Indoor Air Quality

We know that the air outdoors is fairly polluted in most places around the world, especially in urban areas. But more times than not, the air inside homes and businesses is far worse. The EPA concluded that the air quality indoors is 2 to 5 times worse than the outdoors! Most people and children spend the majority of their day…

Air pollution is hard to fend off, no matter where you live. This global crisis is a huge threat to human health and welfare, claiming nearly 4.5 million lives every year. While most people lose sleep over outdoor air pollution, the unfortunate reality is that indoor air is often just as contaminated. In fact, it may be worse in some…

If you operate a childcare facility, the safety and wellbeing of your children and staff is a high priority to you. However, if your facility contains a high level of indoor air pollutants, you may unknowingly be putting them in danger. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are often to blame for poor indoor air quality. VOCs are chemicals that evaporate at…

No one wants their children to be exposed to harmful substances, especially in a child care facility where they spend a large part of their day. However, the owner and staff at a child care center may not be aware of possible harmful substances that could be present in their rooms – such as elevated levels of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is…

Air sampling is generally required when a child care center is located (or co-located) in a building that was used for dry cleaning, nail salon, petroleum storage, funeral services, or other potentially high hazard use group.  The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) should be contacted to determine the requirements for indoor air sampling, although oftentimes they leave professional judgment…

We get this question often from child care center owners looking to move into a new space or expand an existing center.  The NJ Department of Health (NJDOH) has requirements set forth in N.J.A.C. 8-50 in addition to their Indoor Environments Program website. Generally, if a building was constructed prior to 1979, or the property was formerly used as a gas…

While most child care centers receive potable water from community water suppliers (NJ American Water, Municipal Utilities Authority to name a few), many centers in rural areas receive their water from water supply wells.  In order to certify the water quality, the NJDEP’s Bureau of Safe Drinking Water reviews all sampling data and will issue a Certification of Acceptable Drinking…