EnviroVent Work With Air Quality Experts For Indoor Air Quality Tests

By Ruth MacEachern

Product Manager

Householders across the UK can now have their mind put at rest regarding indoor air quality as EnviroVent, one of the UK’s leading ventilation manufacturers, has partnered with social enterprise Airtopia to offer a quick and easy indoor air quality test.

Sources of indoor air pollution are all around us, but invisible. This unique Airtopia test will, for the first time, give property owners a detailed report and recommendations that relate to their own particular setting and lifestyle.

How do you know that the air you breathe indoors is safe? Any number of harmful chemicals and pollutants could be invisibly contaminating your home environment. These can come from many sources, from paints and finishings to synthetic furnishings and home appliances. Poor indoor air quality at home can provoke allergies such as asthma - this is a particular concern where young children are present.

The World Health Organisation recently confirmed that chemicals found in everyday household items may cause breast cancer, asthma, infertility and birth defects. Phtalates and bisphenol A were singled out as major culprits, however these are just 2 types of a myriad of potentially harmful chemicals that can contaminate your home's indoor air quality. Safe Air Quality's indoor air and chemical testing services can determine if you are at risk.

In today’s modern world many of us now spend a significant proportion of our time indoors.

It is therefore very important to ensure the quality of our indoor workplace and home environments, including the air we breathe are as clean and healthy as they can possibly be.

Indoor air quality is becoming increasingly important to homeowners, businesses and other organisations as it can impact significantly on workplace health and well-being, employee comfort, attendance and productivity issues.

At its most extreme, poor indoor air quality can result in significant numbers of building occupants experiencing discomfort and malaise, increased work related health and illness issues, increased absenteeism and reduced productivity.

This situation is often referred to as Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) and requires expert advice and evaluation if a successful resolution is to be found.

Many people do not realise that poor indoor air quality may be the reason for a variety of health problems, ranging from respiratory conditions, such as asthma, sore throats, bronchitis, skin rashes and irritation, allergies, red eyes, headaches, running nose and nasal congestion.

Long-term exposure to toxins in the home has even been linked to diabetes, dementia, tachycardia and an increased risk of cancers.

The Airtopia Home Health Check, available through EnviroVent, is an in-depth Indoor Air Quality assessment and questionnaire that can determine for sure whether a home has a problem. It only takes 90 minutes for an EnviroVent specialist to carry out the test. The results are then analysed in detail in the Airtopia laboratory.

The analyst will test for:

• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – the test reveals the overall levels of airborne chemicals, breaking them down into 16 individual contaminants with results and recommendations for each of them.
• Temperature, Moisture & Humidity – it tests the amount of water vapour in the air, which contributes to condensation, alongside levels of thermal comfort around the home.
• Carbon Dioxide – a gas naturally found in the atmosphere but is undesirable at higher levels.
• Formaldehyde – a colourless pungent gas used in building materials and many household products.
• Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds – which actively grow mould.

EnviroVent’s specialists then get back in touch with the householder with a bespoke report on the air quality in their home, alongside advice, support and details of recommended solutions. Making use of the various remedial advice given, the property owner can improve their home’s indoor air quality and potentially their family’s health too.

Rebecca McLean, Marketing and Product Director, at EnviroVent, said: “We spend up to 90% of our time inside buildings, but many people do not realise that their indoor air quality could be doing them harm. Having an indoor air quality test means that you are made fully aware of any contaminants, toxins and excess moisture and then can deal with them in an appropriate manner. The best way to improve or maintain good indoor air quality is to have a reliable ventilation system in the home.”

For any homeowner, self-builder, or landlord, EnviroVent has its own specialist team who will survey, recommend and then install the product into an existing or new property.

EnviroVent offers a range of Positive Input Ventilation (PIV), as well as Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) solutions to the new build and refurbishment sectors. Its award-winning products are UK manufactured and can be installed by EnviroVent’s own dedicated team of nationwide installation engineers, who also provide after-sales support.

EnviroVent & Airtopia’s Home Health Check, including detailed laboratory tests and a bespoke report costs £299.