Is dust a health hazard for children? Learn the hazards of dust in the home for children and how to avoid them. The significance of a series of seemingly innocuous episodes of bad health can escape us, warns...
The significance of a series of seemingly innocuous episodes of bad health can escape us, warns Sylvia Crunk, owner of Aire Serv Heating and Air Conditioning in Austin, Texas. Though dust can be responsible for serious respiratory disorders including asthma, children and adults may also suffer from its more subtle effects for extended periods. Children tend to be relatively more vulnerable because of their immature immunity systems. Fortunately, Sylvia uses her long experience in air purification systems to list some easy signs that can warn adults of the risks to which their children are exposed at home because of the insidious accumulation of dust. An example is to find fresh dust on furniture and other home surfaces soon after you have wiped them. Such developments should lead us to doubt that ducting or perhaps a filter has become defective and needs repair. Sylvia is quick to point out that home inspection for indoor air quality requires expertise, and it always makes sense to call in a professional to take a detailed look at your entire heating, air-conditioning and ventilation system and equipment.
Many people are not aware of the true nature of dust and all the allergens and pathogens which it harbors, compromising the long term health prospects of an entire and unsuspecting family. The National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health of the US Department of Health and Human Services explains that dust can contain pet dander, dust mites, fungal molds and even particles of fibers, each of which may have allergenic or other pathogenic effects on us. Some individuals, especially children, are more vulnerable than others. General health may be seriously compromised by dust, and it can easily escape our casual attention. Though microbes normally thrive only in summer, the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases warns us that such threats may lurk around the year in homes which are heated during even the most severe spells of winter.
Routine maintenance of ventilation and related air quality control equipment in homes goes a long way in keeping indoor dust at acceptable levels from a health and wellness point of view. You can also achieve good results by reducing the number of dust collecting surfaces in rooms which are used for long periods by your children and by you as well.
It is relatively simple and economical to keep the heating, air-conditioning and ventilation systems of average homes in such good working order, so that dust can be trapped and filtered out of the air your children and you breathe at home. You may have seen dust particles when shafts of sunlight bring them in to easy view inside ducting, but only a trained eye can assess whether dust levels in your home pose any serious threat to your family. It is very important to have filters and ducts periodically inspected, cleaned and repaired as well, as required. When was the last time your home system was inspected by an expert?
