New Jersey Indoor Air Quality
Testing Services

Bad air quality comes in many different forms – some are clear as day and others are completely unnoticeable to the naked eye/nose.

Some of the telltale signs you’ve got poor indoor air quality include:

• Musty or unusual smells that persist.
• Stale/stuffy air
• Clear lack of air movement
• Excessive humidity
• Dirty HVAC equipment

In terms of symptoms, some of the big ones include (but are not limited to):

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Shortness of breath
• Eye, skin, nose, or throat irritation
• Sinus congestion
• Cough
• Sneezing

There are many culprits behind poor indoor air quality. The most common ones include:

• Poor ventilation/lack of fresh air
• Contaminated air being consistently brought into the building
• Dampness due to plumbing leaks, damage, flooding, or humidity
• Particle board products
• Asbestos (older buildings)

There are many different types of indoor air pollutants. Some of the less serious ones include dust, pollen, fabric fibers, and other common household particles. These may aggravate allergy or asthma symptoms, but are not overly dangerous.

Other airborne hazards indoors are not as easily dismissed. These include radon, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, volatile organics, lead particles, asbestos, nitrogen dioxide, and more. Moreover, many of these pollutants are unnoticeable and require professional detection services to catch.

Getting to the root cause of poor air quality almost always requires a professional inspection. This calls for a detailed understanding of the building’s design, ventilation system, HVAC setup, as well as the common activities performed by the occupants of the building.

This depends on a number of different factors – the size of the building, the depth of the problem, etc. Indoor air quality testing can take several days to several weeks to get the results back.

It’s tough to say exactly how often you should get your indoor air quality tested. As you may have a sensitive site, such as a school or residence, you can never be too safe. That said, you may consider testing your indoor air quality at least once a year.

VOCs – or Volatile Organic Compounds – are chemicals that contain carbon and are present in indoor air. VOCs come from all types of sources, including building materials, furnishings, consumer products, dry cleaning chemicals, petroleum products, cleaning agents and more.

VOCs can be completely odorless, and some are known to cause a number of health problems.

Formaldehyde is an organic pollutant containing an atom of carbon, and atom of oxygen, and two atoms of hydrogen. While it is present outdoors, indoor concentrations are much higher. Formaldehyde is commonly found in manufactured wood products using certain resins to glue particles together, hair salons, and even your old high school biology lab.

Formaldehyde can cause irritation of the skin, eyes, throat, and nose. Some consider it to be a cancer risk in certain people. While there is a lot of debate over what levels of formaldehyde are considered dangerous, it’s never a bad idea to get your building or residence inspected.

It depends. Some gasses, such as carbon monoxide are easily detected with a battery operated detector. For more complex contaminants, such as formaldehyde, volatile organics, and mercury, it’s recommended to have a professional take care of this for you to ensure no variants get missed.

Humidity has a huge impact on your indoor air quality. Buildings with high humidity are breeding grounds for pollutants and bacteria. This can lead to issues like breathing problems, allergies, coughing, and so on. However, some contaminants, such as formaldehyde and volatile organics, are present in even low humid environments.

Childcare centers built in 1978 or earlier – or are co-owned with nail salons, dry cleaners, or any other potential environmental concern are required to have an Indoor Environmental Health Assessment. This involves a number of air tests to be done, including radon, lead paint surveying, asbestos, and an analysis of any other potential concern. These inspections must be done by a NJDOH licensed provider.