For more information on the different types of air cleaners available to consumers, please refer to our other brochure focused on Air Cleaners.

WARNING: Ozone and Air Cleaners A number of air cleaners emit ozone from their devices. Human exposure to ozone can lead to irritation of the nose and throat, coughs, and chest discomfort. It has also been linked to triggering asthma attacks. The Lung Association, Alberta & NWT cautions residents not to use or purchase any air cleaners that generate ozone. If possible, find out if the device emits ozone (O3).

I Have Followed All Three Strategies but my Indoor Air is Still Poor. Now what? If you have done everything that you can to improve the indoor air quality of your home, you may decide on a professional indoor air quality investigation. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has a listing of trained indoor air quality investigators that can inspect your home to determine if there are existing indoor air pollutants and how to best fix them. For more information, please visit their website at http://www.cmhc.ca or call 1-800-668-2642.

Air Cleaners and Health Concerns All consumers should be cautious of any air cleaners that promise “health improvements”. This includes air ionizers that claim to be beneficial for people with asthma. We do not recommend using room ionizers to assist those with asthma as these devices have been shown to produce ozone. The Lung Association, Alberta & NWT has not seen any published evidence of any product that leads to health improvements.

For more information regarding indoor air quality and/or other respiratory health issues, please visit our website at www.ab.lung.ca or call toll free at 1-888-566-LUNG (5864).

When you can’t breathe, nothing else matters.

STRATEGIES TO IMPROVING INDOOR AIR QUALITY

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Many Canadians are becoming more aware of how the air inside their homes can have a major influence on their health. What many do not know are the best ways they can improve the air quality in their own home. There are three main strategies to improving indoor air quality.

Source Control Preventing air pollutants from getting into the air is the most effective strategy. This will prevent many problems before they happen. You can prevent air contaminants from getting into your home by: ➜➜ not allowing smoking indoors ➜➜ maintaining gas heaters, stoves, and fireplaces on an annual basis to prevent any leaks of dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide ➜➜ taking your shoes off before walking indoors to prevent dirt, pesticides, and other chemicals from being tracked into your home ➜➜ removing any water-damaged materials arising from a basement flood or sink/toilet leak to prevent mould growth ➜➜ regularly cleaning your house by dusting, washing bed sheets every week in hot water to kill dust mites, and removing clutter to reduce the amount of dust and particles in your home

Ventilation

Increasing the amount of ventilation in a building can also improve indoor air quality. Ventilation allows for fresh air to come in and old air to move out. It can also reduce the amount of indoor moisture build-up and prevent mould growth.

prevent problems before they happen

With Alberta and the Northwest Territories having dry air year round with very low humidity, increased ventilation will help homeowners improve humidity levels indoors, making the living conditions of a home much more comfortable. You can improve ventilation by: ➜➜ opening doors and windows ➜➜ using kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans when available

➜➜ installing ceiling fans ➜➜ using or installing an effective heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system into your home; if you are planning to move to a new home, keep an eye out for the presence of this system in the new home

Air Cleaning

If the first two strategies have not led to an improvement of your indoor air, you may want to consider using an air cleaner. Some air cleaners are effective at removing particles from the air, but cannot remove scents and airborne gases. For example, dust and pet dander can be removed by some air cleaners, but cigarette smoke and other odours will remain behind. As there are many different types of air cleaners available, you should take care in selecting one that will work best for you. You should remember that an air cleaner on its own without source control or good ventilation is not an effective solution to improving air quality in your home. Often people will try to eliminate odours by using air fresheners, candles, or other household sprays. These products mask odours and do not eliminate gases or particles in the air. Instead, try using alternatives such as: ➜➜ lemon juice to wipe counter tops, pans, cooking utensils, and cutting boards ➜➜ placing a partially open box of baking soda in the fridge to reduce odours ➜➜ sprinkling baking soda in the bottom of garbage cans and on carpets to eliminate odours including pet odours