The air quality testing experts at AirMD are often asked about the advisability of burning candles in the home – especially this time of year. That’s because the warm glow of a burning candle is something many people associate with the holidays, whether the candles are set in a menorah or are the centerpiece of a Christmas dinner table.

From a personal perspective, we love the charm of candlelight as much as anyone, but as a science-based environmental testing company, we know there is more to the issue than charm. 

So, should you be concerned about burning candles this holiday season? Probably not, but let’s address two of the biggest possible hazards. 

Lead Wicks

If you have read alarming reports about candles with lead wicks releasing harmful toxins into the air, don’t worry. Unless you have been hoarding candles made before Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, lead wicks shouldn’t be a concern. 

“Most candle manufacturers stopped using lead in their candles in the 1970s. Due to concerns that fumes could cause lead poisoning, especially in children, lead-containing candles were removed from the market,” Healthline reports.

Any lingering questions were put to rest in 2003, when the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the sale of metal cored candlewicks containing lead and candles with such wicks.

Petroleum-Based Wax

“Most modern candles are made from paraffin wax. This type of wax is made from petroleum as a by-product of making gasoline,” Healthline says. 

Does burning paraffin wax release chemicals into the air that could be harmful? The evidence is inconclusive. If you want to err on the side of caution, look for candles made from natural substances like beeswax or soy. 

Even if our holiday gatherings are a little smaller this year due to the pandemic, you can be sure that candles will be burning on holiday tables across the country – and we don’t think that’s a problem. 

There are enough challenges to our merry making this year, and if lighting a candle in the dark of a winter night brings you comfort and peace or conjures a memory of a happier time, we say go for it! 

All of us at AirMD, one of the most respected indoor air quality testing companies, wish you and yours a happy and healthy holiday.

The post Are Holiday Candles Harmful to Indoor Air Quality? appeared first on Air Quality Testing by AirMD Since 2007.

At AirMD, we are often called in to assess the indoor air quality in a company’s workplace. Depending on the setting and the industry, it may be important to test for VOCs, conduct mold testing or test for formaldehyde or asbestos. 

Now that so many people are working from home, the line between residential and commercial environmental testing is rapidly becoming blurred. 

From teachers to accountants, computer clerks to creative directors and editors to paralegals, countless people switched to working from home when the pandemic began. That involves not only finding space where you can be productive but also plugging in and powering up an array of equipment that might include a computer, printer/scanner and, perhaps an additional phone line. 

So, what does spending all that extra time at home mean for the quality of the air inside your home – and for your health? 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s report on indoor air quality reveals that the air inside your home may be 2 to 5 times more polluted than the air outside. Spending more time there could expose you to greater risk. 

If you invested in new furnishings for your home office or bought desks for your kids who were forced to attend classes virtually, you may have added to the problem. As the EPA explains, pressed-wood products can emit gasses that add to the indoor pollution.

There are certain health effects that you should watch for that, according to the EPA, might indicate the presence of indoor air pollutants, including:

• Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat.
• Headaches, dizziness, and fatigue.
• Respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer.

If you or anyone in your family is exhibiting these symptoms, please feel free to contact us for more information about indoor air quality testing. 

Of course, not everyone has the option to work from home. Essential workers are showing up for work – and showing up for us – every day in hospitals and grocery stores. Our mail is still being delivered, packages are showing up on our doorsteps, and food processing plants are humming along. Teachers are returning to the classrooms, pharmacists are on duty at the drugstore and you can get the supplies you need to fix a toilet because the hardware stores and home supply stores are staffed
All of us at AirMD, a leading environmental testing company in South Florida, would like to express our gratitude to all the people doing the essential work in our communities. Thank you! Stay safe!

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Here in South Florida, where AirMD’s indoor air quality experts are based, National Hispanic-American Heritage Month is always celebrated with flair. This year, of course, things are different. But not even Covid-19 can stop us from honoring the many contributions the Latinx community in South Florida has made. 

National Hispanic-American Heritage Month traditionally runs from September 15 through October 15. It is an opportunity to pay tribute to the many Hispanic Americans who have had such an amazing influence on all of us.

National Hispanic-American Heritage Month 2020

We may not be able to get together to celebrate the many vibrant aspects of Hispanic-American culture that we enjoy, but there are still ways that you can explore the rich heritage of Hispanic-American culture.

Here are just a few of the many events: 

• On Wednesday, September 30, you can enjoy Homegrown: Changüí Majadero, a virtual performance of Cuban roots music presented by the Library of Congress. The live performance will be available on both the Library’s Facebook page and the Library’s YouTube channel. As the Library explains, “Changüí is the predecessor of son cubano and salsa, a style of music specifically from the region of Guantanamo, Cuba. Its origins can be traced back to the 1800s, during the days of slavery in Cuba. Changüí is to Cuba & Latin America what the blues & early jazz is to American music.”

• Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the National Park Service is taking its celebration of the history, heritage and accomplishments of Hispanic and Latino Americans past and present onto their social media platforms. 

• The Smithsonian will be hosting a variety of events online, including an exploration of portraits of prominent Hispanic-American and Latinx individuals — like Selena and Sonia Sotomayor – and the stories behind those portraits.

Here at AirMD, one of the most trusted air quality testing companies, we are scientists, not historians, but that won’t stop us from taking time away from conducting home allergen tests and asbestos inspections, to celebrate Hispanic-American Heritage Month.

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At the beginning of August, we put hit pause and told the highly trained professionals who conduct our water and air quality tests  as well as our residential mold inspectors to go home and prepare their homes and families for what was at the time Tropical Storm Isaias, which was predicted to strengthen and become a hurricane.  

Hurricane Isaias

We were very fortunate, the storm stayed just off our coast. It kicked up the surf quite impressively and blustered its way north along the coast, eventually becoming a Category 1 hurricane. 

The folks in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina were not as lucky. That’s where Hurricane Isaias went ashore, it’s hurricane force winds and the tornadoes it spawned knocking out power, taking down trees and claiming the lives of 5 people. From there, the storm continued heading north. It was rated a tropical storm when it hit the Northeast, but that was enough to do serous damage and leave hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power. 

Hurricane Laura 

The Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas braced for not one but two storms a few weeks later. Hurricane Marco jumped ahead of Laura, which formed first and moved ashore as a tropical storm near the mouth of the Mississippi River on Aug. 24. 

Hurricane Laura made landfall in the early hours of Aug. 27 as a dangerous Category 4 hurricane. The storm left catastrophic damage in its wake, devastating the town of Lake Charles, Louisiana. 

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center did an amazing job at predicting the location and timing of Laura’s assault on the coast, allowing time for people to evacuate. Many lives were saved, but there was nothing that could be done to save the homes and businesses that they had left behind. 

What does all of this have to do with indoor air quality, home allergen testing and asbestos inspections? Nothing, really. All of us at AirMD are just feeling very fortunate. If you are feeling fortunate today, too, you might want to take a minute to think about those who are not faring as well and make a donation to a worthy nonprofit that can help them.

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Most of the time the folks here at AirMD, an environmental testing company based in South Florida, are focused on things like residential mold inspections, home allergen tests and testing for air and water quality. But this weekend, it is Father’s Day!

Even though some of the restrictions put in place to help stop the spread of Covid-19 have been
Lifted, this Father’s Day is still going to be quite a bit different for most families.

Instead of taking Dad out for brunch or dinner on Sunday, June 21, maybe you’ll be cooking something at home. According to Chiff.com, “Father’s Day recipes” is one of the top online searches related to the holiday. Other popular search topics include “Father’s Day poems” and “Father’s Day crafts.” (You’ve been warned, guys, so start practicing saying the following like you mean it “There isn’t anything I’d rather have.”)

Father’s Day Trivia

If you want to liven up the conversation around the dinner table when the family gets together to celebrate Dad, you can share some of this fun Father’s Day trivia courtesy of Chiff.com, an online guide to sports, travel, shopping and entertainment:

• “Mr. Mom is becoming a more common sight at parks across America with 154,000 estimated ‘stay-at-home’ dads,” they say. They define Mr. Mom as a guy who is married with kids under 15 years who have not worked for at least a year so they can stay home and look after the kids while Mom goes off to work.
• Sonora Dodd is credited with creating Father’s Day as a way to honor her own Dad. The event was first celebrated in 1910 in her native Spokane, Washington in June, because that when her father was born.
• It took a while for the idea to catch on. President Lyndon Johnson didn’t designate the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day until 1966.

And, if you’re still looking for a great gift for Dad, instead of a tie, you could always have the air quality tested in his home or treat him to a residential wellness test from AirMD, the indoor air quality testing experts. (Hey, it’s just an idea.)

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If you ask the environmental testing experts at AirMD to conduct Wellness Testing at your house, we will assess the indoor air quality by measuring everything from airborne particles to electromagnetic radiation. We will test for VOCs, too, and assess any odors that are present. Measuring the relative humidity inside your home is also a very important part of any Wellness Test.

Why Is Relative Humidity Important?

The start of summer is still a month away, but the humidity levels are already on the rise across South Florida. You don’t need the weather team at your favorite TV station to tell you it’s humid, all you have to do is walk out the door.

Relative humidity tells us how much moisture is in the air. It’s that moisture that makes it feel like you’re walking into a wall when you step outside.

The average humidity in Boca Raton in May is 64.8 percent, according to Champion traveler. That might not sound too bad, but that’s enough to have a significant impact – both inside and outside your home.

