Healthier Home Solutions: Why Air Quality Testing Matters for People with Asthma

Why Air Quality Testing Matters for People with Asthma

Breathing is one of the most natural things in life. However, for people suffering from asthma, this simple human function becomes incredibly difficult. If you or someone in your house has been diagnosed with asthma, you may take many steps to prevent flare-ups from outdoor triggers. But what about the triggers inside your home?

This is why the role of home air quality testing must not be overlooked. 

If anyone in your family suffers from asthma, consider getting your home’s indoor air quality tested as soon as possible. This will help you understand what’s in the air and how it is worsening the asthma, so you can take steps to rectify the problem and make your home healthier.

What is Air Quality Testing for Homes?

Air quality testing is the process of assessing the indoor air and looking for certain common indoor pollutants like particulate matter, allergens, radon, carbon monoxide, and mold. The role of indoor air quality testing is usually overlooked because homeowners easily assume their houses are alright. 

After all, if home looks spotless and feels normal, nothing could really be wrong, isn’t it?

Turns out that’s not true. Indoor air quality testing can reveal a wide range of invisible, odorless, and otherwise undetectable air contaminants. Once you know what’s affecting your IAQ, you can chart out a plan to make your home healthier. 

This is not a baseless concern. According to the WHO, poor household air quality has been linked to around 2.9 million deaths. 

Children and elderly individuals are particularly vulnerable to poor IAQ, as are young people with chronic respiratory issues like asthma. 

Why Home Air Quality Testing Matters for People With Asthma

Indoor air quality testing is important in general because it helps keep your home healthy and safe. For people with asthma, however, it is especially crucial. Often, people with this condition may suffer recurrent symptoms because of poor IAQ. However, air quality is usually overlooked as a possible cause. 

This Reddit post by one such user goes into the details of how poor air quality affects those with asthma. 

If you or anyone in your household suffers from asthma or other respiratory issues, home air quality testing matters because it:

  • Helps identify hidden triggers like mold or pet dander
  • Allow you to stop guessing about what causes unexpected asthma flare-ups
  • Gives you clear data about invisible gases like radon and VOCs
  • Tells you if your air purifier is actually doing its job
  • Pinpoints exactly which rooms have poor air quality 
  • Gives you the evidence you need to start making home improvements

For homes in Aspen and Minneapolis, and nearby areas, InHaus Lab is always available to assess indoor air quality. Book an appointment with us today, and get the answers to why your asthma seems to worsen when you're indoors. 

5 Indoor Asthma Triggers That Air Quality Testing Detects

Even a home that looks spotlessly clean can harbor many triggers that may make asthma worse. You might not see them, but these airborne contaminants may be floating around inside your home and irritating your airways. 

Home IAQ testing can help you understand what’s making the condition harder to manage. Check out the top 5 asthma triggers that you can detect with air testing. 

1. Allergens

Your household may be harboring many common irritants that could make asthma worse. These allergens usually include the following contaminants:

  • Dust mites
  • Pet dander
  • Pollen

According to a study originally published in Mary Ann Liebert and republished in the National Library of Medicine, more than 92% of US homes have detectable levels of at least one such allergen. 

They are all tiny particles that could settle on your carpet, furniture, and other surfaces, making them impossible to avoid. Every day, they easily enter your airways and cause your immune system to overreact. This reaction triggers inflammation in the body and leads to asthmatic symptoms like a tight chest, shortness of breath, and wheezing.

Professional air quality testing measures the concentration of such allergens in every room. You can then identify the sources of such asthma triggers and reduce or remove them. 

2. Mold Spores

They’re not easy to spot, but mold spores are almost everywhere. In damp areas like bathrooms and basements, they grow into large mold colonies that release more spores into the air. 

These spores drift in through the vents or open windows, remain suspended in the air, and find their way into your lungs when you breathe. For people with asthma or for those with sensitive airways, these spores can be a problem. 

Here’s what one article published in the National Library of Medicine shows: 

  • Dampness and mold are linked to around 21% of asthma cases in the US. 
  • Living in damp and moldy homes increases asthma risk by 30% to 50% 

Professional air quality testing reduces the risk of asthma flare-ups caused by mold spores. Experts can identify the level of mold spores in your home and inform you if the concentration is too high. You can then take remedial steps to make your home a healthy and safe place. 

