Air Quality & Sickness by Area & in Your Home

Image Courtesy National Institute of Health

When considering a move as well as considering activities in your current home & area, it's beneficial to be informed regarding the air quality, especially if you or someone who will be with you has health problems (especially respiratory-related) or is otherwise vulnerable (i.e. children & the elderly). In this article, I'll be sharing air quality & sickness data resources for you to check the current trends in your area as well as some overall typical trends of areas.

Home Air Quality That You Can Help/Hurt

The air most critical to be mindful of is that in your home, which is impacted significantly by areas like your crawlspace (if applicable), the area immediately around your home, etc. I go over several areas you can help in other sections.

Natural Air Purifiers Inside & Outside Your Home

Several plants are natural air purifiers that you can plant inside your home in pots or otherwise or outside your home.

Here are some good ones, quoted by Filti & Marcum's Nursery:

Best Houseplants for Clean Air	Features
Spider Plant	– Easy to maintain – Eliminates xylene and formaldehyde - If you have pets, this is one of the few houseplants that are non-toxic to animals.
Boston Fern	– Great for indirect sunlight – Eliminates cigarette smoke, formaldehyde, toluene, xylene, benzene
Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (Snake Plant)	– Great for beginners – Eliminates trichloroethylene, xylene, formaldehyde, toluene, benzene
ZZ-Plant	– Great for low light areas – Eliminates benzene, toluene, xylene
Peace Lilly	– Medium level of maintenance – Eliminates ammonia, trichloroethylene, benzene, formaldehyde, xylene. - It grows best in shady areas and with the soil kept moist. Be careful though, as this plant can be toxic if eaten by children or pets.
Bamboo Palm	This fast-growing houseplant looks majestic and is safe for children and pets. It will add moisture to the air in the dry winter months and it thrives in indirect sunlight away from any cold drafts. Take care of it by keeping the soil moist and misting its leaves.
English Ivy	This plant is great at cleansing any benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene from the air as well as reducing any mold. The care for this plant is quite simple. It only takes three easy steps. First, be sure to keep it at a constant temperature, second allow it to receive plenty of direct sunlight, and lastly water often with well-drained soil.
Chinese Evergreen	The Chinese Evergreen is one of the most common household plants and for good reason. This plant emits a high oxygen content while purifying indoor spaces of harmful chemicals such as benzene, formaldehyde and other toxins. As its name suggests, it is quite popular in China specifically for its high efficiency in removing harmful pollutants from the air.
Red-Edged Dracaena	This drought-tolerant plant is good for beginners. It thrives in light. Wipe the underside of the leaves regularly with a damp cloth to make sure it can properly filter your air. Place it in a semi-shaded area and mist the soil with room-temperature water, rather than drenching.
Money Plant	Featured by NASA, the Money Plant is renowned for its ability to remove chemicals and other pollutants from the air, specifically benzene, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene. However, despite the benefit of its high purification rate, this plant is toxic to cats, dogs, and small children if its leaves are ingested.

Dishwashers & Washing Machines

A commonly neglected element of home air quality is the impact of dishwashers and washing machines, where doing things like cleaning/replacing filters and doing other cleaning can very positively impact air quality by reducing fungal growth.

Natural pollutants in your home

In some cases, people will have plants inside their home that naturally make the air quality worse. A common example is flowers with visible pollen. To retain some of the appeal of such flowers (i.e. lilies), it's a good idea to cut the pollen-tipped (on the anthers) stamens off and discard them away from the home before bringing them into your home.

Likewise, if you have animal habitats (i.e. turtles, fish, cats, dogs, etc.) be mindful of how that impacts your air quality, whether from pet dander from hair, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), ammonia (NH3), methane (CH4), and carbon dioxide (CO2) from feces, etc.

Whether dealing with plants or animals, be mindful of a propensity for mold or other fungus from fish tanks or potted/in-vase plants.

The less you clean after your pets, the more you should be doing to improve the air quality inside your home.

HVAC/Furnace/AC System: 1st Line of Defense

Maintaining (& in some cases, cleaning) your HVAC system is your first line of defense in quality air in your home. This maintenance can include but is not limited to:

1. Ensuring that you don't go too long between replacing (or in some cases, cleaning) filters per the manufacturer's instructions and according to use (i.e. more frequently if you pets or other known issues) & being sure to use the right filters.

