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When you see humidity is too high, damage is already done

There are a number of ways humidity causes damage in your building because its level is too high, as:

  • Look for signs of allergies from anyone in the building such as worsening hay fever sneezing or post nasal drip
  • Fog on indoor windows
  • Mold growth; moldy or dusty smell
  • Damp spots, e.g., on ceilings or walls
  • Peeling paint
  • Sweating on the basement floor or walls
  • Condensation on water pipes
  • Any collection of water or mildew
  • Decaying wood
  • Wet spots or water stains on ceilings

For most indications that the humidity is too high, the ‘symptoms’ manifest themselves over a long time, e.g., damp spots and peeling paint. For your assets, the saying goes ‘prevention is better than to cure’. Walls and windows have to be painted again, rotten wood has to be replaced, etc.

And even more important, this means that people inside the building have long suffered from humidity levels that are too high. For many people, it has deteriorated their feeling of well-being and worsened their productivity. It may also have triggered and worsened asthmatic and allergenic symptoms.

How to prevent indoor air gets too moist?

Check your indoor air quality and take care of the humidity. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) advises to keep humidity levels between 30–50%. Modern sensors like the AirGuard measure humidity, heat and TVOC and CO2 as well and give you a warning when humidity conditions are not optimal. So, you can open or close a window for instance.

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How Humidity affects Asthma

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Humidity is a measure of how much water or moisture there is in the air. Many people with asthma have more complaints when the air is humid. When people speak about humidity, they actually talk about ‘relative humidity’. This is the percentage water in the air, compared to the maximum amount of water the air can hold given the current temperature. When the weather is hot, the air can contain more water than cold air. So, the same relative humidity of say 60% might feel more wet on hot days than on cold days. How does humdity affect asthma?

Importance of humidity

Many people find a humidity of 30-60 percent comfortable. During the hot summer months, many people feel that a humidity level of 55% is comfortable. Above this level, the air is considered humid. Because sweat doesn’t evaporate enough to cool you off, you feel hot and sticky when the air is humid. Above the level 65% is felt as oppressive.

But also: humid air is harder to breath. That can be a problem if you have asthma. Many people with asthma feel that a humidity level above 65% may worsen their symptoms of asthma. When you have asthma, it is more difficult to pull enough air into the lungs, because your airways become narrow. This may cause feeling of shortage of breath or wheezing and coughing.

3 Ways Humidity worsens Asthma

Allergens, chemicals and strong scents are common triggers for people who suffer from asthma. But high humidity can be also just as troublesome.

People with asthma have inflamed airways that are sensitive to things that may not bother other people. That’s why humidity, and all that comes with it, can be a problem for people with asthma. Here are some reasons why.

  • Humid air feels harder to breathe in
  • Humidity may worsen air quality
  • Humidity can mean very high temperatures

Humid air feels harder to breathe in

Hot, humid air may feel heavier and denser and thus harder to breathe in. Besides, humidity may activate sensory nerve fibers in the airways. These C-fibers may narrow the airways and stimulate coughing, which makes it difficult to breathe. Besides, when heat and humidity make the air harder to breathe, the body temperature can go up. This causes sweat, which can lead to dehydration. This can lead to make you breathe faster. These factors may trigger asthma symptoms.

On the other hand, when the air is very dry -a relative humidity is less than 15%- it may also lead to coughing when you’re asthmatic. When the air is very dry, the mucous membranes of the respiratory system may dry out. These membranes line your lungs and respiratory system. This leads to an increased risk for infections from viruses: due to the decreasing natural defense from influenza or the common cold virus. Dry mucous membranes may aggravate allergy symptoms and worsen asthma symptoms (most asthmatics have also allergies).

Humidity may worsen air quality

Humidity can also trigger asthma because moist increase levels of mold, dust mites, ground-level ozone. Those are known as asthma triggers.

When the humidity level is higher than 50 percent, mold might begin to grow. Mold is often found at damp places. If you are sensitive for mold, it may trigger your asthma.

