Wind Advisory
from SAT 12:00 PM MST until SAT 10:00 PM MST, Western Pima County including Ajo/Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Tohono O'odham Nation including Sells, Upper Santa Cruz River and Altar Valleys including Nogales, Tucson Metro Area including Tucson/Green Valley/Marana/Vail, South Central Pinal County including Eloy/Picacho Peak State Park, Southeast Pinal County including Kearny/Mammoth/Oracle, Upper San Pedro River Valley including Sierra Vista/Benson, Eastern Cochise County below 5000 ft including Douglas/Wilcox, Upper Gila River and Aravaipa Valleys including Clifton/Safford, White Mountains of Graham and Greenlee Counties including Hannagan Meadow, Galiuro and Pinaleno Mountains including Mount Graham, Chiricahua Mountains including Chiricahua National Monument, Dragoon/Mule/Huachuca and Santa Rita Mountains including Bisbee/Canelo Hills/Madera Canyon, Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains including Mount Lemmon/Summerhaven, Baboquivari Mountains including Kitt Peak, Kofa, Central La Paz, Aguila Valley, Southeast Yuma County, Gila River Valley, Northwest Valley, Tonopah Desert, Gila Bend, Buckeye/Avondale, Cave Creek/New River, Deer Valley, Central Phoenix, North Phoenix/Glendale, New River Mesa, Scottsdale/Paradise Valley, Rio Verde/Salt River, East Valley, Fountain Hills/East Mesa, South Mountain/Ahwatukee, Southeast Valley/Queen Creek, Superior, Northwest Pinal County, West Pinal County, Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, Tonto Basin, Mazatzal Mountains, Pinal/Superstition Mountains, Sonoran Desert Natl Monument, San Carlos, Dripping Springs, Globe/Miami, Southeast Gila County

Air quality inside homes worse than office buildings, study suggests

A new study from Texas A&M University of Public Health suggests the air quality inside homes may be worse than the air quality inside office buildings. 

Researchers published their study in the journal Atmosphere after studying indoor air quality and health outcomes for people who have been working remotely during the COIVD-19 pandemic.

Part of the study included measuring indoor air quality in both offices and homes in 2019 and 2020 and then looking at the health outcomes during that time period. Researchers used an air quality monitor to collect data on air temperature, relative humidity, concentrations of a particular matter and volatile organic compounds, known as VOCs. 

RELATED: Air quality briefly improved amid 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, UN says

They then had participants complete a survey where they ranked the prevalence of symptoms like dry, itchy or watery eyes, stuffy nose and dry or irritated skin on a scale ranging from not experiencing symptoms to having them every day.

Results showed 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. Results also showed that VOC concentrations were higher in homes compared to offices; however, the VOC concentrations in both places were well below the limit set by health standards. 

The majority of employees in the study also reported higher frequencies of symptoms while working at home, according to the university.

Researchers noted that indoor air pollution is often linked to building materials and household activities. They can include VOCs from carpet and furniture, paints and other chemicals as well as fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and mold.

RELATED: Maryland company’s product detects COVID-19 by testing air quality

They said prolonged exposure to indoor air pollutants can lead to adverse health effects from headaches and dry eyes to cardiovascular disease and lung cancer. They add that significant work has gone into improving office building indoor air quality because of these possible outcomes. 

But with the percentage of people working remotely growing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists believe home indoor air quality can now be considered a workplace health issue. 

The university hopes its findings will lead people to improve home indoor air quality, such as opening windows. They also advise companies to provide air purifiers to remote workers. 

"Taking steps to improve indoor air quality in both conventional office buildings and home offices will likely become a growing area of study for public health researchers and employers looking to ensure health, safety and productivity," the university said in a statement

This story was reported from Los Angeles.