Indoor Air Quality Review

¶ … Testing and sampling devices for monitoring volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds in indoor air by Zabiegala and Namiesnik (2012). The article begins by noting that indoor air quality is usually worse than outdoor air quality, and that issues with indoor air quality affect humans physiologically in ways that are often detrimental. Chemical compounds are" emitted from building and construction materials, and from indoor equipment." As industrial hygienists know, there are many different devices by which indoor environments can be tested for air quality.

Tests of building materials are done using either mathematical modeling or laboratory experiments using emission test chambers. In the field, however, testing is more complicated. The authors discuss the different types of analytical instruments that are used in the field for emissions testing. These include field and laboratory emission cells (FLECs), which are used to test for contaminants on flat surfaces. There are many types of FLECs on the market.

Passive flux samplers works well in the field and the authors outline the different types of these on the market as well. Another type of testing method is direct thermal desorption, which is used for "dry, homogenous materials" and works by trapping materials and heating them, to test for their presence. The authors conclude with a table that compares the different types of tests on the basis of time frame, cost, difficulty, lab space and different usage characteristics.

The findings highlight the value of passive flux samplers for the field, as well as FLECs. It is important that the right testing method be chosen because indoor air quality affects performance in a business. Poor air quality can lead to negative health outcomes, in particular where there are dangerous pathogens in the air. Performance can also be affected, as poor air quality can manifest in workers as drowsiness, which lowers productivity and increases the risk of injury, which lowers productivity further.

Because of this importance, it is vital that businesses check their ventilation systems regularly. Improper ventilation is a major contributing factor to poor indoor air quality. Systems typically work on a building-wide level, but regardless having an effective system in place, one that deals with a wide range of pathogens and pollutants, will improve workplace health outcomes and likely will improve profitability as well. Oddly, there are not always guidelines with respect to pollutants. In some cases, this makes sense, such as with mold spores.

There are 100,000 types of mold spores, not all bad, and mold spore counts are typically much higher in outdoor air, which otherwise is healthy. In other cases, it would seem that there could be standards, such as with carbon dioxide, yet no standards exist at the federal level, from any agency. There are some state-level standards for some things, but there is no consistency in what standards exist where. As a result, businesses and industrial hygienists often have only informal guidelines with which to work.

For pollutants for which there has been sufficient study, academic papers can provide guidelines, but there may still be pollutants for.