Moreover, when the antibody was given to chimpanzees, it inhibited rhinoviral growth, and in humans it lessened both the severity and duration of cold symptoms.

Certain immediate effects are similar to those from colds or other viral diseases, so it is often difficult to determine if the symptoms are a result of exposure to indoor air pollution.

The sniffling-and-sneezing symptoms of a cold are not the act of the virus itself but the result of your immune system's overly energetic response to the infection, Cohen said.