on an average, an adult inhales and exhales 7 to 8 litres of air per minute. it is approximately about 10,000 litres of air in a day (source: greening of interiors: the igbc way). therefore, measuring the indoor air quality (iaq) and its impact is required.
air quality not only gives you health benefits for the short-term but is also critical to the long-term well-being of you and your family. the quality of the air you breathe can adversely affect your health. therefore, consider the air quality before you buy a house.
moreover, you must take into account outdoor air quality. the outdoor air quality can be adversely affected due to air pollution, vehicular pollution, dust, and so on.
what is the importance of air quality?
clean air is essential because it helps to keep you healthy. some of the advantages of air quality are as follows:
- air quality improves the quality of life.
- it reduces lung-related diseases such as asthma, allergies, and so on.
- it improves your health and wellbeing.
- it improves the productivity of the residents.
reasons for poor indoor air quality:
the main reasons for poor indoor air quality are as follows:
- combined emissions from products such as paints, cleaning materials, building materials, furnishings, fabrics, and so on.
- keep pets at home.
- inadequate ventilation.
- volatile organic compounds.
- microorganisms.
- pollens and some plants.
- smoking.
- scented candles.
- moulds (formed due to increased moisture) and humidity.
why should you measure indoor air quality?
you measure indoor air quality to understand and control pollutants that are common indoors.
how do you improve indoor air quality?
here are some of the steps that can be taken to improve air quality in houses:
- adopt and promote a sustainable interior design.
- use non-toxic materials such as paints, adhesives, and so on.
- use finishes and coating that have low volatile organic compounds (voc’s*).
- grow plants that are known to reduce air pollution indoors.
- construct houses that are well-ventilated. naturally ventilated houses have doors and windows that improve air circulation.
- keep your house clean and dust-free by regularly cleaning, mopping and vacuuming.
- let the outdoor air to flow inside the house through openings around windows and doors. this process is called infiltration.
- choose fragrance-free products for cleaning.
what are vocs?
*voc or volatile organic compounds are carbon-based compounds that evaporate at room temperature. therefore, they affect the indoor air quality. some of the examples of products containing vocs are paints, fragrances, sealants, adhesives, thinners, and nail polish remover.
how do you measure air pollution?
the fine particles in the air called particulate matter or pm2.5 (that has a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less) are calculated to measure air pollution.
how are these fine particles produced?
fine particles are produced from vehicle emissions, power plants, burning wood, and industrial processes. as they are tiny, when you inhale, the fine particles enter your lungs and cause breathing problems, irritation in the eyes of people of all ages.
research studies suggest that indoor air pollution is ten times worse than outdoor air pollution as the pollutants build up more easily in enclosed spaces than in open areas.
how can you reduce air pollution?
the air pollution can be controlled by adding more green spaces to your building. the trees present in the outdoor garden filter the pollutants and dust particles in the air. it helps to cool down the temperature in urban areas as well.
trees make soil healthy and reduce soil erosion. there are many different trees in the world. some of them are evergreen throughout the year and only lose their leaves just before new ones grow.
only choosing the trees based on aesthetics is not enough. instead, plant trees that are useful in reducing pollution.
if you are buying a house, look for projects with more green cover. the location of the house also makes a lot of difference. if it is in a crowded area, the pollution will be more as compared to houses built in less-crowded areas.
due to rising pollution and awareness about it, the new houses have lots of open space, trees, plants, and medicinal plants.
eipl is a reputed real estate developer well-known for superior quality construction and on-time delivery of projects. eipl projects like apila, rivera, and la paloma have open spaces, landscaped gardens, seating areas, and playgrounds.
due to the presence of trees and plants in open areas and the use of building materials that emit low vocs, the air quality in the eipl project is excellent.
find out more about the amenities and features of eipl projects at https://propertyadviser.in
by: lotus tech