Indoor Environmental Testing

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In addition to a visual inspection, our staff use a variety of highly sensitive instruments to help us determine the underlying causes of a buildings poor indoor air quality as well as to look for evidence of moisture intrusion and mold growth.

Is your property suffering from poor air circulation, foul odours or sick building syndrome? Does your home have poor indoor air quality? Or even worse been used as a marijuana grow op or meth lab?

Our team of certified and experienced Indoor Air quality professionals can perform a proper indoor air quality assessment to determine the causes and outline recommendations that can quickly restore the air quality in your home or office environment.

Our staff will perform a thorough inspection or your property using state of the art equipment and instrumentation. In fact, in order to do a mould inspection properly, an indoor air quality assessment should be performed first and this will assist in deciding what type of laboratory analysis is appropriate and what laboratory facility the samples should be taken to.

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Indoor Air Quality Assessments and Testing for Mould

We use a variety of highly sensitive instruments to help us determine the underlying causes of a buildings poor indoor air quality.

Visual Inspection of the building for evidence of moisture intrusion and visible signs of mould growth.

    • Moisture Meters to determine if walls, floors and ceilings show signs of active moisture problems.
    • Air Quality Testing to determine air patterns and relative humidity in the building which could lead to mould issues.
    • Airborne Laser Particle Counters to determine which areas of the building show the highest dust load (which could be mould spores)
    • MVOC meters (Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds) to determine off gassing levels for mould in the indoor environment.
    • Thermal Imaging Cameras to locate hidden moisture issues inside wall cavities without any holes, marks or other destructive techniques.
    • Viable Laboratory Testing by way of drawing air (living mould spores) into a petri dish with an agar solution that will grow active mould spores.
    • Non-Viable Mould Sampling by way of drawing air (dead mould spores) into a spore trap which will identify mould spores that have either died, dried up or have been killed by a biocide.
    • Tape lift sampling for source identification.

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Did You Know

 

Fact: In 1994 Ministry of Health Canada and the EPA in the United States made direct links between polluted indoor spaces and a variety of health problems. The EPA found that on average pollution indoors can be 6 to 10 times higher than the outside air in most cities.
Fact: Employers can now be criminally liable for poor indoor air quality: Bill C-45, an act to amend the Criminal Code, came into force on March 31, 2004. Bill-C45 amends the criminal code to clearly define who is responsible for the safety of persons in the workplace and to allow for prosecution under charges of “criminal negligence” when those responsibilities are recklessly or willfully disregarded. This includes poor working conditions due to poor indoor air quality.

Fact: Indoor air quality testing and assessments can help determine how healthy your home or office environments are. Since we spend over 90% of our time indoors, the health and quality of the air we breathe is of the utmost importance.

Fact: An air quality assessment together with a mold inspection can help uncover hidden moisture and air pollutant issues in your home or office environments. A proper mold inspection should never be just a quick visual inspection and a few air samples.

What a Proper Air Quality Inspection Should Include:

  1. A visual inspection.
  2. A proper instrument survey for air quality to identify hidden indoor pollution levels (such as VOC’s, CO2, CO, Methane Gas).
  3. The use of moisture meters and thermal imaging cameras to determine the source and extent of moisture damage.
  4. The use of aiborne laser particle counters to help determine which areas have the highest dust load.
  5. The use of mold detection dogs to find specific areas of mold growth.

What to Look for in a Qualified Indoor Environmental Consultant?

      1. They should carry $5,000,000 insurance.
      2. They should carry at least $1,000,000 of errors and omissions insurance.
      3. They should have current and up to date WSIB coverage.
      4. They should be an American Indoor Air Quality Council Board Certified Microbial Investigator.
      5. They should be a Certified Hygiene Manager.
      6. They should be a Board Certified Remediation Supervisor and Remediator.
      7. They should be a Board Certified Mold Remediation Master Trainer.