Dust mites are also a problem inside when humidity is high. Dust mites live in furniture, carpets, etc.  If the humidity in your home is higher than 50 percent, dust mites thrive and multiply themselves. Their dead bodies and waste may trigger asthma.

Heat and Humidity may also lead to stagnant air from pollutants (like ozone), allergens (dust, mold, dust mites, pollen) and smoke. This may also trigger asthma symptoms.

Asthma worsens feelings of well-being and productivity

For people suffering from asthma, poor humidity levels don’t affect only the feeling of well-being. It has effects on your productivity. An international study in the Journal of Asthma and Allergy shows: “The average percentage of work hours missed in a single week due to asthma symptoms was 9.3%, ranging from 3.5% (UK) to 17.4% (Brazil). Nearly three-quarters of patients reported an impact on their productivity at work caused by asthma. Overall work productivity loss (both time off and productivity whilst at work) due to asthma was 36%, ranging from 21% (UK) to 59% (Brazil). When asked how asthma made participants feel at work, many respondents highlighted how their respiratory symptoms affect them. Tiredness, weakness and mental strain were also identified as particular challenges, with respondents describing concerns about the perception of colleagues and feelings of inferiority”

Control your humidity level

Humidity levels can worsen asthma in 3 ways. It doesn’t only affect the feeling of well-being, but also productivity. Thus, it is very important for offices, schools, institutions etc. to assure that humidity levels are being kept on levels where children, employees, visitors feel most comfortable. Smart sensor solution like the AirGuard help to monitor the indoor air quality.

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Beat poor Indoor Air Quality with Data science

Since Covid-19, there is even more attention for indoor air quality. It might be possible that poor ventilation may contribute to the spread of the coronavirus. In any case, some contaminations are already known to decrease indoor air quality. Poor Humidity, Temperature, CO2 and TVOC conditions may be the cause. It influences productivity, leads to less sense of comfortability and well-being and can cause sickness. Beat poor indoor Air Quality with data science.

Indoor concentration of pollution often 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor

Did you ever wonder where you are most exposed to air pollution? Somewhere outside, you say? Wrong, you breath the most polluted air… indoors! Research shows, that people spend 90% of their time indoors. Isolation and modern heating have brought us comfy, warm indoor environments: home, work, recreation, etc., with no cold air coming from under the doors or through windows. However, in many buildings there is a downside. With the tightly enclosed indoor environments, pollution caused indoors or coming from outside has no opportunity to mingle with fresh air. For viruses, heat and certain levels of humidity are perfect environments to stay active.

Pollution may lead to:

  • Irritation of the throat, nose and eyes, such as a dry throat
  • Headaches, dizziness, and fatigue
  • Respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer

Covid-19

Besides, the Covid-19 virus is spreading. Since Covid-19, there is a lot of attention for indoor door quality. Besides social distancing, wearing a mask and washing your hands, good ventilation is one of the measures to reduce the risk of infection indoors.

CO2 and TVOC measurement for well-being and productivity

Indoor air quality is depending on… inside and outside factors… Besides temperature and humidity, 2 other factors for indoor air quality are CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) and TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds).

CO2 originates when people breathe, sweat and in all other occasions where there is a burning process involved. CO2 concentration has to remains less than 800 PPM. At higher concentrations people begin to suffer.

Besides, many substances are also source of contamination like cleaning products, paints, varnishes, furniture and glues. These are called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s). Immediate complaints may be symptoms headaches, eye, nose and throat irritation and bad odors. Long term exposure may lead in large doses can damage liver, nervous systems and kidneys.

The impaction of the combination of CO2 and TVOC is even larger. A study shows: “On average, cognitive scores were 61% higher on the Green building day and 101% higher on the two Green+ building days than on the Conventional building day.” 

