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 | Breathing is one activity where the outside world intersects with the inner world. The better the air, the better for health. |
| Prior to testing, you are encouraged to read through Tips for a Healthier Home and make needed adjustments.
Tips is located in the Free Info section. |
| I find many people living with noxious odors and not realizing they are doing so. Education regarding healthier products comes first, but air quality testing can provide additional information. Car exhaust, from an attached garage, is a typical indoor air pollutant. |
| Description | Price |
|---|---|
| PF1 Formaldehyde Test Kit - 2 tests | $89.00 |
| Combustion Gas Detector - 1 week rental | $50.00 |
| Radon Kits - see Radon page | |
| VOC air testing - please inquire if interested | |
| Radioactivity Detector - 1 week rental | $60.00 |
| Carbon monoxide detectors up |
| Combustion gas detectors |
| Formaldehyde test kits |
| Radon testing |
| Radioactivity |
| Smoke detectors |
| Testing for unknown odors - usually VOCs |
| Most carbon monoxide detectors have alarms that sound once 50 ppm (parts per million) of carbon monoxide are present. What happens if you are living in low levels of carbon monoxide, below 50 ppm? The alarm might never go off. And, if the alarm goes off, how do you know whether the levels are 50 ppm or 200 ppm? How can you tell if there is an emergency and you need to act right away? One answer is to get a detector that is digital and tells you how many ppm of carbon monoxide is present, in addition to having an alarm. | ||||||
| Another factor to consider is at what level the alarm goes off. Standards were recently changed. Detector sensitivities were raised to 30 ppm, because fire departments were getting calls on too many false alarms. People would look at their digital detector and see "10 ppm" and call the fire department. "10 ppm" is not an emergency, though whatever is causing the reading should be corrected soon. 30 ppm is considered sufficient sensitivity for a residential setting. The alarm would still go off at 50 ppm. Many health-conscious people would like to know if they are living in levels of carbon monoxide lower than 30 ppm. Now a more sensitive carbon monoxide detector is available, such as was designed for airplane cockpit use. | ||||||
| Here are your two options:
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| You should have a carbon monoxide detector:
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| Combustion gas detectors are used to:
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| Many individuals are sensitive to formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a sensitizing chemical, meaning that it can make you sensitive to substances that didn't bother you before your formaldehyde exposure. | ||||||
| I have had many clients who got sick after moving into a new or newly renovated home. The reason for this is that many building materials offgas toxic fumes, and formaldehyde is usually present. | ||||||
| Formaldehyde is found in plywood, pressed board, strandboard, paint, draperies, permanent press fabrics, some household cleaners, etc. New kitchen cabinets often bother my chemically sensitive clients. Carpets may have formaldehyde or other toxic
offgassing. Formaldehyde is also produced by mold.
Because of static electricity, formaldehyde is attracted to dust, and we breathe it in with the dust. | ||||||
| Enviro Health carries a passive tube formaldehyde test kit. "Passive tube" means that a tube sits for a week , and whatever is in the air floats in and out. The tube can measure formaldehyde in the room air or in a kitchen cabinet, etc.
Generally, two tubes are used in different locations for comparison. You might put one in the kitchen and one in the bedroom, for example. | ||||||
| PF1 Formaldehyde Detection Tubes are $89.00 for two. | ||||||
| There are three options for reducing formaldehyde levels:
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| Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas that comes from uranium particles in granite rock. Some areas of the world have high levels of radon. Areas of sand, such as the Mississippi Delta and Long Island, New York, are considered low risk areas for radon - though it has been found in low levels in some houses. |
| The position of the Environmental Protection Agency is that every house should be tested periodically for radon. Radon products are carried on another page. up |
| On house inspections, I use a RadAlert Radiation Detector to screen for radioactivity (other than radon). Places screened may include rubble or stone foundations, granite fireplaces, stone building facades, old watches,
bathroom tiles, kitchen counters, etc. |
| What happens if elevated levels of radioactivity are found? Mainly, you keep your distance from them. If the foundation has elevated levels of radioactivity, don't put the head of a bed against an outside first floor wall. If the fireplace has elevated levels, don't put a chair right next to the fireplace. |
| Equipment rentals: $95.00/week, with credit card number to guarantee safe return. Cost: $450.00 up |
| Smoke detectors typically have radioactive sources. This means that small amounts of radioactive particles are given off by the detector. Do not place the detector above a bed or sitting area. Several manufacturers, including First Alert, make photoelectric smoke detectors without radioactive material. Check True Value Hardware Stores, Sears, etc. up |
| Identifying the source of unknown odors is one of the hardest - and most
costly - things to do in environmental investigations: |
| It is estimated that there are from 30-300 gases that are the most common types of "unknown odors" in homes. Usually, a VOC (volatile organic chemical) screening would identify most of the potentially troublesome gases. |
| Even when you get a list of chemicals in a lab analysis, the next question
relates to trying to figure out where the chemicals come from. |
| Environmental physicians may check for correlations between chemicals found in blood samples and chemicals found in air testing samples. |
| VOC testing involves drawing air through a detection tube. Equipment rental, plus laboratory analysis runs usually about $500-$800, depending on the type of air testing and whether pesticide testing is also needed. As a general principal, the more slowly air is drawn through the detection tube, the more accurate the results. This type of testing usually is performed by a professional. Contact Enviro Health for an appointment or a referral to someone in your area that does this type testing. We are exploring different types of VOC testing to see if there is any that could be offered through this site. It is likely that a quick-sample vacuum air test will be offered for several hundred dollars. Please contact us if interested. up Secure Shopping Cart |
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© 2001 May E. Dooley -
Enviro Health Environmental Home Inspections |
