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Concerns about indoor air quality (IAQ) have increased since the 1970's when people started doing a better job of sealing their homes and offices to conserve electricity. However, sealing buildings better reduces the amount of fresh outside air from coming into buildings and contributes to the buildup of indoor air contaminants.
The average American spends up to 90% of their time indoors. Think about it. When you wake up in the morning in your bed you are inside your house. Then you leave your house to get in your car. You step out of the car and enter your place of work. After several hours, you leave work to go back home, go shopping, go to a restaurant or other indoor places. The majority of your day is spent indoors, making you one of the many average Americans. Those more susceptible to the effects of poor IAQ spend even more time indoors. These people include infants, the elderly and critically ill.
Complaints about IAQ range from simple complaints, suchas the air smelling odd, to more complex complaints where poor air quality results in illness and absence in school. Identifying a single reason for these complaints is difficult due to the number and variety of possible sources, causes, and individual sensitivities.
Indoor air pollutants fall into three main categories:
 Particulates - Over 99% of particulate matter is invisible to the naked eye and easily infiltrates the lungs. On average, every cubic foot of untreated indoor air contains 20 million particles. With today's air quality contamination problems filtered air purification technology is no longer adequate to make our air safe to breathe.
 Microbes - Includes three major types of organisms: bacteria, protozoa, and fungi/mold. Most of these contaminants rely on a humid and moist environment for growth & survival. Some molds produce certain chemicals, such as mycotoxins and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's). Today's superbugs like MRSA and the H1N1 virus are a major concern and threaten the safety of millions of people around the globe. Sophisticated technology like advanced PCO using a nano-catalyst may be our best defence against the proliferation of these potentially deadly pathogens.
 Gases & Odors - Indoor gases, such as benzene, formaldehyde, and hydrogen sulfide, are released into the air from furniture, carpets, hair sprays, cleaning chemicals, insulation, and pesticides. Gases include VOC's which evaporate into the air easily. Odors are often composed of VOC's or other gases. Recent studies show the effectiveness of PCO technology, using UV and hydrated catalytic technology to break down VOC's and render them harmless.
Why worry about indoor air quality? Are these contaminants mentioned above present in our homes and buildings? If these contaminants are present, what makes them so harmful to our health? How do we remove these contaminants from the air we breathe? The answer may be as simple using an Ion Oasis Air Sanifier® by LifesMiracle in your home or office!
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