You don’t have to be an environmental air testing expert to know that something’s up. People are sniffling, sneezing and sporting red, itchy eyes. What could be causing their distress? Here’s a hint… the answer is blowing in the wind.

That’s right, it is allergy season, and the air is full of pollen.

From what we are hearing, this year’s allergy season is a nasty one. Trees, grass and ragweed pollen are all circulating in the air right about now. And if you have allergies, you know that there could also be mold and dust to contend with as well.

Improve Indoor Air Quality to Ease Allergies

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), “About 24 million Americans have hay fever, rhinitis, or nasal allergies (19.2 million adults and 5.2 million children)4” (You may have seen some of them at store, stocking up on tissue and antihistamines.)

If you or someone you love suffers from seasonal allergies, there are things you can do to improve your homes’ indoor air quality. The AAFA says there are things you can do to improve indoor air quality and create a healthier home environment.

Among their suggestions are:

• As we have learned with Covid-19, ventilation is important. If you leave interior doors open and run the exhaust fan in your bathrooms and kitchen, it will enhance air flow in your home.
• “Avoid harmful products (like bleach and other harsh cleaners) as much as possible,” the experts at the AAFA say. Why? They could release volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, into the air.
• The humidity level in your home are also important. “Keep it below 50%,” the AAFA recommends. “If you live in a wet climate, you may need a dehumidifier.”
• Close the windows when pollen levels are high.
• The AAFA also recommends that you, “Remove items with strong scents like candles.”

If you follow these and all the recommendations offered by the AAFA and are still having problems, it may be time to schedule professional Allergy Testing, which can include mold testing and VOC testing.

The post Welcome to National Allergy/Asthma Awareness Month appeared first on Air Quality Testing by AirMD Since 2007.

At AirMD, an environmental testing company specializing in indoor air quality testing and building assessments, we know that it’s easy for some of the biggest threats to your family’s health and wellness to sneak up on you. The reason is simple – some of the biggest threats that we test the indoor air quality of your home for are completely invisible airborne gases.

As Simon Hahessy, AirMD’s Founder and Scientific Director, explains, “According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air quality is a greater health hazard than outdoor air pollution with pollutants being up to two to five times higher indoors.”

Gases that Negatively Impact Indoor Air Quality

When conducting a commercial or residential air quality test, there are four principle types of airborne gases that our environmental testing experts screen for:

1. Formaldehyde
2. Volatile Organic Compounds
3. Carbon Monoxide
4. Carbon Dioxide

Formaldehyde Testing

Formaldehyde is a chemical compound that can be found in the environment and in consumer products.

Your car’s exhaust as well as the output from power plants and incinerators can release formaldehyde and pollute the air. Research, however, has shown that you are more likely to encounter high concentrations of formaldehyde inside your home or workplace. That’s because a number of building materials and household products release the colorless gas, which is used in their manufacture.

You may be surprised to learn how many common products around your home or office contain formaldehyde, including:

• pressed-wood products, such as particleboard, plywood, and fiberboard
• glues and adhesives
• permanent-press fabrics
• paper product coatings
• certain insulation materials

“Formaldehyde is also a component of tobacco smoke and both smokers and those breathing secondhand smoke are exposed to higher levels of formaldehyde. One study found much higher levels of formaldehyde bound to DNA in the white blood cells of smokers compared to non-smokers,” the American Cancer Society points out.

Formaldehyde testing is just one aspect of the scientifically based Residential Wellness Air Quality Testing offered by AirMD. If you have concerns about the air your family is breathing, please contact us for more information about our environmental air testing services.

The post An Invisible Threat to Indoor Air Quality: Part I – Formaldehyde appeared first on Air Quality Testing by AirMD Since 2007.

Candlelight seems to make any occasion special. It can add elegance or romance to a dinner table and help turn a warm relaxing bath into a spa-like retreat from the demands of a busy life. Unfortunately, indoor air quality testing has shown that burning some candles can release benzene, toluene and other chemicals into the air.

If you look forward to burning a scented candle as a way to relax at the end of a trying day, you may want to investigate some other relaxation tools. Don’t blame the environmental air testing experts at AirMD. We’re just the bearers of the bad news and we hate to be the ones to rain on your stress-relieving parade, but a study conducted by the EPA has shown that burning candles and incense can release harmful particles, including VOCs, into the air in your home.

Among the report’s key findings are:

• Candles and incense can be sources of particulate matter.
• Burning candles with lead core wicks may result in indoor air concentrations of lead above EPA-recommended thresholds.
• Exposure to incense smoke has been linked with several illnesses, and certain brands of incense also contain chemicals suspected of causing skin irritation

Potential Indoor Air Quality Impacts of Burning Candles

According to a study published by EPA, “When candles are burned, they emit trace amounts of organic chemicals, including acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, acrolein, and naphthalene (Lau et al., 1997).” And that’s not even their biggest concern! “The primary constituent of public health concern in candle emissions is lead,” the report stipulates.

Candlemakers use metal to keep the wick standing up. Without it, the wick will just flop over as the was begins to melt, which will dose the flame. As the EPA says, “The US candle manufacturing industry voluntarily agreed to cease production of lead-containing candles in 1974, once it was shown that burning lead-wick candles resulted in increased lead concentrations in indoor air (Sobel et al., 2000b). Unfortunately, despite the voluntary ban, lead wick candles can still be found on the market.”

In addition to lead, scent can also have negative impacts on indoor air quality. If you are concerned about the possible effects the candles you have been burning might have on your home environment, call AirMD, one of the most respected air quality testing companies in South Florida, at 1-888-462-4763.

The post Scented Candles Can Be Harmful to Indoor Air Quality appeared first on Air Quality Testing by AirMD Since 2007.