Indoor Air Quality Testing Services

Indoor Air testing in Hamilton, Dundas, Burlington, Grimsby, Stoney creek:

Nook 'n' Cranny can perform indoor air quality testing to help you determine the presence of airborne health threats to you and your family in your home or workplace.

 Air quality testing fees:

• Radon testing: See Radon Testing page.
• Mould spore air sampling: $175 plus $25/Sample (Air-o-Cell, swab or tape lift)
• Allergen air sampling: $175 plus $30/Sample.

Quick Facts...

Indoor air quality can be worse than that of outdoor air. Problems can arise from moisture, insects, pets, appliances, radon, materials used in household products and furnishings, smoke and other sources. Effects of poor IAQ range from minor annoyances to major health risks.
Remedies include ventilation, cleaning, moisture control, inspections, and following manufacturers' directions when using appliances and products.

Research has shown that the quality of indoor air can be worse than that of outdoor air. Many homes are built or remodeled more tightly, without regard to the factors that assure fresh and healthy indoor air. Our homes today contain many furnishings, appliances and products that can affect indoor air quality.

Signs of indoor air quality problems include:

Unusual and noticeable odors.
Stale or stuffy air.
Noticeable lack of air movement.
Dirty or faulty central heating or air conditioning equipment.
Damaged flue pipes or chimneys.
Unvented combustion air sources for fossil fuel appliances.
Excessive humidity.
Presence of molds and mildew.
Health reaction after remodeling, weatherizing, using new furniture, using household and hobby products, or moving into a new home.
Feeling noticeably healthier outside. 

About Mould:

MOST COMMON INDOOR MOULDS:
CLADOSPORIUM
PENICILLIUM
ASPERGILLUS
ALTERNARIA
STACHYBOTRYS
FUSARIUM
MOULDS – IN GENERAL

Moulds are common to both indoors and outdoors. In fact, molds grow best in warm, damp and humid conditions, where there is a source of food such as leaf matter, dirt/soil, decomposed wood including paper, or other organic material—both plant and animal.

Moulds can survive in a dormant state in very harsh conditions and for long periods of time because they produce spores that may be dormant in extreme heat or cold, dry conditions, very acid or alkaline environments and then multiply when conditions become more favorable.

Moulds cause a variety of symptoms in humans. The most common symptoms are upper respiratory symptoms, cough, asthma reactions in people with asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis in persons susceptible to respiratory problems. Far less common are other illnesses, such as chronic fatigue, blood disorders, immune system reactions and other system illnesses that almost always occur in individuals with severely compromised immune systems (i.e., cancer patients, organ transplant recipients, etc.), and even these situations are controversial.

It is also important to note that human susceptibility varies greatly from person to person. While one person may have a strong reaction to a particular mould, scores of others in the same environment experience no reaction at all.

Remember: Allergies, asthma, and many other illnesses may be caused by other agents such as pollen, grass, trees, chemicals, foods, medicines, animals, insects and genetics.

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