Indoor air quality tests analyze indoor air to identify biological and chemical traces. They can be performed for various reasons, including to improve air quality, monitor air quality, or detect disease-causing organisms. Testing methods include samplers, sniffer devices, and test kits. The cost varies depending on the sample size and what needs to be tested. If a problem is identified, additional steps must be taken to fix it. Continuous monitoring systems may automate testing.
An indoor air quality test is a test in which indoor air is sampled and analyzed to see what it contains. Such tests may be performed for a variety of reasons, including a desire to improve air quality, a recommended test to look for airborne disease-causing organisms, or a routine monitoring test conducted for the purpose of maintaining a high air quality. Samples can be collected in a number of ways, including with the assistance of a company that specializes in air quality monitoring and air sampling services.
Samples for an indoor air quality test can be collected in samplers that are left on site for an extended period to collect a series of samples for the purpose of learning about air quality trends. They can also be taken with “sniffer” devices that are brought into the room and then triggered to take a single sample point. Test kits are also available, with people taking samples as instructed with the kit and then sending the samples to the lab that makes the kit.
The tests can identify a variety of biological and chemical traces in the air. This can include mold spores, chemicals that can leach gases from carpeting, furniture or walls, and particulate matter from heating devices such as wood stoves. In some cases, an indoor air quality test is performed with a specific contaminant or family of contaminants in mind, such as when testing for radon or formaldehyde is conducted, and in other cases, the test may be more extensive, with tests laboratory for a multitude of things that can be present in the air.
People commonly request indoor air quality tests when they think something in the indoor air in a home or business is making them ill, such as when mold is suspected to be present in the home or when people in a building for offices are concerned about inadequate ventilation. Once the test has been conducted, recommendations can be made on potential steps to take. For example, you may need to clean air conditioning filters or undertake a mold mitigation project to remove mold so it can’t make people ill. Another indoor air quality test will be used to confirm the problem has been resolved.
The cost of indoor air quality testing varies depending on the size of the sample and the things that need to be tested. People should be aware that testing is only the first step; if a problem is identified, additional steps must be taken to fix it, and these can get expensive. When an indoor air quality test is used as part of a continuous monitoring system, it may be automated, such as when the air quality system in a science laboratory is designed to shut off rooms if chemicals are released and detected dangerous in the air.
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