Residential Air Quality Testing Results – Is Your Indoor Air Quality Standards Safe?
There are numerous reasons for homeowners to want to consider residential air quality testing. Some of those reasons are that the average homeowner doesn’t pay enough attention to their air quality outside their home, and it’s often the result of their lack of attention that indoor air quality gets affected. If you’ve been thinking about purchasing a new home or remodeling your existing home, you should consider having a professional air quality inspection performed by an independent environmental consultant Oakland in order to make sure that there aren’t harmful mold issues lurking within your home.
You’ll find that there are some really good reasons for having your HVAC system tested by an independent environmental consultant for residential air quality testing. The most common reason is that mold spores can be dangerous for your health, and in many cases, residential mold testing is the only way to ensure that you’re not at risk. Mold can produce toxins in your body if it is present in your home, and those toxins can make their way into your bloodstream if you don’t get rid of the mold immediately.
When you think about it, the level of toxicity in indoor air varies according to different factors. For example, mold is a highly resilient fungus that can typically live for up to 20 years or more in damp environments. Even when mold has been discovered inside a home, you should not take the presence of mold in your home or building alone as the sole basis for concern. Mold could be there or it could be there in small amounts, but there is still a good chance that it’s growing and providing you and your family with some unwelcome health problems. If you have an existing respiratory illness, or have recently had surgery that suppressing your immune system, it’s also possible that you may have low levels of air quality present in your home. Even people who breathe through their nose shouldn’t take any chances, since their nasal passages can transport many dangerous indoor air pollutants present in your home to your lungs.
Indoor air quality testing is also necessary in order to detect common household allergens such as mold, dust mites, pet dander, radon gas, and smoke. All of these contaminants can cause significant health issues if you or a loved one suffers from asthma or allergies. Many of these allergens are also potential irritants to people with asthma. The fact is that nearly one in every eight homes in the United States contains at least some level of these allergens. Allergy and asthma attacks are among the most common causes of an asthma attack in children, and the constant exposure to these pollutants can actually trigger an asthma attack in a person already susceptible to them.
Some other common contaminants to look for during your indoor air quality testing include radon gas, which can cause lung cancer if inhaled for long periods of time; lead, which is a toxic metal that can cause learning disabilities and brain damage; and dust mites, which can leave your scalp and eyes irritated and inflamed after coming into contact with a home’s surfaces. Other toxins to be on the lookout for include VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which are byproducts of crude oil production, kerosene, diesel exhaust, and other industrial processes, as well as prescription drugs, over hundreds of names, including antidepressants, pain killers, sex hormones, and more. Even more concerning than the potential dangers of contaminants is the evidence that shows that the majority of residential homes have at least some amount of these toxins in the air, which can prove dangerous to your health and your family.
A great way to check to see what kind of contaminants is circulating in your home is to take advantage of a fresh air ventilation system. With fresh air ventilation systems you can easily monitor the amount of oxygen circulating throughout your home. Oxygen is carried throughout the house through the use of forced air, and this can carry dangerous pollutants with it. Fresh air ventilation systems do not carry any pollutants with them, thus helping to ensure that you and your family remain healthy. There are many different kinds of fresh air ventilation systems to choose from. For your peace of mind and to help ensure your family remains healthy, make sure to take advantage of home ventilation systems.