2. Regularly servicing (or hiring for servicing) your HVAC every Fall & Spring.

3. Ensuring that your ducts are clean

4. Ensuring that the vents are clean

5. Ensuring that your ducts maintain proper flow

Air Purifiers

Air purifiers can have a heavy positive impact on your home as long as you have sufficient purifiers, as long as it's the right purifiers for your needs, and as long as you keep them maintained including swapping out filters as needed. Prioritize areas of your home that people will be in most often, like occupied bedrooms and studies if you work from home.

Vents in Bathrooms

When taking & immediately after taking a bath or shower, be sure to use your bathroom vents. If you don't, it can cause fixtures to corrode faster, growth to appear on the walls or ceiling, and other problems that occur from a higher moisture environment.

Maintaining a Clean Home

No matter how clean your ductwork and HVAC, if your home is a source of poor air quality, you'll be fighting an uphill battle. Be sure to immediately address things in your home that can negatively contribute to your air quality, like:

1. Mold & mildew - which should be taken care of with substances geared specifically for mold/mildew, not merely Clorox

2. Cooking - which is best taken care of by using a vent hood or microwave that vents to the exterior

3. General cleaning - i.e. vacuuming, dusting, laundering curtains, bedding material, and couch covers, etc.

Maintaining a Clean Air Area Around Your Home

If upon opening a window or door, you smell things that are foul, it's best to do what you can to alleviate those smells & not allow smells like that to get in your home.

It's best to not park too close to your front door, and to not have a car running for a long time in your garage, and to quickly close the interior garage door. It's best also to not have the car running at all while the interior garage door is open.

High pollen plants are best avoided in the immediate vicinity of your front door, back door, and any windows you plan to frequently open.

For anything decomposing, like a compost pile, it's best to put it far away from your home, especially far from areas of entry and windows that you might open. The same is true of dumpsters. If you have wild animals that can get in your dumpsters, rather than putting them in your garage, you might consider something more creative to mitigate intruders like raccoons.

An option that you'll see sometimes in higher-end homes is somewhat like an airlock, where there's a small enclosed area immediately upon entry into the front door, limiting the volume of air that can come from the outside into the home, by not entering the main home until the front door is closed. This system can not only make air cleaner at times, but also it can reduce your AC/heat bills.

If You Have a Crawlspace...

If mold is present in your crawlspace, in some cases, it won't trigger a required treatment at time of purchase if it is not deemed "wood destroying fungus", and that's if you have a moisture inspection at all. Some contracts (i.e. VAR contracts common to Greater Richmond) don't include it by default in the contract like REIN (Hampton Roads) home purchase offers do.

Composite Air Quality Today by Location

The Weather Channel website or app can let you know overall air quality levels by day & location as well. You can find it under "More Forecasts".

Radon

One of the most significant air quality issues worth mentioning is the impact of radon on a home.

Free Radon Tests for Adam's Clients

If I'm your agent, or if I was your agent and we've closed on a home, I would have no problem testing your home for radon with my tester (Ecosense RD200 RadonEye), though keep in mind that I don't have any certifications on the subject, though the testing process is fairly straightforward in my limited opinion on the subject. Also, most of SE VA, with some important exceptions, are not located in areas where there are typically high concentrations of radon, though a free radon test won't hurt, especially if it could have no implications on whether or not a seller accepts your offer.

Image courtesy EPA.gov

While they haven't come out with a new map that I am aware of since 1994, it's always best to check to see if they have come out with a new map.

See my section on the subject in my Environmental Area Guide

US Map of Failed Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) Locations

Below are the locations in the US that fail (as of date listed below to right of map) the NAAQS health standards. As you can see below, SE VA passes, but that's not the case with all of VA.

Zoomed in, here's how that looks:

Specific Sickness Related Issues

Cough, Congestion, Sore Throat, Fever, Sneezing, Runny Nose Map

Mucinex has a solid map w options to view by zip code or county here.

Influenza (Flu) Season Activity Level by Region Within State

CDC publishes a map of present & past flu activity, & be sure to click "CBSA" above the map since it defaults to state numbers if you don't. Zooming in on the map in a way that works well w/ the website is a bit tricky but can be done (i.e. w/ mouse zoom option w/ ctrl key & top or side roller on mouse)

Covid-19 Hospitalization Rate/Positive Testing Rate by County & Trends Over Time by State

• VA county map of Covid cases:

• CDC map of % positive tested for Covid by state

CDC Map of Recent Hospitalization Rate by County:

Here's an example from 9/2/23:

Hospitalization Trends over Time by State:

Go here & scroll down to a graph like the one below from 9/2/23:

Seasonal Allergies Map by Region Within State & This Week's Forecast

WebMD has a solid map of seasonal allergies by state & by region within state:

The Weather Channel website or app can let you know allergy levels by day & location as well. You can find it under "More Forecasts".

