Indoor Environments

Signs of poor indoor air quality include:

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

Common causes behind poor air quality 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)

Human symptoms of poor air quality inlcude: 

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

We provide a range of mold testing options to suit your needs. The Basic Mold Test includes investigation for one room of the building/residence. This test includes 2 air samples and 1 swab sample. We recommend Basic Mold testing to clients who already possess a good idea of the mold extent in their home/office.

Our Limited Mold Investigation is a more comprehensive look into mold in the home. This includes inspection of the entire home for signs of moisture and mold, as well as 3 air samples and 2 swab samples. We recommend the Limited Mold test to help you identify the direct source(s) of mold in the building and catch possible migration that may be occurring.

As with all of our mold tests, they are more than just collecting samples like the "cheap guys". We do a thorough inspection, interpret the data, and provide recommendations.

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.

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.

How Often Should I Test Air Quality?

Feel free to contact one of our environmental professionals. You may email info@paulsakson.com, or telephone (732) 230-7510 extension 4. Of course, we'd be happy to meet over a video call or at your site.