Phase I Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Investigation

UTAB can test your facility, whether residential or commercial, for pollutants, biological contaminants, as well as gases and vapors.  This ever present issue has become most critical in the health and welfare of building occupants, particularly in the past few years.  Let UTAB investigate your air quality problem today, and find the solution needed to enable your building occupants to live in a healthy, safe environment. 

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is defined as the nature of air that affects the health and well-being of occupants.  More simply, IAQ is the impact that interior contaminants have on the air we breath indoors.

Biological contaminants are present in all indoor and outdoor environments and come from a variety of sources, including soil, plants, animals and humans.  Biological contaminants are classified as either pathogenic or non -pathogenic.  Non-pathogenic biological contaminants do not generally infect human beings, however, some can invoke allergies or produce toxic by-products.  Pathogens are communicated by airborne transmission or physical contact.  Most microorganisms become airborne by attachment to dust particles.  Some airborne bacteria, especially within closed occupied spaces, often originate from droplet nuclei caused by actions such as sneezing. 

In many situations, total control of airborne microorganisms is not required, but in hospitals and long term care facilities, total control of airborne microorganisms is necessary.  Infectious control departments at both hospitals and long-term care facilities have adopted policies that aid in the spread of pathogenic diseases.  The key to infectious control is prevention.  Most methods for contamination control exist primarily to prevent the spread of diseases and infections.

To aid in the control of airborne contaminants, new ventilation rates and exchange rates have been established to prevent the continual re-circulation of the microorganism.  These rates are calculated to provide air exchanges to prevent the spread of viruses and diseases.  The initial goal of air exchanges was established to provide a baseline reference point for evaluating changes in air quality over time.  The air exchange rate of any space cannot be reliably estimated.  The only reliable way to determine the air exchange rate is to measure it.  The measured rates are compared to the established rates and testing frequencies, based on area served, if the rates are found to insufficient, then actions are taken to provide the acceptable rates.