Air Quality & Your Health

3/6/2017 (Permalink)

Streptococcus Pneumoniae

Many people are surprised to hear that typically, air quality is much worse indoors than outdoors.  This is a big concern, especially to people with respiratory health concerns who spend the majority of their time inside. Usually indoor air quality is worse because it circulates in a closed system.  We keep breathing the same air over and over again, and 'dirty' air doesn't get a chance to leave the building envelope and be replaced with cleaner air. As building technologies improve, this is ironically becoming a bigger concern -- building envelopes are built tighter than ever to save energy when cooling or heating an indoor space. 

But just because outdoor air is usually cleaner, that doesn't mean we're in the clear when heading outside.  There are concerns about outdoor air quality, as well. Researchers at the University of Leicester just revealed the results of a four-year study showing new information about how

“Our research could initiate an entirely new understanding of how air pollution affects human health," said Dr. Julie Morrissey, of the University of Leicester.  "It will lead to enhancement of research to understand how air pollution leads to severe respiratory problems and perturbs the environmental cycles essential for life.”

The key points of the study, released in March 2017:

(1.) Air pollution can change the way bacteria behave and can change their potential to cause disease.

(2.) Interdisciplinary research discovers new mechanism of how air pollution is detrimental to our health and well-being

(3.) Developing megacities with extreme levels of air pollution are major risk factors for human health in many parts of the world.

To see more on this interesting report, click here."