Air Quality Comes in Many Forms

When people talk about air quality and getting an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) test done, they are typically referring to an office or home environment.  More than likely someone has complained about a mystery smell, or possibly someone has some “black stuff” growing on a wall.  A really popular place to perform IAQs right now is court rooms.  During the summer, especially in the south, with the heat and humidity the judges begin to notice unpleasant smells.  They spend quite a large time in the rooms and they don’t want to be trapped with a musty moldy smell. When a judge complains about the quality of the air they breathe people listen.  These authority figures know that when something doesn’t smell right (pardon the pun) that it is time to bring in the professionals.  Often times the judges are correct to ask for an Industrial Hygienist to come out and do some air monitoring.  When the air samples have been taken and the results are in sometimes there is mold.  Now, why would a courthouse be more likely to have mold in it than a new office building?  It’s a simple answer—age.  Because most courtrooms are old it’s had time to develop mold and mildew from the years of minute leaks, un-notice or fixed too late roof leaks.  Mold happens and when it does having an action plan can save money.  Indoor air quality is an important component to keep employees healthy and productive.  If the air that they are breathing is unhealthy, then how can an employer expect their employees to be healthy?  If an employer is noticing that a lot of his employees seem to be coming down with colds or “worse than usual” allergies, they may want to take the time to have their air quality tested.  Mold doesn’t just grow on the walls!  It can also grow in your air handling units.  Having a professional come and do an IAQ in office buildings and court houses is always a good idea if mold is possibility.Having the air sampled in an environment like a courtroom is not difficult, it can take some planning.  Often times it is a good idea to take samples when the courtroom is empty, this way when the air machine is finished gathering an air sample the court proceedings are not disturbed.  Once the adequate numbers of samples are taken, and after the lab analyzes the samples a detailed report will be written.To recommend a firm to perform an IAQ for a courthouse click here.