[ DID YOU KNOW?]

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, inadequate ventilation in a home can increase indoor air-pollution levels. Those pollutant levels rise in a poorly ventilated home because not enough outdoor air is making its way into a home to dilute emissions from indoor sources of pollution. In addition, in a poorly ventilated home, indoor air pollutants are not being carried out of the home, leaving the pollutants to linger and potentially put the health of the home’s residents at risk. Though it might seem counterintuitive to allow cold outdoor air into a home during winter, such outdoor air can protect a home’s inhabitants from the immediate effects of indoor air pollution, which include irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, as well as headaches, dizziness and fatigue. Long-term effects of prolonged exposure to indoor air pollution can include respiratory disease, heart disease and cancer. But homeowners who want to increase outdoor air infiltration in their homes do not have to open the windows when temperatures dip. A simple inspection of mechanical ventilation systems, such as bathroom and kitchen fans and air-handling systems that employ fans and ducts to remove indoor air and distribute filtered and conditioned outdoor air throughout a home, may be all that’s necessary to ensure that indoor air stays healthy during the winter. If such systems are in need of repair, homeowners should ensure that those repairs are made prior to the arrival of winter.