Indoor air quality testing becomes necessary when a building:
- Is located close to the source of indoor air pollutants
- Is being used for some unanticipated use
- Operating with badly designed and maintained ventilation system
When a building is affected by such problems, the first casualty is the quality of indoor air which gets affected very badly, thereby causing a lot of health hazards to the residents of the building. According to the EPA, close to 30% of new as well as renovated buildings in the country may be suffering from indoor air quality issues. Hence, it is very important to perform indoor air quality testing and determine whether if any action is required to improve the air quality so that people’s health can be protected.
Indoor air quality testing involves the use of test meters that test for relative humidity, carbon dioxide and air temperature. There are other indoor air quality testing models that may be used for testing carbon monoxide, humidity and also to measure the ratio of external air that is moving through the building. The measurements may be compared to the standards laid down by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
According to the investigations conducted by OSHA over a period of 10 years, over 50% of the time, inadequate or improper ventilation was identified as the major source of most indoor air quality issues, whether at home or at workplace. The Indoor air quality testing procedures laid down by OSHA at the workplace includes sample collection, walk around inspection to identify potential problem areas, employer and employee interviews, accepted standards and recommendations to the employer.
Finally, similar procedures can also be followed in residential buildings as well.
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