Why Indoor Air Quality Testing Is Important?

Every indoor space needs to have healthy indoor air quality. Take a look around you. Do you know whether the air quality in your house or place of work is as good as it should be? If you don’t test it, you can’t be sure. 

Numerous health problems, such as allergies, headaches, asthma, irritability, or other respiratory issues, can be aggravated by poor air quality. To make matters worse, some problems with air quality, like poisonous gas leakages, can be fatal if left unchecked. Thus it is crucial to know what contributes to poor air quality and the importance of indoor air quality testing. Professional indoor air quality testing is the first step in improving indoor air quality.

What Causes Poor Indoor Air Quality

The primary causes of indoor air pollution include harmful pollutants, inadequate ventilation, high temperatures, and humidity. However, additional risks or sources can impact indoor air quality. Adopting a healthier lifestyle and regular cleaning can reduce or eliminate some of these. Some of them, however, are environmental and may be beyond your control. They are

• Pet dander and dust
• Fungus, mold, and dust mites
• Cleaning supplies
• Combustion pollutants
• Carbon monoxide
• Asbestos and radon
• Trapped outdoor pollution
• Pesticides
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

There may be severe long-term health effects when several of these harmful pollutants are present in the air in your home at once.

Importance Of Indoor Air Quality Testing

Indoor air quality testing thoroughly analyzes the air’s biological and chemical pollutants. Indoor air quality testing services can take measures to remove the source of the pollutant or make repairs if it is above the reasonable threshold or range, such as by installing UV light air filters. It’s crucial to remember that professional air testing is more precise and dependable than a DIY testing kit. Here are a few factors that make it important to test indoor air quality.

1. Benefits to Health

If your indoor air quality is bad, symptoms for people living with asthma could get worse. Poor air quality can also cause headaches, nausea, fatigue, itchy throat, and nasal inflammation. The effects can resemble the common cold in mild cases, respiratory problems, and viral diseases in worse cases. 

An indoor air source may cause your symptoms if they only manifest in one location or area and disappear once you leave. Some indoor air pollutants raise the chance of developing cancer, heart issues, and respiratory illnesses. 

Therefore, you can improve your short- and long-term health by having your indoor air tested and taking action to address any issues. If you want to improve the ventilation of the air entering your home, change the cleaning agents you use or have your pipework and other HVAC systems maintained or updated.

2. Enhances Your Comfort

Different people experience various impacts of poor indoor air quality. Even the symptoms themselves can be highly uncomfortable. Nobody wants their face, eyes, or throat to itch. Something like carbon monoxide exposure could have mild side effects, like a dull headache. However, prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide can lead to serious health problems. 

Testing indoor air quality can reveal what is preventing you from feeling comfortable so that you can take action to improve it. The ideal range for indoor moisture content is 30% to 50%. Higher concentrations can feel warm and moist and raise the likelihood of mold growth. Dryness, more common cold and viruses, and electrical hazards could all result from an inadequate humidity level. Thus it’s crucial to keep track of your symptoms and have the indoor air quality checked.

3. More efficacy and lower electricity costs

Poor ventilation is a common cause of indoor air quality problems and can make your HVAC system work harder. Your electricity bill will rise due to the system being under more strain and using more power. An indoor air quality test will help you remove barriers to outside air and help lower indoor pollution levels. However, increased outdoor air circulation on a hot or cold day forces your HVAC system to make up for that too, so it’s crucial to carefully manage ventilation in a building.

4. Increased Workforce Performance

Productivity typically rises when employees are more relaxed. Reducing the incidence of illness and symptoms associated with poor air quality can reduce absence rates and improve performance in an office space. 

With indoor air quality testing, you can break down the factors contributing to poor IAQ and systematically work towards eliminating those factors. 

5. Reduced Animal and Household Odors

People can become miserable in their homes and offices due to unpleasant smells. Unpleasant odors can come from smoke, combustion products, rodent droppings, mildew growth, and other indoor pollutants. Often, the issue is concealed deep within the air conditioning vents. Additionally, a foul odor may signify more serious issues that could endanger the health and safety of the occupants of the building. 

If you have a commercial space, it is important to ensure it smells pleasant to make the space feel more welcoming to guests, clients, and workers. With regular testing of indoor air quality, you can reduce foul odors. Additionally, it facilitates locating and resolving the problem, creating a tidy and wholesome environment.

Bottom Line

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, today’s indoor air quality is thought to be 2 to 5 times worse for your health than outdoor air.  

Maintaining healthy indoor air quality to create a healthy environment is crucial—testing for indoor air quality assists in identifying the root of symptoms people encounter at home or work. Regular testing can enable you to address specific problems.

Reach out to qualified experts at R and C inspectors. We offer indoor air quality testing services in addition to residential property inspection.