Toronto’s #1 Indoor Air
Testing Company
Indoor Air Testing in Toronto
AirQualityInspections.ca specializes in Residential and Commercial Indoor Air Testing and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) services in and around The Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Why Indoor Air Testing?
Indoor air quality is about the air we breathe when indoors, and is essential for good health. The issue is significant considering that Canadians spend about 90% of their time indoors; at home, at work, in school and in commercial or recreational buildings.
What Does Indoor Air Testing Do?
Indoor Air Testing helps to ensure that the air you breathe when indoors is healthy air. It can also help detect poor indoor air quality and air pollution. In fact, indoor air pollution causes more health problems than the polluted air we breathe outside of our homes.
What are the Effects of Poor Indoor Air Quality in the Home and Workplace?
Common health problems resulting from exposure to poor indoor air quality include:
- Sensory and skin irritation
- Neurotoxic symptoms
- Hypersensitivity and Allergies
- Odor and taste symptoms
About Us
Since 2005, AirQualityInspections.ca (A Division of Environmental Services Group Inc.) has conducted over 800 Indoor Air Quality Tests in The Greater Toronto Area.
Contractor recommended and certified, we specialize in providing services that detect, identify and if necessary, remove harmful indoor air pollutants from homes and buildings. We serve Homeowners, Landlords, Tenants, Insurance Companies, Builders, Commercial Property Owners, Property Managers and Businesses
Company Facts:
- Performing Residential and Commercial Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) investigations
- Using state of the art equipment including PPB Rae 3000, Air Flow Monitors, Gas Meters, Particle Counters and Canary Data Logger for IAQ problem sourcing
- Following Health Canada’s Exposure Guidelines for Residential Indoor Air Quality
- Providing 24 hour monitoring for IAQ problem sourcing
- Conducting building walkthroughs to determine IAQ issues and sources
- Registered Occupational Hygienist on staff for Occupation Hygiene Applications
Improve Air Quality
What Can You Do to Improve Indoor Air Quality?
- Don't allow smoking indoors
- Maintain and inspect fuel-burning appliances regularly
- Ensure proper ventilation, especially in rooms with excess water vapor
- Fix leaks and cracks in walls, floors, roofs & basements
- Immediately clean any old or new mold growths
- Dust and vacuum regularly
- Do not idle cars or run fuel-burning engines in an attached garage
- Close the door between your garage and home
- Store paints, solvents and varnishes outside of your home
- Coat and seal furnishings made from particle-board or medium density fiber-board
- Repair and replace damp or dirty ductwork and old and dirty filters
Contact AirQualityInspections.ca for Indoor Air Testing in Toronto
Indoor Air Testing – Toronto
In fact, the term ‘sick building syndrome’ (SBS) is used to describe an excess of chronic symptoms caused by exposure to poor indoor air quality. Some short term symptoms may be described by:
- Irritation of the skin, eyes and throat
- Headache
- Drowsiness
- General irritancy
Long term symptoms may include:
- Cancer
- Respiratory diseases
Contact AirQualityInspections.ca for a free initial consultation or for more information about Indoor Air Testing Services in Toronto.
Indoor Air Quality Facts
- Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is used to describe chronic symptoms caused by poor indoor air quality.
- People are not born with allergies, but become allergic as a result of contact with allergens (Source: Health Canada).
- Children, people with heart & lung disease, and seniors are especially sensitive to air pollution.
- Monitoring your homes Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system helps ensure safe indoor air.
- Chemical Off Gassing pollutants – like Formaldehyde – cause asthma in children aged six months to three years (Source: Health Canada).
- Off Gassing can be reduced by buying products marked ‘No VOC’ or ‘Low VOC’ and testing indoor air quality for VOCs.
- Many promotions for air filters and purifiers make exaggerated and unsubstantiated claims (Source: Ontario Lung Association).
- 50% of all illness is aggravated or caused by polluted indoor air (Source: American College of Allergies).
- Today’s homes and building are built air-tight, resulting in natural air-cleansing agents being kept out and contaminants kept in.
- A recent study found that allergen levels in super-insulated homes is 200% higher than it is in ordinary homes.
What Causes Poor Indoor Air Quality?
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) identifies six major sources of potential indoor air quality problems, including:
Inadequate Ventilation
If too little outdoor air enters a home or building, pollutants can accumulate to dangerous levels. In most cases, indoor air exchange is controlled by Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. Most HVAC’s are central forced-air heating & cooling systems which have positive and negative effects on indoor air quality. Negative impacts occur when these systems circulate large volumes of air throughout your home, spreading indoor pollutants generated in one room to the rest of the house. Forced-air systems can also act as sources of indoor air pollution due to damp or dirty ductwork and older or dirty filters. Risks can be reduced by increasing the ‘air exchange’ (outdoor air coming in). Positive air exchange helps re-circulate indoor air which helps to remove chemical gas and vapors (i.e. radon, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde) that build up over time.
Humidity and Temperature
Indoor Air Quality issues may occur when humidity and temperatures range outside of acceptable relative humidity levels, which should range from 20% – 60% year-round. Levels less than 20% in the winter and greater than 60% in the summer should be considered unacceptable. Elevated relative humidity can promote the growth of mold, bacteria, and dust mites, which can aggravate allergies and asthma. To achieve maximum occupant comfort, relative humidity should be maintained between 30% – 50%.
Inside Contamination
Indoor air pollutants can be caused by Biological Pollutants (mold, bacteria, dust mites, animal dander, cockroach debris, rodent debris, carbon dioxide) and Chemical Pollutants (Copy machines, office products, tobacco smoke, carbon monoxide, cleaning solvents, radon). Chemicals stored indoors have also been identified as significant sources of indoor air problems in some investigations.
Outside Contamination
This is caused by the re-entrainment of previously exhausted contaminants, generally caused by improper air intake placement or by periodic changes in wind conditions. A common problem is vehicle exhaust fumes from parking garages, or loading docks being drawn into a building ventilation system.
Microbial Contamination
This is mostly associated with water leaks & infiltration, elevated indoor humidity, humidifiers, and contaminated ventilation ductwork. It can lead to mold growths, bacteria and dust mites, aggravating allergies and asthma.
New Building Materials
This results from building materials (including carpeting, drapes, paints, plastics, etc) releasing gasses and other chemicals into the air during and shortly after the materials are first installed. Also known as ‘Chemical Off-Gassing’, vapors and gasses are released into the air during the process of aging, evaporating and decomposing, polluting indoor air quality. All of these materials off-gas potentially hazardous chemicals and odors called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Inhaling VOCs - or absorbing them through the skin and mucus membranes - can affect indoor air quality and result in serious health risks including: Drowsiness, Respiratory problems, Temporary eye irritation and Organ damage. Increased ventilation after installation will enhance the dissipation of these chemicals.
Contact Us
Contact AirQualityInspections.ca for a free initial consultation or for more information about Indoor Air Testing and IAQ services in Toronto.
Address:
3219 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario M4N 3S1
Phone Numbers:
Tel: 416-575-6111
Toll Free: 1-866-310-4219
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