For those who suffer from allergies even the most routine of tasks can feel like running the gauntlet of allergen avoidance and reaction prevention. In the grand scheme of things it’s relatively easy to take measures and make your home a safer place for an allergy or asthma sufferer, however, it’s a completely different ball game when it comes to the avoidance or reduction of external allergen sources.

You’ve far less control over your external environment which drastically increases the risk of a reaction for those at risk. To help you avoid and combat the potential risks, we’ve put together this list to help you identify what local environment sources could be causing poor air quality in your home.

Location

Figuring out which local establishments or features could be lowering the air quality of your home is thankfully not too difficult. A quick examination, either on foot or on the internet, will be able to tell you exactly what potential problem sources there are in your area, chances are you won’t even need to research the issue if you’ve been there for a while.

The sources and level of local pollutants will differ depending on the location of your home, generally speaking there will be no 2 neighbourhoods which share identical issues. Whilst this can make it difficult for someone who is not in the area to diagnose potential problems, there are a few general issues which can be found in many different areas.

Heavy Traffic Area

If your home is close to busy roads then you’re going to notice a reduction in the quality of the air. Heavy traffic increases the number of vehicle emissions which can lead to quite severe reactions for those with sensitive allergies.

Factories or Mines

Industrial estates and mines will often have large vehicles operating on site. On top of the emissions caused by these vehicles there’s also the emissions from the factory’s production machinery and the dust spread through mining operations. If you live near to either of these sites you’re going to have noticeably lower air quality than someone living in a quiet rural area.

Local Soil

Many wouldn’t think of the soil in the surrounding area as a potential cause of poor air quality. If you live in an area with loose top soil, an increase in wind speed can spread the various particles through the local environment resulting in lower air quality.

What Can You Do?

You’re obviously going to have a harder time battling the high levels of allergens in an external environment, however there are some steps you can take to make sure that the air quality is as high as it can possibly be.

The first step we’d recommend is to bring in an expert to help assess the problems in your local area and suggest methods of resolving these problems. A specialists should be able to best advise on ways to reduce top soil degradation or how best to combat the high air pollution in the area. They may also be able to check the air pollution caused by local factories and work sites. If the pollution caused is above the regulated levels then you’ll be able to inform the local government who will bring it down to the acceptable levels.

Whilst we’re focusing on the air quality of the local environment, you shouldn’t overlook the importance of a regular cleaning schedule. Regardless of the source, the poor air quality and pollution will affect the interior of your home. Keeping on top of your ventilation and cleaning schedule will greatly reduce the number of pollutants and allergens that can stick to your furniture, carpets and drapes.

When we’re so focused on increasing the air quality within our homes it’s easy to overlook the external sources that can have a detrimental effect on the local environment. Be sure to keep well informed of potential pollution sources in your local area so you’re best prepared to handle them. The above is a great starting point but is at best only a general overview, there may be other sources unique to your area so keep an eye open to make sure you don’t miss anything.

Image – Isengardt