Pollution

Pollutant Map w/ Good Composite Scores by County/City

National Institute of Health Publishes a county/city comparison of particulate matter for each state, including Virginia:

Best Air Pollutant Map Options by National Institute of Health

Best Air Pollutant Particulate Matter Map of US by County:

Pollutant Map w/ Good Composite Scores Worldwide

How does the US compare to other countries? Fairly well when compared to Mexico & most countries in Europe, as well as the Middle East, Northern Africa, India, & China, but that depends on the country elsewhere.

Pollutant Map w/ Individual Scores

AirNow has a good monitor of air quality from pollutants.

Compare Air Pollution of 2 Selected Regions & Counties Weighted Average Over Time

Here's an example of the trends over time for a county for air pollution (particulate matter) where you may want to search by zip code if the city/county input directly won't work:

The American Lung Association has produced a comparison option for those considering a few locations by region. Here's an example of a comparison between the Hampton Roads area & the Los Angeles area.

Helping Poor Air Quality Outside Your Home & in Your Home Under Certain Short-Term Conditions (i.e. when using cleaning products): Start with Masks but be Cognizant of Negative Impact of Prolonged Mask Use & Best Practices

One of the best ways to mitigate the negative effects of poor air quality conditions outside your home & within your home under certain conditions has become a controversial topic & is a complicated topic: wearing a mask.

Did you know that women using cleaning products without a mask (for occupational or domestic cleaning) has been demonstrated to have as negative of an impact on your health as smoking 10-20 cigarettes a day? That's right, as a long-term study of 6000 people found, as relayed to the public in publications by Forbes, Fortune, and more.

There are some people who are afraid to go outside at times because the allergies are so bad and because they have such high sensitivity levels to allergies. If that's you, it would be worth it to consider what precautions you can take to mitigate the effects of allergies, whether it's masks or otherwise. It may seem strange to others, but don't let that hold you captive to your home. Likewise, if air quality is bad, even if you don't have a problem, consider whether you prefer the negative health impact of the air, or the negative perception of others who don't understand you wearing a mask. Consider as well that 1 person wearing a mask can give another person who has even more reason to wear a mask more courage to do so.

Before Covid-19 ever came around, if I was in the office at Garrett Realty Partners while cleaners were doing their thing after 5 PM, and I smelled chemicals at my desk, I'd don an N-95 style mask. I was the only one in the office who did it that I am aware of out of over 100 agents. Not even the cleaners wore masks, and me talking to them about it, warning them of the dangers, didn't change that. Despite how strange it may have seemed to others, I try to not be bound by cultural conformity when it doesn't make sense to me. When you're risking your health and the health of those you love, I would encourage you to take the precautions necessary to be a good steward of your health. That said, now that I know more about the negative impact of wearing a mask, it would have been better for me to simply choose another environment rather than prolonged mask-wearing when choosing a different environment was a readily available alternative.

There are some negative effects of wearing a mask that shouldn't be ignored (especially with prolonged mask use). Despite how one-sided many are on the subject, it's important to take a balanced approach, and not demonize the other side. For instance, in a study of 261 subjects, "There were significantly higher CO2 concentrations behind the mask (3176 ppm) compared to the front (843 ppm) with an average of 49 minutes of continuous mask use." That's over 3.75x the amount. In the same study, "12.2% had a CO2 concentration of at least 5000 ppm (occupational health exposure limit)... Clinical symptoms of toxicity might occur when CO2 levels are above 2000 ppm, and 5000 ppm is the CO2 work exposure limit.5,6" While I favored N-95 masks during COVID-19's peak, it's important to note that "The CO2 level behind the N-95 masks was highest (especially after exertion) and was lowest behind cloth masks."

In addition to the possibility of CO2 toxicity, there are numerous documented negative impacts of long-term high CO2 exposure, though there are some positive benefits (EPA, Science Direct). Per USDA, "Symptoms of mild CO2 exposure may include headache and drowsiness. At higher levels,rapid breathing, confusion, increased cardiac output, elevated blood pressure and increased arrhythmias may occur." Before Covid-19 came around the US, with the 1st laboratory-confirmed case in the US on January 18, 2020, a study was published in December 2018 that sated, "Groups exposed for a couple of hours to levels higher than 1500 ppm CO2 showed an increase in their blood pressure and heart rate compared with that of the 600 ppm exposure group. Autonomic dysfunction impacts a wide array of human functions including cognitive, urinary, sexual, and digestive systems. The activation of the autonomic system through stress reduces strategic ability and working memory (Starcke and Brand, 2012), which supports a recent finding that showed a decrease in decision-making performance between 600 and 2500 ppm CO2."

