Indoor Air: Control and Prevention of Biological Contaminants

Biological contaminants include bacteria, mold spores, and viruses that often come attached to or along with animal dander, dust, dust / other mites, pollen, and other particles. Most of these contaminants exist in our homes and offices in small amounts, but if we are not careful, the conditions can become favorable for their numbers to grow and / or spread, creating an indoor air quality problem and ultimately health issues.

Health Hazards from Biological Contaminants:

Some biological contaminants trigger mild to severe allergic reactions, including pneumonitis, allergic rhinitis, and some types of asthma. Infectious illnesses, such as influenza, measles, and chicken pox are also transmitted through the air. Molds and mildews release mycotoxins, which can cause a wide range of serious illness. Symptoms of health problems caused by airborne biological pollutants include sneezing, watery eyes, coughing, shortness of breath, dizziness, lethargy, fever, and digestive problems.

Allergic reactions may not happen immediately or may be mild at first, but after multiple exposures over time, some may find themselves very sensitive to particular allergens and having much more severe reactions--some even life-threatening, such as an asthma attack, etc.

There is even such a thing as "humidifier fever", which is a condition related to exposure to toxins from microorganisms growing in humidifiers; a similar illness can also occur from breathing air from large building  ventilation systems / home heating and cooling systems contaminated with these same toxins. Children, the elderly, and people with breathing problems, allergies, lung diseases, andthose with impaired immune systems are particularly vulnerable to these types of biological agents in their indoor air. Walking pneumonia is also a common illness resulting from repeated breathing air contaminated with mold spores and the mycobacteria that often present as well.  Tuberculosis, measles, staphylococcus infections, Legionella and influenza are also a possibility, as they are transmitted by air.

How to Reduce Our Exposure to Biological Contaminants:

Be sure to utilize the services of your local pest control company to control insect populations. Insects bring bacteria and viruses with them, so controlling the insects is a good way to keep a large portion of bacteria and viruses out of the picture. Install and use exhaust fans that are vented to the outdoors in kitchens and bathrooms, and clothes dryers, and don't forget to ventilate the attic and crawl spaces to prevent moisture build-up.

Keep humidity levels in these areas at 40 % or below to prevent water condensation on building materials.  Thoroughly clean and dry water-damaged carpets, rugs, or any type of wood / building materials (within 24 hours if possible) or consider removal and replacement. Water-damaged carpets and building materials can harbor mold and bacteria. It is very difficult to completely eliminate biological contaminants from water-damaged carpets, etc, so it may be necessary to replace them rather than try to clean them.

Again, by controlling humidity in a home, you can prevent make it far more difficult for biological contaminants to thrive. By keeping moisture down, you are taking away a key element needed by most bacteria, molds, viruses, for survival.  A relative humidity of around 40 percent is generally recommended for homes. Get rid of any standing water, water-damaged materials, or wet surfaces in basements, closets, walls, etc---these wet surfaces can serve as a breeding ground for molds, mildews, bacteria, and even insects.House dust mites, the source of one of the most potent biological allergens, tend to thrive in warm, damp areas.

Places such as air conditioner cooling coils, humidifiers, condensation pans, or unvented bathrooms can easily become moldy, as there is both food and moisture readily available. We will soon have dehumidifiers available in our store and we highly recommend using one in the home or office if you have moisture issues, or if you have allergies or asthma.

Be sure to wash bedding (sheets, etc) in hot (130° F) water, and avoid room furnishings that accumulate dust, especially if they cannot be washed in hot water. Those with allergies should leave the house while it is being vacuumed because vacuuming can stir up and actually send biological contaminants back into the air, especially if the vacuum does have a HEPA filter in the exhaust chamber.

Disinfect basement floors regularly--sweep, vacuum, and mop with a disinfectant. If the basement tends to accumulate water from seepage (water coming through brick / soil around the house), be sure the area drains well, and use a sump pump. Make sure the sump pump is installed correctly and works by testing. Do not finish a basement below ground level unless all water leaks have been fixed, and adequate ventilation is available. Use a dehumidifier in the basement if needed to keep relative humidity levels 40% or below, and consider using a product called Damp-Rid, which are containers filled with crystals that absorb water from the air. Damp Rid is sold at Wal-Mart, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.

Use a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA filter at least weekly.  The HEPA filter on the vacuum will prevent a lot of the dust from becoming airborne again after it has been picked up. Again, many vacuum cleaners that do not have a filter end up blowing some of the dust / dander / other particles back into the air for your to breathe through the exhaust chamber. Don't forget that your bed, animal bedding, carpets, rugs, basements, etc., are all places where those particles like dust, pet dander, mold spores, and other things can collect and when kicked around by humans or blown into the air by a heating / cooling system.So, be sure to vacuum all of these areas well so that these particle contaminants don't become airborne.

If you simply do not have time to sweep or vacuum, consider getting one of the robot type vacuum cleaners--the Roomba, from iRobot. These can be amazingly effective and helpful for those who have such busy schedules that prevent regular vacuuming.  Obviously good, weekly mopping with Lysol or similar disinfectants will go a long way toward keeping biologicals down, as well.

Next, be sure to use a high-quality HEPA air purification system, either attached to your heating / cooling system, a free standing room unit, or both for serious air filtration situations. A good HEPA filter will remove 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns (such as mold spores, bacteria, viruses, pet dander, pollen, smoke particles, etc). With the addition of  UV lamps, even the DNA of bacteria, viruses, mold spores can be destroyed so that they have no ability to reproduce. See the product list below at the for some top-notch air purifiers that can do all of this and more.