Control the environmental humidity of your home with efficient ventilation

Quality indoor air is air free of pollutant particles whose humidity level is within the recommended limits (40-60%). Controlling this parameter is essential to protect the health of the occupants, as it is the cause of multiple ailments and disorders (rheumatism, arthritis, flu processes, allergies…). In this article, we present what environmental humidity is, what influence it has on our health, and how a good ventilation system is essential to avoid the problems that arise from it.

What is environmental humidity?

Environmental humidity is the amount of water vapor that the air contains. It should be remembered that air, in addition to gases, is composed of water vapor, even in dry areas. It is a parameter to consider when talking about thermal comfort, as humidity has a direct influence on the temperature of sensation. If we talk about the amount of water vapor (g) per unit of volume of air (m3), we are talking about absolute humidity. If we talk about the amount of actual water vapor contained in the air compared to the maximum it can hold, we are talking about relative humidity.

The humidity in our homes

The everyday actions performed in the different rooms of our home (cooking, personal hygiene, doing laundry, washing dishes, the perspiration and breathing of the living beings that inhabit it, etc.) generate humidity in the environment. On the other hand, uncontrolled ventilation can introduce outside air with an excessive humidity rate.

Currently, buildings are becoming more airtight and are better insulated to comply with mandatory efficiency and environmental requirements. This causes the air renewal rate to be increasingly insufficient if there are no mechanical ventilation systems capable of ensuring that spaces are ventilated with clean outside air and extracting contaminated indoor air. It is important to remember that buildings have gained energy efficiency at the expense of the air exchange rate.

Humidity and pollutant particles

Insufficient ventilation results in a high humidity rate and indoor air with a high level of pollutants. There are three types of contaminants in the air:

• Chemical contaminants. They can be expelled by the living beings themselves (carbon dioxide, as a result of respiration) or by the construction materials and furnishings themselves.
• Radiological contaminants (radon). This toxic gas originates from the natural radioactive decay of uranium (present in soils and rocks).
• Biological contaminants. They are originated by the occupants of the buildings and find their ideal breeding ground in areas with high humidity levels (humid areas — bathrooms and kitchens — with poor ventilation, air conditioning units, humidifiers, areas where water vapor condenses…).

Control the humidity level of all the rooms in your home and maintain proper maintenance of heating systems, as it is in the condensation of water vapor where fungi and bacteria (legionella) originate and proliferate.