If you don’t know, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are harmful substances in common household materials, including paint, carpeting, and wood finish products. When you get exposed to VOCs, you may experience various symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, itchy eyes, a sore throat or nose, dizziness, or a headache.
Regardless of what you experience in the short term, you should know that the long-term effects of exposure to these chemicals can be devastating. Therefore, it’s beneficial for you to learn how volatile organic compounds affect indoor air quality. Find out more in this guide.
Learn What Volatile Organic Compounds Are
Some examples of chemicals considered to be VOCs are acetone, formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, and various terpenes. These chemicals can appear in your home by way of mothballs, perfume, air fresheners, scented candles, upholstery, and possibly newspaper ink.
As you can see, VOCs are in many products that you use daily. For this reason, you should start researching which products contain them so that you can be sure to avoid them or understand the risks if you decide to use them anyway.
Understand the Long-Term Effects of VOCs
Knowing the long-term effects of VOCs will help you steer clear of using products that contain them. You already know some of the short-term effects of exposure, but did you know that some VOCs can cause cancer?
Although not all VOCs are carcinogenic, some are quite dangerous. Formaldehyde, chloroform, benzene, acetaldehyde, and paradichlorobenzene are the compounds that pose the greatest risks. All these substances can come from materials like paint and upholstery, so you need to beware of what’s in your home’s air. This way, you can protect your health.
Make Sure Your Air Stays Clean
The most effective strategy for preventing exposure to VOCs is to avoid using products that contain them. However, when you need to paint your house, you can find it challenging to locate a suitable brand of paint that has absolutely no VOCs.
Adequate ventilation is another effective way to keep out unwanted VOCs. Still, if you don’t want to open a window, you can install NaturalAire furnace filters to capture these substances in your HVAC system.
Overall, VOCs are a nuisance to your physical well-being, but knowing what they are and how you can avoid them will help you get some peace of mind at home. After learning how volatile organic compounds affect indoor air quality, you can take the right steps toward minimizing or eliminating them entirely from your home’s air.
