One of the biggest problems facing business, institutional, office and home owners today is the quality of the air they breathe in their indoor environment. When you think about it, the reason is obvious: there are so many things in our modern environment which can cause harm (from simple irritation to life threatening respiratory involvement).
How do you know what the problem is? Many times one gets a hint from the âsmellâ of the problem, but not all contaminants have a smell (radon has no smell at all, nor does carbon monoxide. Both will seriously harm you...the former slowly, and later quickly).
How do you know there is a problem? Many times the first indication of a problem is increased health problems. This may include headaches, nausea, and eye and throat irritation. More frequently, there is a persistent smell that is "not quite right", but impossible to identify.
Have an experienced industrial hygienist, preferably a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) investigate the building, and try to locate the source of the problem. As you would with any other serious problem , choose a qualified professional to investigate the site, and get professional results.
It is usually the case that air samples are required to either (1) identify the problem, or (2), eliminate a possible hazardous contaminant. Air samples need to be collected by a trained IH (Industrial Hygienist), Depending on the air contaminant, the air sample must be collected on various specific media (filters, charcoal, silica, etc.). For the sample to mean anything, the correct flow rate, total time, pore size, adsorption rate, chemical oxidation state, and potential interfering air components must be known.
If biological contaminants are suspected, the sample must be taken onto or in the correct media in order to grow the organism in the laboratory. Many biological air contaminants (such as Legionella or Stachybotrys) cannot be recovered in the laboratory, if they are not sampled onto media which will sustain the organism until it is transferred into specific "growth" media.
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