Indoor Air Quality Testing

Call Us:330-815-0013 Dave@IntegrityHomeEvaluation.com

Consider hiring Integrity Home Evaluation Services for your indoor air quality testing. This ensures you and your family are protected.

Indoor Air Quality Testing

There are three different Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) tests that we offer:

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s)
Formaldehyde
Mold

Why Get Indoor Air Quality Testing?

Your home’s air quality has as much to do with comfort as it does your health. You may not be able to see them, but indoor air pollutants exist, and they are all around you. Harmful chemicals and toxic agents can spread throughout the air in your home and begin to impact your health. And because it’s often invisible, you may not have considered testing for it.

The causes of indoor air pollution vary from region to region, house to house, and even room to room. Contaminated air trickles in from the outside, but it also comes up from various indoor air sources like construction materials, consumer products, mold, insects, and pets. Some air pollutants are especially harmful to children, the elderly, and those with underlying health problems.

See our Useful Links page for more information on:

Allergies
Asthma
Frequent Headaches
Nasal Irritation
Fatigue
Heart Disease
Cancer

VOC’S

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands.

Organic chemicals are widely used as ingredients in household products. Paints, varnishes and wax all contain organic solvents, as do many cleaning, disinfecting, cosmetic, degreasing and hobby products. Fuels are made up of organic chemicals. All of these products can release organic compounds while you are using them, and, to some degree, when they are stored.

Some organics can cause damage to liver, kidney and central nervous system. Many of these VOCs are known to cause cancer.

Symptoms associated with exposure include:

eye, nose, and throat irritation
headaches, loss of coordination, and nausea
allergic skin reaction
labored breathing
bleeding from the nose
fatigue
dizziness

Not all VOCs have all these health effects, though many have several.

HOW ARE YOU EXPOSED TO VOC’S?

Lifestyle

cleaners and disinfectants
wall coverings
furniture and furnishings
upholstery, fabric materials
moth repellents
air fresheners, and other scented products (candles)
cosmetics, perfumes, deodorants

Building Materials

paints, paint strippers, varnishes, finishes, and stains
adhesives, caulks, sealants, and coatings
vinyl flooring, carpet, pressed wood products
plumbing adhesives and sealants

Activities

tobacco smoke
dry-cleaned clothing
arts and crafts products – glues, permanent markers, photographic solutions, etc.
wood burning stoves
office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper
stored fuel oil, gasoline for lawn care or recreational equipment
carrier solvents for pesticide/insecticide applications

Other

vehicle exhaust
wood burning
oil and gas extraction and processing industrial emissions
Freons from air conditioner or refrigeration appliances

Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling (pickle-like odor) chemical that is present both indoors and outdoors (occurring naturally). Formaldehyde is volatile, and will readily convert to a gas from a solid or liquid state. It is released into the air from many products inside the home.

When an item gives off formaldehyde, it is released into the air through a process called off-gassing. High humidity and high temperatures can speed up and increase the release of formaldehyde from products and surfaces. In some spaces such as manufacturing and commercial buildings, formaldehyde vapors may reach dangerously high concentrations.

Indoor levels of formaldehyde should be as low as possible, assuming that you cannot get indoor levels below background amounts (outdoor levels). According to research from the California Environmental Protection Agency (2004), levels of formaldehyde in conventional homes average about 20 ppb, while levels in manufactured homes the average is about 40 ppb.

Symptomatic irritations can occur with low levels of formaldehyde exposure, especially in people who are sensitive to the chemical compound.

HOW ARE YOU EXPOSED TO FORMALDEHYDE?

Common Sources

products that contain urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins
products that contain phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins (lower concentrations of formaldehyde than UF resins)
composite wood products (i.e., hardwood plywood, particleboard and medium-density fiberboard
softwood plywood, flake or oriented strand board
pre-finished engineered flooring
building materials and insulation
glues and adhesives
bonding agents and solvents
paints and coatings
lacquers and finishes
textiles
disinfectant cleaning products and soaps
preservatives
some synthetic fabrics (permanent press)
some cosmetics and personal products (some hair sprays)
pet care products
combustion byproduct such as tobacco smoke and fuel-burning appliances (gas stoves, kerosene space heaters and fireplaces)

At Integrity Home Evaluation Services our goal is to make sure you are confident in your Home Buying Decision from the ground up!

Schedule an Indoor Air Quality Test