I also developed blepharitis for the 1st time after prolonged mask use & at least a few styes for the 1st time, & haven't been able to eliminate my blepharitis. For many it is a lifelong condition despite treatment like I've received from doctors. I highly suspected that my mask use was the main culprit. Per a study published in National Library of Medicine, "In the COVID-19 period, face masks increased exponentially. Several studies suggest that the rise in ocular discomfort symptoms during the pandemic is mostly part of dry eye disease and that these are due to the effect of face masks, resulting in the newly described term MADE, for “mask-associated dry eye”. The most commonly proposed mechanism states that wearing a face mask creates an unnatural upward airflow towards the ocular surface during expiration, although the increased temperature, humidity and levels of carbon dioxide of the exhaled air, stress, increased use of video display terminals, as well as changes in the ocular microbiota may contribute. Evidence supports that the use of face masks causes an increase in dry eye disease symptoms, a decreased tear break-up time, corneal epithelial trauma, periocular temperature changes and inflammatory markers secretion."

Also, some during Covid-19 took things too far with no exceptions for their mask mandates. For instance, a friend of mine had a legitimate documented medical issue that prevented her from wearing any form of a mask due to a physical reaction that would occur. When a co-working space wouldn't provide her a medical accommodation, I contacted them to plead her case but was denied.

To see my reasoning on why I wear masks specific to the Covid-19 situation from a faith-based perspective, including when not to wear a mask (i.e. sometimes those with lung conditions will be advised by their doctor not to wear something heavy-duty like an N-95 mask), see the following I, an evangelical Christian, wrote:

Are Masks Biblical?

Heat, Humidity & Humidifiers

Humidity can both positively and negatively impact your health. Dry air can make dehydration, a dry throat, & dry mouth a bigger problem. Moist air promotes mold growth.

Per Mayo Clinic on small humidifiers,

• "For safety, always use cool-mist humidifiers for children. Hot water or steam from a warm-mist humidifier or steam vaporizer can burn a child if he or she gets too close. Hot water might also cause burns in the event of a spill."

• "Warm-mist and cool-mist humidifiers are equally effective in humidifying the air."

• "If you use a humidifier, be sure to keep it clean to prevent mineral buildup and the growth of bacteria and molds."

• "Emptying the tank and drying all surfaces of the humidifier daily is one way to safely keep it clean. Also, consider refilling the tank with bottled water labeled "distilled" or "purified,"."

There are numerous pros and cons of whole-house humidifiers.

Pros examples:

1. "Automatic Humidity Control

2. Optimal Moisture Levels

3. No Water/Moisture Damage

4. No Need For Refills

5. Quiet and Invisible

6. Added Value

7. Low Maintenance

8. Health Benefits"

9. Comfort

Cons examples:

1. "Expense

2. Mold & Mildew

3. Hiding HVAC Air Leaks"

4. Maintenance needs

5. Potential for damage to your home via wood rot etc. especially if not set to automatic

6. Energy consumption costs

7. If water quality isn't good, it will spread problems.

While you'll have added ongoing water expenses, higher humidity levels in the winter can help a home to feel warmer.

Here's a heat & humidity map of the US:

Here's a closer look on humidity levels

US Current Relative Humidity Map

VA Current Relative Humidity Map

Get Tested for Allergies

Many are unaware of what to look out for since they've never had allergy testing, especially if they've never had bad symptoms.

For instance, did you know that many mattresses have eucalyptus, and that you can be allergic to eucalyptus where the air itself from the eucalyptus in a mattress can negatively impact you? Without testing, you might never be aware of what's hurting you gradually over time, shortening your lifespan even if very slowly and in a way that you might never notice without testing.

You might like juniper plants in your yard, but did you know that even that can be something that you could be allergic to?

Related:

• Area Guide

• Environmental Area Guide

• Factors to Consider to Help Determine Where to Find Your New Home

• Home Elements to View Online Prior to a Showing Request

• SE VA City Information & Real Estate Property Info

• Crime When Searching for a Home

• Traffic Comparison in Hampton Roads

• Public School Districts in Hampton Roads & The Surrounding Area of SE VA

• Area Considerations Articles

• SE VA Articles

• Things to do in SE VA