We live and breathe most of the time indoors. On average, we spend 20 hours indoors each day. Therefore, indoor air quality should be checked at all costs. It is not only hazardous to your health, but it will also cause well-being issues.
But before you go for professional air quality testing, there are a few things you should know about indoor air quality.
This article will discuss indoor air quality testing in detail and learn about different types of air quality, air quality testing methods, and ways to get air quality tested.
What is Indoor Air Quality Testing?
Bad indoor air quality can cause multiple issues, from nose and eye irritation to serious problems like cancer and heart diseases. Since air is invisible, these problems are not visible until the person gets infected with lung-related issues. Therefore, you must carry out indoor air quality tests to have complete peace of mind from time to time.
Indoor air pollution, according to the EPA, can create long-term health problems. If you’re not inhaling large amounts of dust or pet dander, you’re less likely to experience coughing fits or difficulties from respiratory illnesses like asthma or COPD.
Since clean air has some obvious benefits. Let’s discuss what you should know about indoor air quality testing in Toronto and GTA area.
1. Air Quality Varies for Each Area
Air quality varies from area to area. Even in a big house, the air quality will significantly differ from one room to the next. Rooms that are not adequately ventilated will have more germs and bacteria in the air because of less airflow and lack of sunlight.
2. Size of the Room/Area
If the size of the room is larger than 50 square feet, make sure to get the room’s air quality in different areas tested. Professional testing services would require multiple tests for each room of the house. If the rooms are considerably larger, like a hall, multiple tests might be needed to test the air quality in different areas. A proper house survey will tell more about the size of the room and the tests that will be carried out for the same.
3. Type of Pollutants Involved
Since air is a mixture of multiple substances, it also has many pollutants available. Different tests are conducted to measure different harmful pollutants in the air. Professional air tests require multiple samples for accuracy.
It also increases the time to detect the number of pollutants in the air. However, it is still important to test for multiple pollutants, as that is generally more affordable and can provide a thorough analysis of the air you breathe.
4. Airborne Lead Testing
Lead is often found in materials and supplies available at home. If you have moved into an older home, there are chances of having lead particles in the air, and Lead-based paint is also the main reason for airborne lead.
Apart from that, rusty window frames, cupboards, cabinets, and doors can also emit lead particles that cause breathing problems. Airborne lead testing analyzes the air for lead particles/ A swab check will tell about the amount of lead available in the air.
5. Carbon Monoxide Testing
Another gas that can cause inhaling and breathing problems is carbon monoxide. It can even kill you if you are not careful. Carbon monoxide gas is usually used in gas stoves, generators, heaters, and even car exhausts.
Many people die around the world due to the higher presence of carbon monoxide gas in the air. The problem is simple, carbon monoxide gas is colorless, odorless, and used daily in our houses.
Any leakage of the carbon monoxide gas can be harmful to humans living in that area. You have to place carbon monoxide detectors in your house to test the gas. If these detectors go off, call help immediately.
First-time responders will be able to locate the gas leakage and fix it on an immediate basis. It is also better to get your house inspected for carbon monoxide emissions from time to time.
6. Mold Testing
Mold is another substance that can cause breathing problems for most users. It typically occurs where the atmosphere is damp, and the air is moist. Due to lack of sunlight and low ventilation, mold can become a common problem in most basements, garages, and backyards.
However, if mold starts appearing in living areas like lounges, drawing rooms, or even bedrooms, it is a cause of concern. So in such a case, your first bet is to fix the mold growth problem. Since mold is not odorless, you can test the musty odor by using a special mold testing kit. The samples are taken from a place and sent for further testing.
7. Radon Testing
Radon is another harmful gas that can cause lung cancer. It is estimated that radon gas causes around 21,000 lung-cancer related deaths every year. It is even more harmful than cigarette smoking because 2,900 deaths occur among those who have never smoked a cigarette every year.
The gas is odorless, tasteless, and radioactive. You won’t know if you are inhaling radon, which is the primary reason why most people never know if they have smelled this gas.
Many devices exist to test Radon quality in the air. Short-term testing of radon in the air can be from 2 days to 90 days on average. It is usually present in charcoal canisters. Houses that use charcoal in any way or near charcoal factories are more prone to radon gas.
8. Indoor Air Quality Testing Kits
The price of indoor air quality testing kits can vary somewhere from $50 to $500. You can get a decent kit for air quality testing from Amazon and test the air in your house without any professional help.
Professionals can charge from $300 for a single visit to $3,000 for a whole-house air quality testing. It is better to get an air quality testing kit and test your house for the air metrics discussed above.
If you find any reasonable increase in air quality parameters, you can call professional air quality testers for help.
We hope that you are now familiar with things you should know for indoor air quality testing. We have apprised you of how to test air quality, types of air pollutants to check for, and the air quality testing kits you can purchase from any reputable store.
Apart from that, professional indoor air quality testing services are also available in almost every area. They charge a tiny payment visit fee, but they can tell a lot about the air condition within your house. Since you spend a large part of your daily routine indoors, testing your indoor air is essential
If you need any help regarding air quality testing in your area or any more questions that we can answer, please comment below.