Data Science helps you to maintain healthy and productive air quality

Temperature and Ventilation are more important than ever. Regulate your temperature to obtain a comfortable and healthy environment. Replace bad air with fresh air from outside. By ventilation or just by opening a window.

When you’re busy, keeping an eye on working conditions may be easily ignored. Sensors which measure temperature and humidity like the Airmex help you to maintain your indoor air quality such, that the risk of spreading the viruses is as least as possible They also help you to keep a comfortable, healthy and productive environment. It warns you on an app when you should adjust your room temperature or when you should ventilate. Those signals are based on data science and based on guidelines as the ASHRAE Standard 55 – Thermal Environmental conditions for Human Occupancy.

Find out how the Airmex can help you.

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How Indoor Humidity effects your feeling of well-being and health

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For feeling comfortable indoor, humidity is one of the most important factors, both physical and mentally. Where temperature is immediately perceived (‘cold in here’), humidity is also one of the most important factors for feeling comfortable indoors. Besides, temperature and humidity go hand-in-hand. Besides, humidity plays a factor in the growth of molds and other allergens.

Indoor air humidity

Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Humidity depends on the temperature and pressure. Warm air is able to bind more water than cold. The same amount of water vapor results in higher humidity in cool air than warm air. So, humidity is also important how we experience the temperature. Many measurements of humidity consist of relative humidity: how much water there is in the air relative to the maximum of water it can contain given the same temperature. Regulation the indoor humidity and temperature go together.

Effect of humidity on well-being and health

Humans are more sensitive to changes in temperature than in relative humidity. However, humidity is an important factor in thermal comfort: the condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment. Outdoor, humidity has a much stronger influence at higher than at low temperatures.

Human bodies use evaporative cooling to regulate temperate as primary mechanism. The rate of which perspiration evaporates on the skin is under humid conditions lower than in arid ones. Humans feel warmer at a relative high humidity, because humans perceive the rate of heat transfer from the body rather than the temperature itself.

High humidity (‘humid air’) or low humidity (‘dry air’) can have negative effects on well-being and health. You can feel some effects immediately and they disappear when the humidity is adjusted (or when you leave the room), some effects may rise years later.

Effects of dry air

Dry air may cause:

  • Dry eyes
  • Chapped lips
  • Bloody nose
  • Itching of the nose
  • Irritation of the skin
  • Allergy problems and asthma

Tissue lining of the nasal passages may dry and crack due to low humidity. Besides, it may become more susceptible to penetration of the rhinovirus cold viruses. Very low humidity not only may create discomfort, but respiratory problems and aggravate allergies.

When humidity drops below 20%, it may cause eye irritation.

Dry air during winter

You have probably experienced yourself: at winter, indoor air quality is often rather dry. When temperature decreases under 0°C, relative humidity can drop to 20%. However, ‘good’ indoor humidity should be between 20 and 40%. Especially in winter, a humidity above 30% is preferred to reduce the change that the nasal passages dry out.

The cause of dry air is often the room temperature. That’s why room temperature should be kept under 22°C (72°F).

Humid air

Some effects of humid air indoor:

  • Fatigue
  • Frizzy hair
  • Feeling hot or sweaty
  • Sleep interruptions
  • Respiratory problems
  • Allergy problems and asthma

As said above, some people may suffer respiratory problems. Some of these problems may be related to conditions as asthma or may be caused due to anxiety. Many people hyperventilate as response. This causes feelings such as loss of concentration, numbness or faintness.

Humid air during summer

During summer, the ideal indoor humidity is between 30% to 50%, following the high humidity outside. In any case, constant humidity must be kept under 60%, to prevent the growth of microbes.

Humid air during winter

In some cases, the indoor humidity may rise above 45% during winter. Mostly this is caused by human activity with poor ventilation. The most immediate visible effect is condensing on cold surfaces as windows. When there is often the case of humid air, condense may affect the structure of the building and can cause health problems.

Solutions like Airmex can help you to monitor your humidity, for a comfortable, safe and healthy working environment.

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