Last fall my wife and I went under a contract for a house, and since she has chronic health issues, we didn't skip inspection (which has become increasingly common in this crazy market).

Since I worked, she was in charge of overseeing inspections and spent a lot of time at the house. Over the several days she spent there, she started to develop a persistent cough.

Long story short, the inspections found high mold counts and meth usage (not production) and ultimately the deal fell through. My wife had to get an albuterol inhaler and since then she bought a compact air quality monitor.

Let me tell you something: the air quality monitor has saved us a lot of time by rejecting houses that we normally would have put an offer on and inspected. Colorado is very dry, and homeowners have the mistaken impression that mold is not an issue here (it is).

Anyway, thanks for writing on this very under-appreciated topic! It would be interesting if someone delved deeper and analyze what kind of particles end up in indoor air and what we can do about it.