VOC Testing
Volatile Organic Compounds are hazardous to your health. If you are worried about VOC or formaldehyde call us today for a free phone consultation on a solution for your property.
Possible Workplace VOC Sources
- Sealants and coatings,
- Paints, stains and varnishes
- Cleaning chemicals
- Fuels
- Fabric, furnishings and carpets
How to Reduce Levels of VOC's
The primary step to removing VOC's is to remove the source. Common places to find Voc's include old chemicals, paints, solvents and varnishes. Also look at furniture and carpet. Composite wood is also another offender.
Some steps to reduce the levels include:
Prevent Exposure: Your office can contain building materials and furnishings which are emitting VOC's. Office equipment such as copiers and printers, copy paper, craft and graphics materials as well as adhesives and human activities such as cooking and smoking can also emit VOC's.
Increase Ventilation: Formulate a plan for natural ventilation, if this is not possible consider installing a Hepa air scrubber or integrate Hepa filtration into your HVAC system. Use of charcoal filters is essential to remove odours and gases from the air. HVAC systems should be maintained and cleaned as well, as this can be contributing to lack of air exchange in the property.
Correct Storage of Unused Chemicals: These should be kept in a garage or shed. Also dispose unused chemicals stored in your home or property.
Climate Control: Relative humidity and temperatures should be as low as comfortable because chemical have potential to off gas more in higher humidity and temperatures.
VOC's are volatile organic compounds, it is a term which encompasses over 10,000 different chemical compounds which can be found within indoor air. They can originate from a wide array or products such as paints, carpets, wood floors, building materials and furniture. This can be a big problem for people who are sensitive to chemicals or who have asthma. Even breathing relatively low levels of VOCs over a sustained period of time can increase a person's risk to health problems.
VOC Health Effects
Health professionals look at acute exposures (short term exposure) as hours to days and chronic exposure (long term) as years. Symptoms for short term exposure include eye, nose and throat irritation as well as vomiting, asthma symptoms, headaches, nausea vomiting and dizziness. Some of the long term exposure symptoms can be increased risk of kidney damage, damage to the central nervous system and even cancer.
Household Sources of VOCs
- Paints and Solvents
- Wood Preservatives
- Pesticides
- Hobby Supplies
- Dry Cleaned Clothing
- Aerosol Sprays and Room Fragrance
VOC Testing Services We Offer
We can provide inspection services an provide VOC testing to ensure your property has safe levels of VOC levels.
- We can provide either a quick screening of the property with total VOC's or we can conduct a detailed laboratory testing throughout the area to find out what gases are in the environment
- We can also provide a report on what can be done to decrease the Voc's present in the property.