Cold and Flu Season: Indoor Air

Learn what air pollutants disrupt your air quality and can possibly make you sick

Cold and Flu season is upon us. The air gets chilled and we tend to spend more time indoors. According to the Center for Disease Control(CDC), reports that there over 1 billion cases of the common cold each year during the fall and winter seasons, with children being affected the most. For some parts of the country, furnace and heaters are constantly in use.

However, if you have neglected to take care of your system prior to use, then you maybe overdue for service. The first defence in preventing cold and flu during this season is your indoor air quality. Where you spend most of the day has an effect on how often you get sick, whether at work or at home.

Cold and Flu Season: Indoor Air

• Air pollutants that disrupt your air quality and can possibly make you sick:

• Mold Spores - Is a fungus that can cause major damage to your property and serious health issues. Long exposure to mold spores can cause serious respiratory conditions such as chronic sinus, allergies or asthma. Also, at the right temperature and humidity, mold can feast on your house’s carpet, drywall, wood and any other material.

• Dust Mites - These microscopic insects can cause major allergic reactions. They live of dead skin cells and hair that accumulate on furniture, mattresses, pillows and others. Dust mites reproduce really fast and you can have millions or billions trapped inside your house.

• Bacteria - Virtually everywhere, bacteria can be a major cause of respiratory conditions. It can cause allergies, asthma, and even infections. Symptoms often include inflammation in the nose, throat, sinuses and lungs.

• Virus - More than 100 different types of viruses can cause you to have the common cold, but only influenza-type viruses A, B and C cause the flu. Although they are seasonal, Type A viruses mutate every year and transform into new strains, this is why you have to have a flu shot every year.

• These pollutants hide in your ducts and lay on tables, counter tops and other surfaces in your house. An air filter, especially MERV 11 & 13 ratings, captures influenza viruses before they spread into your indoor air and cause infection. One of the simplest most effective things you can do is to change your furnace filter and schedule a yearly check-up. A fresh filter will help you maintain cleaner air quality, and help protect your loved ones from unnecessary health hazards. For an extended list of other pollutants that affects your indoor air, click here.