A residential indoor air quality investigation is used to determine if there are indoor
air quality problems in your home, identify the causes and to recommend solutions.
The ultimate goal is to advise our clients on the actions that should be taken to improve
the air quality of their home. This inspection is an indoor air quality inspection, not a
health or building inspection.
A whole-home investigation and it's findings can help improve your home's indoor air
and help those residing there breathe cleaner air when the changes outlined in the final
report are undertaken.
Clean air is essential to good health and is especially true when it comes to indoor air.
The lack of ventilation, especially in air-tight homes, is a key factor that impacts the
quality of indoor air.
Health Canada states that we, as Canadians, spend up to 90% of our time indoors, at
home , at work and in recreational environments. Indoor air has more contaminates than
outdoor air.
Since moisture promotes mold growth, dampness is one of our most common causes of
poor indoor air in our homes, classrooms and public spaces.
An estimated 2.7 million Canadians over the age of four have asthma.
Indoor Air Quality and Asthma
It is well known that poor indoor air quality increases the severity and the frequency of
respiratory symptoms experienced by asthmatics. Pollutants that can aggravate asthma
include the following:
Biological pollutants such as mold and house dust mites.
Irritating chemical pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, ozone and formaldehyde.
Dust mites are the only indoor air pollutants that are recognized to cause asthma in
otherwise healthy people. Other pollutants such as mold and nitrogen dioxide, however,
are suspected of increasing the risk of developing asthma. With this in mind, it is
therefore advisable to avoid exposure to these pollutants as much as possible, even if
you are not asthmatic.
As the founder of Island Indoor Air Quality Inspection, George Staples inspects houses
for indoor air quality issues using Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's protocol,
for which he is accredited.
Having previously worked in the heating and air-conditioning field, he visited many
homes with many different problems, including moisture and mold problems, inadequate
building procedures, improper renovations, inadequate heating systems all causing
unhealthy homes and health problems for some. Most of these people wanted help and
as they didn't know where to look for help with these problems they started with a
heating company hoping they would solve their problems.
He trained with C.M.H.C because they have over 60 years of housing research behind
them. Their program gave precise, up- to- date information on indoor air quality in
residential buildings, what to look for, how to solve the problems and hands on training.
Health Canada and CMHC are currently working on joint research projects on air quality
in homes. These studies are aimed at measuring concentrations of chemical and
biological contaminants in indoor air and identifying their sources.
He is not affiliated with any remediation company or testing laboratory or selling any
product or service other than an Indoor Air Investigation. We are not health, building or
home inspectors, we specialize in indoor air quality.
When you are having issues inside your home such as, allergies, feeling ill or colds or
flu keep coming back, moisture problems, odors, or you are thinking of purchasing a
home or are planning to renovate and you want to know about making healthier choices,
start with us.
Using C.M.H.C's Residential Indoor Air Quality protocol I first:
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Gather information on your house, its history and any health concerns of the
occupants.
I then conduct a comprehensive walk around and through the home documenting
all problems at the time of the inspection.
I measure humidity levels in rooms and test for cold areas.
I then analyze how the house performs based on the information gathered.
A written, detailed report is given indentifying the problems, pinpointing the
sources and recommending solutions. I also include photos, a priority list and a
cost evaluation for the solutions.
If applicable, I will include information on grants or rebates.
Once you receive the report, I am available to answer any questions the home
owner may have regarding the report.
Some of the reasons you may need an indoor air quality investigation are as follows:
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If you or any family member living in your home have health issues such as :
o allergies
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respiratory problems
sinus problems
experience health problems inside your home,
If your home has moisture or odor problems,
You see mold and it keeps coming back,
There has been fire or water damage anywhere in your home,
Your home has stale air,
You are planning to:
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renovate your home
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buy a home
o
sell your home
You have a new home but now have health issues since moving in,
You have renovated and are now experiencing health issues,
Have a chemical overload problem in your home.
Most people are finding problems in their homes after they purchase and are turning to us
to help them solve
them. Even new homes can have indoor air quality issues, with energy efficiency being
the key reason for
sealing up our homes, it is causing health problems. Without proper ventilation the offgassing of the products
that we build with, install and add into our homes allows for poor indoor air quality.
Furnaces, fireplaces and
water heaters can introduce carbon monoxide into your home.
Probably the most widely published symptom of a tight under ventilated house is
condensation. Condensation
on windows, mold growth on cold surfaces and dust mite infestations in carpets are
becoming more frequent in
new homes as air tightening reduces natural ventilation rates and indoor humidity levels
increase.
Moisture on windows not only creates a nuisance for homeowners, excess moisture levels
in houses can
prematurely degrade building components. Mold growth and dust mites concentrations
in houses are now
suspected as a leading cause of respiratory problems.
Moisture promotes mold growth, as one of the leading causes of poor indoor air quality,
it is important to understand why our homes are having moisture problems and what we
can do to fix the problem. Controlling the moisture levels is the easiest way to prevent
mold, improve our indoor air quality and protect our health.
