Indoor air quality is the quality of air around and within structures and buildings as related to the comfort and health of the space’s occupants. There are many factors that affect IAQ such as mold and bacteria (microbial contaminants), particulates, and gases like radon, carbon monoxide and organic compounds and all mass stressors that can result to dangerous health conditions. Today, Hilton Head indoor air quality has become a major health issue compared to the hazards of outdoor air.

So far, ventilation, source control and filtration are the best methods to dilute all contaminants in indoor air. In order to determine indoor air quality, there will be a need to collect air samples on the building’s surfaces and constant monitoring of human exposure to the pollutants present in the air. Computer technology offers a modeling of air flows in homes and buildings to check how it affects the quality of indoor air that one breathes.

At home, indoor air is contaminated by pollutants coming from different sources such as oil, kerosene, wood, coal and tobacco products. If there is very little outdoor air that can enter your home, these pollutants will accumulate to a certain degree that will eventually harm your health and cause discomfort in your own house.

In developing countries, the major cause of indoor air pollution is biomass usage, mostly for cooking and heating purposes. The exposure to its particulates resulted in many deaths almost a decade ago. Experts have also looked into the possibility of reducing indoor air pollutants with the use of indoor plants. Surprisingly, the effects were favorable enough that indoor plants were able to bring down organic compounds such as toluene, xylene, benzene, airborne microbes and molds. However there are also institutions that do not agree with this study.  They claim that higher levels of humidity results in more allergic responses and mold growth, making indoor plants undesirable in any indoor setting. With such, the only way to ensure the indoor air quality remains in healthy and desirable levels is by frequently and effectively turning over interior air with outdoor air. Ventilation should always be sufficient and air filtration systems should always be present in order to maintain good indoor air quality. Air filters can trap a number of air pollutants indoors and are effective in reducing dusts that cling to the wet coils.

The issue of indoor air quality has triggered greater awareness to many due to the health risks it poses to everyone. Environmental protection agencies run by the government have decided to get involved by developing tools that help improve the environmental conditions indoors in many schools. Occupational safety and health offices have also conducted health hazard awareness campaigns and evaluations in workplaces to make sure that the indoor air quality and the substances found within their area have any toxic effects. Many scientists, including mechanical engineers, bacteriologists, computer scientists, chemists and physicists also have worked in these studies. On the international scale, the ISIAQ (International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate) also conducts conferences and publishes a journal on the studies about Hilton Head indoor air quality.