Q We've been sneezing a lot since moving into our new home a few months ago. My wife's friend says we may have a problem with indoor air quality. How can we find out more about this type of problem?
A I've received quite a few letters recently very similar to this. The whole area of indoor air quality deserves to be taken very seriously. Everything in your house, from the carpets and furniture to the wallpaper and even the basic building materials, can give off odors and fumes that can potentially cause illnesses or at least discomfort.
To decide if you just have a cold or if there might be a bigger problem, ask yourself if your home usually feels stuffy or the air smells stale. Can you still smell cooking odors hours after the meal is done? Have you seen mold in a closet or on the walls? Do the windows get excessive condensation in the winter? Do any of the home's occupants get headaches, watery eyes, sore throats of other ailments when they are home but not when they are away?
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Answering "yes" to these questions could indicate potential indoor air problems. There are some great sources of information on this area that can help you decide if there is a problem and how to fix it. Check out www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ insidest.html for a guide from the Environmental Protection Agency that covers the entire subject in detail. There are other sites on the Web as well that deal with this concern.
These problems can sometimes be related to the amount of ventilation in a home and other energy-related issues, and it's not always easy to identify or solve. It's really nothing to sneeze at.