• The impact of humidity outdoors: Let’s say it’s a sunny day in May and the temperature is 89 degrees Fahrenheit with the relative humidity at that average of 65 percent. That will produce a heat index – or a “feels like” – temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. (Don’t ask us about the math, trust us, you don’t want to know. If you want to determine the heat index in your area, it’s much easier to use the heat index calculator provided by the National Weather Service. That’s what we do.)
• The impact of humidity indoors: Ideally, the relative humidity inside your home should fall in the 30 to 60 percent range. Below 30 percent, the air can feel uncomfortably dry. On the other hand, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends maintaining the humidity below 60 percent to prevent mold.

If you have been considering having a mold inspection done, you will be happy to know that AirMD’s Wellness Testing always includes an assessment of the amount of moisture – or the relative humidity – in the air inside your home.

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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.

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When the trained technicians from our environmental testing company visit a home or office in South Florida to do a wellness test, indoor air quality assessment or a mold inspection, one of the first things they will do is check the thermostat. We’re not concerned with the temperature setting; we want to see if the fan is set to AUTO or ON.

Even in January, South Florida, where our water and air quality testing company is based, can be hot and humid. That means our air conditioning systems get a lot of use! The air conditioning system in your home or office does more than just cool the air, though. It also lowers the humidity in your home and moves the air through the space.

Thermostat Settings

You may think that setting your fan to ON will help to keep the rooms in your home cooler, but you would be wrong.

If you have your fan set to AUTO, it will stop blowing when the air in your house reaches the desired temperature. If you have your fan set to ON, it will run continuously, regardless of fluctuations to the temperature.

So, what’s the problem?

“Since your AC is responsible for doing two jobs, cooling and dehumidifying, moisture from the air condenses on the cold evaporator coil when it runs,” the folks at Energy Vanguard explain. “By running the fan after the coil warms up, a lot of that water will evaporate and be put right back into your home.”

In other words, they say, “Your house will cool down quickly without dehumidifying well. Running the fan continuously makes the dehumidification worse and your home less comfortable.”

The folks at Energy Vanguard, which is an excellent source for information about the world of building science, home energy efficiency, green jobs and more, point out a few other reasons to keep your fan set to AUTO:

• You may create conditions that support the growth of mold
• Your energy bills will be higher
• You’ll increase your total duct leakage
• If you have unbalanced duct leakage, you may also increase the air leakage across your building enclosure.

The indoor air quality testing experts at AirMD, one of the most sought-after environmental testing companies, can help you keep your cool. Call us at 1 888 462 4763 (1 888 GO AIRMD) with your questions and concerns.

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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.

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If you’ve ever had a medical procedure in an outpatient surgical center, you don’t need us to tell you that these places keep their thermostats set to Brrrr! The reasoning behind this, we’re told, is that the cold temperature of the indoor air reduces the chances of infection. The science-oriented pros at AirMD, a leading provider of formaldehyde testing and mold inspections in Florida, have something to say about that.

Indoor Air Quality Testing for Healthcare Industry

When most people think about indoor air quality, they think about things like testing for VOCs, asbestos inspections and mold remediation. Boca Raton-based AirMD also works with the healthcare industry to test for bacteria, perform HVAC system assessments and run building diagnostics.

It may sound reasonable that keeping the environment cold would deter the growth of bacteria and reduce infection, but it’s not just about what’s good or bad for toxic growth. You have to factor the human body into the equation.

“One of the critical factors to preventing infection is the adequacy of blood flow and the supply of oxygen to tissues. When in a cold environment, the blood vessels of your skin constrict (that’s why your skin turns pale in cold weather). Your body constricts blood vessels in cold environments so as not to waste heat—a process called thermoregulation,” the experts at VeryWellHealth.com explain. “The second factor is that your immune system is actually weakened by hypothermia. Therefore, maintaining normal body temperature during surgery will help your body fight infection.”

Being Cold Isn’t Cool

The folks at VeryWellHealth.com, who have a theory that operating rooms are actually kept cool for the comfort of medical personnel – especially the surgeon, encourage you to lookout for your health if you’re in a cold treatment area by taking the following steps:

• Ask that the room be kept at a reasonable temperature.
• Let the staff know when you are cold and ask for warm blankets.
• Special warming devices can be used to keep you warm during surgery while not warming the entire room. Ask your anesthesiologist about using such a device.

If you work in the healthcare industry, we know the welfare of your patients is your top priority. If you want to be sure that your facilities are helping to promote healthy, please ask us about comprehensive Wellness Testing. As a scientific-based environmental testing company, AirMD can provide a clear picture through professional services – ranging from Asbestos Testing and Mold Inspections to Water Quality Testing – and prepare a detailed protocol to correct any issues that are discovered during the assessment.

To schedule an appointment, call 1-888-462-4763 or 1-888-GO-AIRMD.

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