Air quality testing can reveal several pollutants. Some are visible to the naked eye, while others are odorless and only detected by a thorough air quality test.
Regular indoor air testing helps prevent health issues in residential and commercial properties. The same applies to businesses, as it can lower absenteeism and improve productivity.
Reduces Illnesses and Injuries
Air quality testing can help determine the source of illnesses and allergies. For example, biological pollutants, such as molds and mildews, release disease-causing toxins that trigger sneezing, watery eyes, coughing and other respiratory symptoms. Humidity: High humidity is conducive to the growth of mold and other biological contaminants. VOCs: Chemical pollutants, such as formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, acetaldehyde, butyraldehyde, o-Phthalaldehyde (Cidex OPA), and aldehydes, including hex aldehyde, propionaldehyde, and tolu aldehyde are commonly found in indoor air.
Carbon Monoxide: High levels of carbon monoxide can be fatal. Detecting carbon monoxide in your property’s air can help prevent deaths and injuries.
Reduces Absenteeism
The air quality inside commercial buildings can affect a company’s employees, customers and business. It can cause headaches, fatigue and symptoms affecting the nose, eyes, throat and skin (ENT&S). Symptoms can reduce productivity and customer satisfaction and significantly increase absenteeism and turnover rates. Schools can be particularly sensitive to classroom indoor environmental quality (IAQ) and thermal comfort (TC). In Salt Lake City, students miss more school days during high pollution or “red” air quality levels compared to other days of the year. Hiring an air quality testing Salem Oregon company can help pinpoint problems. It can help a company determine the best way to improve indoor air quality, including ventilation, lighting and noise levels. This will increase productivity, reduce absenteeism and lower energy costs.
Increases Employee Comfort
Air quality inspections can help identify and eliminate odors, humidity, VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), bacteria, mold and radon in your building or home. In addition, regular tests can reveal if your heating and cooling system is working effectively or needs duct cleaning. Poor indoor air quality is linked to numerous health problems, from headaches and fatigue to sick-building syndrome and even kidney failure and cancer [1, 2, 3]. Short-term exposure to stale, unhealthy indoor air can lead to eye irritation, runny nose, sore throat, coughing and sneezing. In contrast, long-term exposure increases the risk of chronic diseases like asthma and lung cancer.
A healthier workplace means fewer employee sick days and more productivity. With regular air testing, you can ensure the quality of your workspace is optimum for both employees and customers.
Increases Productivity
We focus on employee engagement, competitive salaries and performance management techniques as ways to increase productivity. But indoor air quality is another overlooked factor that can significantly improve workplace efficiency. An air quality test can detect several contaminants, including dust particles, mold, germs, volatile organic compounds and even bacteria. These pollutants can trigger various symptoms, such as allergies, respiratory irritation and fatigue. But these pollutants also profoundly impact cognitive function, affecting people’s ability to respond quickly and make strategic decisions. Studies show that individuals working in ventilated spaces with lower concentrations of pollutants perform better than those who work in poorly-ventilated environments. Productivity effects are easy to monetize, making them an important consideration in cost-benefit analyses for implementing environmental policy.
Reduces Health Care Costs
Air quality testing can help identify irritants that are making people sick. For example, high levels of radon, carbon monoxide, and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) can all cause health problems.
VOCs are chemical pollutants from cleaning products, building materials, wood preservatives, and office equipment. Exposure to them can lead to respiratory issues, headaches, and nervous system damage.
In addition, a study found that hospitals and healthcare insurers spent $193 million per year treating patients for pollution-related illnesses. This significant money could be saved by ensuring buildings meet clean air standards. By performing regular air quality tests, you can ensure the health and safety of your employees, visitors, students, or tenants. That will increase productivity and reduce costs in the long run.
