When you come home from work, we’re willing to bet you release a sigh of relief.

Whether you’re kicking off your shoes and heading to the kitchen or jumping into pajamas and straight onto the couch, taking a moment to breathe is always necessary when you’re ready to rest.

And if you work from home, the necessity of a fresh breath of air is no different,

Of course, that begs the question for employees of all kinds: Is indoor air pollution worse in your home or at your office?

An Overview of Office Air Quality

“Workers are often concerned that they have symptoms or health conditions from exposures to contaminants in the buildings where they work,” according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). “One reason for this concern is that their symptoms often get better when they are not in the building.”

They may especially worry if, while at work, they regularly experience:

• A stuffy nose
• Watery eyes
• Dry, itchy eyes
• Irritated skin
• A sore throat
• And more

Particularly after many offices buildings were vacated for prolonged periods of time at the height of the pandemic, it makes sense that many employers and employees alike have become increasingly concerned about the overall indoor air quality at work.

That being said, as more and more employees have since begun to work from home, residential spaces rapidly became workplaces, as well.

Heading Home to Contamination

For several months at a time in both 2019 and 2020, researchers at the Texas A&M School of Public Health conducted a study to both analyze and compare the indoor air quality at employees’ homes versus their workplaces — especially amidst the rise of the work-from-home wave that came on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The study found that the fine particulate matter concentrations were significantly higher in the participants’ homes than in their offices, and the home levels were greater than the standard for a healthy work environment,” as reported by Futurity.

Such contaminants included volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

But wh, exactly, might residential spaces be worse in terms of air quality?

“Indoor concentrations of some pollutants have increased in recent decades due to such factors as energy-efficient building construction,” the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) explains, “… and increased use of synthetic building materials, furnishings, personal care products, pesticides, and household cleaners.”

Let Loose After You Call Luce

The bottom line of the aforementioned findings? Keeping your indoor air quality optimized at home is of the utmost importance for your health, productivity, and safety.

Especially if you work from home.

And that’s why Luce Air Quality is ready and waiting to help you cut loose from contamination-related concerns! In fact, our licensed and certified team is experienced in performing on-site air sampling and testing, thereby providing you with rapid results and recommendations you can trust.

From mold investigations to asbestos surveys and more, we’re here to help you breathe easy at both home and at work! To learn more about our services and team of indoor environmental experts, contact Luce Air Quality at (904) 803-1014 or email info@luceairquality.com!