Dr. Kerry Reller:
Hi everybody, welcome back to the Get Healthy Tampa Bay Podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Kerry Reller. This is Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Jaspreet Dhau, where we’re talking all about indoor air quality.

In the last episode, we covered what’s actually in the air inside our homes and how it can impact your health. Today we’re shifting into what you can actually do about it. We’re going to talk about ventilation, filtration, air purifiers, and practical steps you can take to improve the air your family is breathing every day.

If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, I highly recommend going back, because that really sets the foundation for everything we’re about to talk about.

So let’s jump back in.

We’ve explained a lot about the different types of irritants, chemicals, and pollutants that can be detrimental to indoor air quality and health, and how HEPA filters help, how HVAC helps, and how PCO technology helps.

What are some other next steps that someone might take if they’re trying to improve their air quality starting today?

Dr. Jaspreet Dhau:
Source control. That is something people need to pay attention to. If there is something contributing pollutants in their home, they need to address that.

Going back to temperature and humidity, especially relative humidity in houses, in Florida that is a major concern. It is hot, humid, and we get a lot of rain.

If our houses are not managed in terms of relative humidity, we may have humidity levels above 60 percent, and then the growth of mold spores becomes very prominent.

Mold spores can result not only from humidity, but also from leaks, whether in the shower, kitchen, or elsewhere. If you have a water leak, address that leak immediately. Do not allow it to go beyond a few days, or you may have a mold problem in your house.

People need to be aware of mold and the conditions conducive to mold growth and other microorganisms.

The same is true for dust mites. Dust mites like humid conditions inside our houses. So controlling humidity is a critical aspect of better indoor air, and also of creating an environment that is less favorable to mold and microorganisms.

Dr. Kerry Reller:
Those are definitely recommendations I make to my patients regarding dust mite and mold reduction, keeping humidity and temperature at reasonable levels in the home.

We’ve covered so many important things. Is there anything we missed that you wanted to discuss more?

Dr. Jaspreet Dhau:
Yes, carbon dioxide levels.

On the ventilation side of things, the reason we recommend certain air changes is to regulate the amount of carbon dioxide we exhale indoors.

Carbon dioxide impacts cognitive ability, productivity, and even sleep.

If there are a lot of people in the house, it needs to be well ventilated. Sometimes simply opening windows to bring in fresh air can help regulate carbon dioxide.

Carbon monoxide is another pollutant that is critical. It is deadly.

For that reason, any activity involving combustion, such as an unvented fireplace, is concerning. If you have one, you need to ensure proper ventilation.

Nitrogen dioxide is another pollutant that can result from combustion.

Dr. Kerry Reller:
Do electric fireplaces do anything?

Dr. Jaspreet Dhau:
As long as they’re properly cleaned and dust is not settling on them, they should generally be fine, although heating elements can potentially generate ultrafine particles.

That brings me to cooking.

Gas-powered stoves can generate ultrafine particles, volatile organic compounds, aldehydes, NOx, and SOx.

But even induction cooking can generate ultrafine particles.

So whatever you use in your house, ensure it is used properly and, importantly, ensure you have proper ventilation.

Dr. Kerry Reller:
I’ve heard there may be a trend toward more electric stoves to improve indoor air quality.

And I asked about electric fireplaces because we have one.

My kids have started cooking more, and our range hood is so loud it’s hard to hear each other over it, but I need to make sure we continue using it.

Dr. Jaspreet Dhau:
That is a very valid point.

One reason people do not use their range hoods properly is the noise.

There are specifications for range hoods, including airflow and acceptable sound levels.

Look for certified specifications. Around 100 CFM or higher is often a reasonable benchmark, and quieter models may be rated around three sones.

If you are installing a range hood, consider both airflow and noise.

And yes, if you are cooking with oil or burning food, you absolutely want to remove those particles from the air.

Dr. Kerry Reller:
That’s helpful.

Are all air purifiers created equal? Myth busting.

Dr. Jaspreet Dhau:
No, not at all.

Air purifiers differ substantially.

An air purifier is essentially a device with a fan plus a filtration system.

The fan moves air through the filter at a certain rate, often measured in cubic feet per minute, or CFM.

Some air purifiers move 50 CFM, others 300 or 400.

The faster the fan, the greater the air volume circulated and the faster you can improve indoor air.

Then there is filtration.

There is particulate filtration, such as MERV-rated filters or HEPA.

HEPA is excellent for particulate matter.

But HEPA alone is not ideal for volatile organic compounds.

That is why many air purifiers include activated carbon.

At Molekule, in addition to HEPA and carbon, we use PCO technology. Anything that passes the carbon and HEPA can then be degraded into carbon dioxide and water.

That can improve the life of the carbon filter and provide an extra layer of protection.

We have studied this.

In preclinical studies using cat dander, HEPA alone reduced allergic inflammatory biomarkers, but HEPA plus PCO reduced them even further.

We looked at eosinophils, goblet cells, mucus production, and saw significant reductions.

That suggests an additional benefit.

Dr. Kerry Reller:
You mentioned eosinophils, and that’s something we look at clinically as an allergy marker, even in asthma.

If interventions can decrease eosinophilic inflammation, that could certainly have symptom implications.

That’s really interesting.

I know we talked about having a unit in the bedroom.

Do you need one in every room? And does size matter?

Dr. Jaspreet Dhau:
It depends partly on budget.

If you can afford one in every room where people spend time, yes.

Bedroom, living room, kitchen.

If not, portable air purifiers can be moved where needed.

And yes, size matters.

Air purifiers are rated for room size, airflow, and noise.

In a bedroom, you may want something quieter.

In a kitchen, you may tolerate more noise.

So the right purifier depends on the space.

Dr. Kerry Reller:
How many do you have in your house?

Dr. Jaspreet Dhau:
Three active right now, plus others for guest rooms.

Dr. Kerry Reller:
Before I ask any final questions, is there anything else you wanted to add?

Dr. Jaspreet Dhau:
Yes.

Do not take indoor air quality for granted.

It impacts your health.

And every person has the ability to do something about it.

Ventilation is available to you.

Source control is available to you.

Managing moisture is available to you.

People may not control outdoor air, but they do have control over indoor air.

And everyone should do their bit to improve it.

Dr. Kerry Reller:
I love that.

I actually did a prior episode about wellness-focused building design at Water Street in Tampa, and indoor air quality was part of that conversation.

You answered what I was going to ask, which was what one takeaway you’d want listeners to remember.

Where do you think indoor air quality is going in the next five to ten years?

Dr. Jaspreet Dhau:
I see air cleaners in every house, in every room.

Just as water purification became mainstream, I think indoor air purification will too.

I believe the next decade will involve much more science, more technology, and more solutions around indoor air quality.

And that is the need of the hour.

Dr. Kerry Reller:
I think that would be wonderful.

If anyone wants to learn more about Molekule or about you, where should they go?

Dr. Jaspreet Dhau:
People can find me on LinkedIn and Google Scholar under my name.

Some of our studies are published in Scientific Reports, Environmental Science and Technology, and Chemosphere.

And Molekule has educational resources at Molekule.com.

We also publish seasonal tips and educational content there.

Dr. Kerry Reller:
Awesome.

We’ll include all that in the show notes.

And I should disclose I am an affiliate with Molekule, and we do have one in our office as well.

I realize they are more expensive than standard HEPA filters, but I do think they represent a step forward.

Thank you so much for coming on the podcast today. This was a lot of fun. I learned a ton.

And everybody stay tuned next week for next week’s episode.

Dr. Jaspreet Dhau:
Thank you very much for having me here.