To prevent mold growth, the EPA recommends keeping the humidity between 30% and 50%.

That said, low levels of humidity can also make asthma symptoms worse. The trick is to find the sweet spot, so your home is not so humid that mold thrives, but not so dry that your asthma becomes worse. 

3. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

VOCs are chemical compounds that easily evaporate even at room temperature. Many common household products and objects can be sources of VOCs. The usual suspects include paints, cleaning products, air fresheners and fragrances, and certain types of furniture. Mold also releases some VOCs.

Together, all these chemicals contaminate the air in your home and reduce your IAQ. 

Research published in ScienceDirect shows that two specific types of VOCs can worsen asthmatic symptoms: 

  • Aromatic compounds 
  • Aliphatic compounds 

Both these types of VOCs are released by common household products. When you get your IAQ tested, experts can identify the VOC levels in your home as well as the types and sources of these chemicals. These insights can be really valuable if you want to make your home safer for people with asthma. 

4. Radon

Radon is another harmful contaminant that affects indoor air quality. It finds its way into the air through cracks in the basement, foundation, or walls. Once inside, it remains in the air, invisible, odorless, and colorless. 

It is notorious for its long-term risks (radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer!). But over the short term, radon can trigger episodes of asthma in people who suffer from the condition. 

This is particularly the case for asthmatic children. Pediatric asthma can become worse if the child is exposed to radon, as ReachMD shows.

So, how do you know if your asthma is triggered because of radon? Professional air testing is the answer. If your area or other homes in your neighborhood have tested positive for radon, you may need to schedule an IAQ test immediately.

Get in touch with InHaus Lab, and we’ll tell you if your home’s air has radon or any other triggers that could aggravate asthma. 

5. Particulate Matter (PM)

Particulate matter includes tiny solid particles and liquid droplets that remain suspended in the air. Inside your home, this kind of particulate matter, particularly PM2.5, may be making the air worse. 

These particles are especially dangerous because they find their way deep into the lungs and can even enter the bloodstream. They may also increase inflammation and make the symptoms of asthma more pronounced. 

There’s some bad news on this front:

PM2.5 is linked to around one-third of the asthma cases worldwide, as per research published in ScienceDirect.

But there’s also some good news: 

It’s easy to find out if PM2.5 is the culprit behind your worsening asthma with a simple home air test. 

Take Control of Your Home Air Quality and Manage Asthma Better

Living with asthma can be tough. But if you make the effort to keep your home free of the usual triggers, the condition can become much more manageable. To do this, the first step is scheduling a home air quality test. 

Call InHaus Lab today, and we’ll take care of that for you. 

With our science-backed methods, we’ll test your home’s indoor air quality and tell you which triggers, if any, are affecting your asthma. 

Get in touch with us, and we’ll share a quote in just 30 minutes.

Air Testing in Asthma FAQs

1. How does professional air testing help identify specific asthma triggers?

Professional air testing helps you find invisible irritants like dander or mold spores in your indoor air. You can then take the steps needed to remove these triggers that affect your lungs. 

2. What are the most common indoor pollutants found during a home air quality test?

You’ll likely find contaminants like dust mites, mold spores, chemical compounds, and pet dander in your home air. These triggers could be affecting your sensitive airways every day. 

3. How often should a household with an asthmatic person schedule an IAQ test in 2026?

If you have an asthmatic person at home, it may be a good idea to schedule a professional air testing appointment annually. Also, if you notice any new symptoms, consider scheduling a test to check for any new irritants inside your home. 

4. What specific pollutants make asthma worse?

Tiny particulate matter, tobacco smoke, mold spores, and VOCs can all inflame the airways. For people with asthma, this can be particularly difficult. 

5. What are some practical tips that make homes safer for people with asthma?

If you or someone in your family suffers from asthma, you can improve your home’s IAQ by using HEPA vacuums and choosing fragrance-free products. Maintaining the right levels of humidity can also help. 

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