We rely on our five senses to alert us to danger. Sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell – these built-in warning systems allow us to remove ourselves from potential risks. However, when it comes to certain odourless and invisible airborne contaminants in our homes, we need the help of tools and technology to sense their presence. Since we are now building and renovating homes that are more airtight than we did previously (which is the goal for energy-efficiency), trapping – and keeping – dangerous particles inside our home has increased. The good news is, we have products that can help track these contaminants, and remove them from our space.
Human sources of concern
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are present in many products that we use to build and decorate our homes. Various paints and coatings, adhesives and sealants, composite wood products, carpeting and vinyl flooring can contain high levels of VOCs. Cleaning products, air fresheners, personal care products, pesticides/insecticides, and even arts and craft supplies can also contain high VOCs.
The solution is to build without them, or purchase low- or no-VOC products, so they never enter the home. The next best thing is to ventilate the space (either naturally or mechanically) to exchange the indoor with outdoor fresh and/or cleaned air, or as a less preferred option, filtered air. VOCs are known to cause health problems in humans, including respiration irritation, organ damage, neurological issues and an increased risk of cancer with long-term exposure.
Mother Nature’s damaging ways
Nature also produces indoor air-quality concerns. Pollen, pet dander, mould, mildew, dust mites, and radon are all examples of naturally occurring indoor air-quality risks. These also need to be removed to ensure our short-term comfort and long-term health. In the case of radon, a naturally occurring gas that comes into our homes via the basement (from the surrounding soils), it is created when trace amounts of uranium in the soil break down radioactively. It is not constant and is always moving through soil, so testing for it can be a long-term challenge. Radon can’t be filtered, detected, or interacted with like other gasses in the atmosphere. It’s tasteless and odourless, so we may never know it’s at a dangerous level. Radon is also impossible to eliminate. Fortunately, sub-slab mitigation systems can effectively reduce radon levels to meager amounts, often reducing them by 80 to 90 per cent.
So, what to do?
We asked Sonny Pirrotta, national sales manager at Panasonic, for some suggestions. “What homeowners need to look for is an efficient and smart HVAC system to measure, clean and exchange the air, technology that removes odours, allergens, pollens, hazardous PM 2.5 particles and also moisturizes skin and hair. Preferably, this grouping of products are scientifically proven to provide for a fresher and cleaner indoor environment,” says Pirrotta.
In addition, he suggests a product to exchange stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air (such as an HRV or ERV), as well as a system that can measure indoor air quality and automatically control HVAC systems to improve it as needed. Panasonic’s swidget monitoring devices and Nanoe-x systems are examples of technology that advises you of the status of your IAQ, and can automatically and effectively do something about it. The technology deodorizes, inhibits allergens, pollens and hazardous substances, plus eliminates dust. It never needs cleaning or changing. In the case of swidgets, the smart devices replace the typical switch or receptacle, and are able to control any internet-enabled mechanical system, and report to you how clean (or dirty) the air is at any given time.
However, while these systems help with indoor air quality and a list of airborne pollutants, they cannot deal with carbon monoxide or radon.
For these, we need more robust sensors, and some lower tech, but equally impactful solutions. While the building code historically requires smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed in every home and now it every bedroom, it’s changing to provide solutions to radon risk as well. Bob Wood, from Mr. Radon, says the best way to eliminate the risk from radon isn’t to measure it, but rather, to install an active radon mitigation system, which involves a pipe and fan, vented through to the roof. This can be installed in new or existing buildings, but most don’t do it.
“Radon has been in the Ontario Building Code (OBC) since the late 1980’s,” says Wood. “Unfortunately, the OBC has been deliberately ignored by builders and code enforcement officials. The OBC mandates that builders and code enforcement officials provide a building that does not create illness, providing three choices for builders, including installing an active venting system; installing a stub rough-in and test for radon after occupancy; or installing a vapour barrier under the slab and test for radon after occupancy. (Which has been the builder default, leaving the long-term testing to the homeowners after move-in).
“Now that Ontario is adopting the National Building Code (NBC) 2020, a builder must install a capped radon rough-in and a vapour barrier. The 2025 NBC has a proposed clause that passed the Standing Committee and will require a four-inch passive stack from below the basement floor through the attic to ensure all new buildings can passively depressurize and ventilate at a minimum, but an active system is always best.”
The final verdict
Indoor air quality has always been important, but when our homes leaked air naturally and we frequently opened our windows, it mattered less. We also used to build with more natural products. Now, we are often creating dangerous indoor living environments. With airtight building envelopes, these particles are sticking around for longer, and we end up ingesting them, often unknowingly. The time to take this seriously is now, for the sake of your family’s long-term health.