When people think of poor air quality, mold is often blamed as the cause. While mold certainly could be making your indoor air quality toxic, it is not the only source. In fact, there are several other factors that could be affecting your home air quality, so you should get a full air quality test done instead of just a mold inspection to ensure the real problem is found.
If you and your family have noticed problems resulting from poor indoor air quality, such as allergy symptoms, odors, and repetitive colds or flus, it is an excellent idea to schedule a home air quality test. This test should look for mold, but it should also test for these other key elements that result in poor indoor air quality…
VOCs
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are gases that come from certain liquids or solids, and are made up of a variety of chemicals. VOCs can come from paints, cleaning supplies, furnishings, office equipment, craft materials, and more. Depending on the chemicals within the VOCs, they can have long- or short-term adverse affects on your health. Since VOCs are present in many household products, there is a strong possibility that VOCs are a culprit for any poor indoor air quality. Full air quality testing will measure any existing VOCs and determine how to decrease your exposure to them.
Ventilation Problems
Sometimes poor indoor air quality can be caused by a deficiency in maintenance of your interior ventilation system. It might be broken or functioning inefficiently, without your knowledge. Some symptoms of inefficient ventilation include stuffiness or air stagnancy, persistent odors, or visible condensation. A ventilation assessment will measure and test for humidity, carbon dioxide, VOCs, and the pressures on your ventilation system to determine a solution.
Carbon Monoxide
When fuels such as coal, wood, oil, kerosene and others are burned incompletely, carbon monoxide is created. This gas is deadly and very dangerous because it is colorless and odorless. A complete home air quality test will also look for any carbon monoxide to insure this toxic gas is not present in your home and affecting the health and safety of you and your loved ones.
If you are concerned about your indoor air quality, and think a mold inspection is in order, contact Hawk Environmental for full indoor air quality testing. We’ll determine if mold – or another toxin – is to blame, so that you can get the problem solved at the source and enjoy the benefits of clean, healthy air in your home.
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