What First Response Looks For During An Air Quality Test

When we are hired to conduct an indoor air quality test, we aim to be as thorough as possible to ensure that we get a full understanding of all of the contaminants in the air, and formulate a plan of action to remove them. It’s always best to act upon a suspicion that there are contaminants in the air so we can start with specific tests. We can look for a wide range of indoor pollutants including biological pollutants, chemical pollutants and combustion pollutants. Each of these types of pollutants presents a risk for adverse health effects and need to be remedied as soon as possible.

If we detect the presence of biological pollutants, our next step is to find the source of the problem. We investigate potential sources of these contaminants which may include:

• Carpets, mattresses, curtains, upholstered furniture and bedding for dust mites.
• Dark areas with moisture for mold.
• Pets for animal dander.
• Indoor plants, especially flowers.

Once we find the source of the biological pollutants, we can get to work on removing those sources from the area, and then cycle the air in the space through a powerful filter to clean the air.

The first thing we look for is which sources of VOCs are present in the home. We look at where and how they are stored. If the source is from chemicals that are old and are used minimally, we’ll suggest safely disposing of them. If VOCs are from more frequently used chemicals, we will suggest better solutions for storing these chemicals that will limit exposure. We will also look at the ventilation system to ensure that it can properly filter out VOCs that are released when chemicals are used. For VOCs like lead, radon and asbestos, we will work to completely remove these materials from the space. Once we’ve appropriately dealt with the source, we will clean the air with a filtration system to remove any VOCs that are present in the air.

As is the case with any type of pollutant we find, we first determine the source. If the source of combustion pollutants is from smoking indoors, we will recommend that activity to be stopped immediately. We will then clean all fabrics in the home, as well as any staining on the walls or ceilings that the smoke has caused. If there is a carbon monoxide issue, then we will determine whether the source is from a wood-based source or a gas-based source. For gas appliances, we will bring in a certified gas plumbing professional to fix the issue and stop the carbon monoxide leak. For wood-based sources, we will look to see if there is proper ventilation, and if not, then we will recommend not using the wood stove or fireplace until proper ventilation can be installed. Once we’ve dealt with the issue, we will cycle the air through our filtration system to clear any presence of these combustion pollutants.