a well-ventilated space should not retain smells. You’re likely to be smelling a strong, lingering odour, and it’s coming from poor air quality.
- Musty Smells: Musty or mouldy smells usually suggest there is mould or mildew growing. Both moulds and mildew-like places with a lot of moisture. Spores can travel through the air and cause respiratory problems and allergies.
- Chemical Odours: If you smell chemical odours much more frequently than in the past, such as detergents, varnishes, or other cleaning agents, organics, paints, or solvents, you’re likely smelling high levels of volatile organic compounds. The VOCs in these products can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat and can prolong exposure over long periods of years causing serious health effects.
2. Increased Symptoms of Allergies
While many of us think of allergies as something that affects us outside our homes. With the help of poor indoor air quality, one can trigger the signs of allergies, or it could worsen. Thus, upon realisation that you or anyone in your house started to experience your current allergy symptoms more intensely and more often, in all likelihood, it is time to consider an indoor air quality assessment.
- Frequent Sneezing: Poor indoor air quality can result in the accumulation of allergens such as dust mites, pollen, and pet dander.
- Watery or Itchy Eyes: Irritants that float in the air can cause your eyes to be watery or itchy, more so if it is dry or full of allergens.
- Coughing/Wheezing: Bad quality of air may trigger respiratory problems like asthma, which may result in coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
3. Visible Mould Growth
In case you notice the growth of mould, then it is a certain sign that your indoor air quality is seriously in need of care. Mould loves to grow in humid and damp environments and may worsen the quality of your air.
- Dark spots on your walls or ceiling: Most of the time, these spots indicate the growth of mould or mildew. If it goes untreated long enough, it will eventually spread and begin colonising. At such a point, the mould will start to disperse the spores in the air, which when inhaled can be pretty dangerous.
- Discolouration Around Windows or Vents: Occasionally, condensation triggers pigmentation around your windows or vents, opening up the breeding space for mould.
4. Stale or Stuffy Air
Ideally, the indoors should have fresh air that is easy to breathe. Inadequate ventilation indoors can lead to rising contaminants when the air feels stagnant or stuffy.
- Staleness of Air: Inadequate ventilation makes sure there is not enough entry of fresh air to replace old air in equal amounts. The level of some indoor pollutants, such as carbon dioxide, may rise from this and likely trigger fatigue and headaches.
- Feeling Uncomfortable or Fatigued: Stuffy air can make you feel tired, uncomfortable, and even irritable. Usually, this issue has occurred due to insufficient oxygen and excessive carbon dioxide in the air.
5. Humidity Imbalances
Humidity is an essential component in the context of indoor air quality. It leads towards issues when it is of low and high value due to numerous reasons. This is where the air quality monitoring in Malaysia is crucial being a country located in the tropical belt.
- High Humidity: High humidity can encourage mould and mildew and attract dampness-loving pests like dust mites. It can further make the air thick enough to breathe and feel uncomfortable.
- Low Humidity: On the other hand, low humidity causes dry skin, irritated eyes, and respiratory problems. It can also cause static electricity and harm wood furniture.
6. Dust Buildup
Dust is a common indoor pollutant; however, fast or excess accumulation acts as an indicator of poor air quality.
- Too much dust on settling surfaces: If you find that you dust more often recently this might be because the indoor air is carrying excess dust particles.
- Clogged Air Filters: The air filters in your HVAC system serve the purpose of trapping dust and other particles from passing through. When they are being cucked really fast, it could be an apparent sign of suffering indoor air quality.
7. Respiratory Problems
Directly, indoor air pollutants can affect your respiratory health status indoors. If you suffer from unexplained respiratory problems, the indoor air could be the common cause of poor indoor air quality.
- Shortness of Breath: The pollutants in the air, such as mould spores, dust, and VOCs, affect your breath, especially if you have a pre-existing condition like asthma.
- Frequent Respiratory Infections: Since the immunity would be weak due to the poor air quality, your body would become susceptible to diseases such as respiratory infections, for example, common colds and bronchitis.
8. Headaches and Dizziness
Poor indoor air quality may also trigger consistent headaches and dizziness. Such symptoms are commonly linked to high levels of carbon dioxide or dangerous chemicals in the atmosphere.
- Headaches: when you appear to be suffering from consistent headaches when indoors, it can be due to cumulative indoor pollutants.
- Dizziness: When the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen, a person will feel light-headed. It’s one of the effects of poor ventilation in an environment with high carbon dioxide levels.
Conclusion
When you are healthy and for your quality of life, try to maintain your indoor air quality. The above signs may show up, and your indoor air quality needs some serious attention. Whether it’s stubborn odours, aggravated allergic symptoms, visible mould growth, or the strange behaviour of a pet, all these symptoms are cues that push one toward the need for an indoor air quality assessment. This will ensure a much healthier living environment and add to the comfort level of the Malaysian climate effect. Taking early action could protect you from long-term health problems and assure the safety of your indoor dwelling places.