Molds are microscopic fungi. There have been over 270 species of mold found in
Canadian homes. Molds can also be harmful, damaging materials such as papers , photos,
fabrics and wood, causing wood rot and structural damage. Not all mold is obvious, it
can grow inside walls and above ceiling tiles. Mold can be black, red, white, orange,
yellow, blue or violet in colour.
Molds release chemicals and spores. Pregnant women, infants, the elderly and those with
health problems such as respiratory disease or a weakened immune system , are more at
risk when exposed to mold.
Health Canada recommends that all molds, regardless of the species, be cleaned and that
the underlying water or humidity problem is dealt with quickly, to prevent potential
health issues.
C.M.H.C, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the American Industrial
Hygiene Association do not recommend testing the air for molds in a single family
residence, as a first step. The recommended first step is having a trained investigator
check your house for mold.
You should seek professional help with mold when:
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there is a lot of mold ( more than 1 square meter)
the home is very damp,
mold comes back after repeated cleaning,
A family member suffers from asthma, or respiratory problems or other health
problems that appear to be aggravated inside the home.
you have a musty smell or odor
Bleach is not recommended for cleaning up mold. Bleach can not be relied upon for
disinfection. The fumes are harmful and cancer-causing substances can be formed by the
reaction of bleach with organic materials.
Should I have my house air tested for mold?
This is the question most frequently asked by homeowners who think their home may
have a mold problem. Testing is generally not recommended for homeowners. Testing of
moldy materials or an air sample identifies the types of molds that may be present but
does not identify the cause/source of moisture. The type of mold does not change the
procedures for cleaning up areas of mold less than 3 square meters. You have to clean up
the mold and correct the problem irrespective of the type of mold. The cost of testing
may be better spent hiring a professional investigator or fixing the problem.
Testing of a moldy material involves sending a swab, an imprint on a Scotch tape or a
piece of the material to a competent laboratory. Air sampling requires specialized
equipment. An air sample typically captures mold spores in a period of minutes. Since
replicate samples must be taken due to variations in the airborne molds over time (even
hours) and compared with outdoor samples, air testing is both expensive and timeconsuming. Interpretation of test results may not be very useful, since there are no
advocated "safe levels" of indoor molds and the results will not tell the health risks from
the molds.
and
the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) recommend
that you contact a trained Indoor Air Quality Investigator for advice on
building-related aspects of air quality. These investigators can do a
visual inspection to identify areas of concern and make
recommendations for improving the situation.
If you suspect a mold problem that you cannot solve on your own, Health Canada
WHO publishes first indoor air quality guidelines on dampness
and mould
Copenhagen and Bonn, 16 July 2009
Today, WHO publishes its first guidelines on indoor air quality, addressing dampness and
mould? They are the result of a rigorous two-year review of the currently available
science by 36 leading experts worldwide, coordinated by the WHO Regional Office for
Europe. The authors conclude that occupants of damp or moldy buildings, both private
and public, have up to a 75% greater risk of respiratory symptoms and asthma. The
guidelines recommend the prevention or remediation of dampness- and mould-related
problems to significantly reduce harm to health.
“As people spend most of their daily lives in homes, offices, schools, health care facilities
or other buildings, the quality of the air they breathe indoors is critical for their health
and well-being,” says Dr Srdan Matic, Unit Head, Noncommunicable Diseases and
Environment at the WHO Regional Office for Europe.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/air/in/poll/mould-moisissure/rid-debarrasser-eng.php
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Indoor Air Quality and how it can
affect your health and probably your largest investment, your home. We truly care
about the air you live in and having no affiliation with any remediation companies or
testing laboratories our reports are unbiased. Our protocol is tried and true using
CMHC's housing information which has been researched and backed with 60 years of
experience.
Before you start your renovations or purchase your next home, having an Indoor Air
Quality Investigation could stop you from making costly mistakes. We also have
information on building materials, furnishings and ventilation products that will make
your improvements, if applied, better for your homes indoor air quality.
If you wish to have a healthier place to live or need help choosing healthier materials to
live with, we can help.
We are not a building/ health/house inspectors. Our specialty is indoor air quality.
When you don't know where to start, start with us.
If you have any questions or would like to book an Indoor Air Quality Investigation for
your home, we serve Vancouver Island.
Please call us at:
Or e-mail us at:
250-746-0382
geo.sta@shaw.ca
We Care About The Air You Live In
For more information on what to look for in an Indoor Air Quality Investigator and
related links;
Canada Housing And Mortgage Corporation (C.M.H.C.) http://www.cmhc.ca/
Or call: 1-800-668-2642
Health Canada http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/environ/air-eng.php
Canadian Lung association http://www.lung.ca/protect-protegez/pollutionpollution/indoor-interieur/home-chezvous_e.php#test
Asthma society of Canada
http://asthma.ca/adults/lifestyle/indoor.php