Indoor Environmental Quality Services

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Services in Toronto and the GTA

The best way to ensure good health is to have regular check-ups. At Clearview Home & Property Inspections we have created a unique package that focuses on your home or commercial property.

As new construction practices continue to make our buildings more energy efficiency we sometimes lose sight of an equally critical component, our indoor air quality. With variety of health concerns such as cancer, asthma, allergies and other threats to our health on the rise, our indoor air quality can play a significant factor in the health of your employees or families.

Our Indoor Air Quality Checkup was created for your home or place of business in mind. This unique service includes all the following:

Air Sampling for Mould
Allergen sampling
Radon Testing
VOC Testing
Formaldehyde
Thermal Imaging

Mould

The process for air sampling begins by extracting at least two air samples, one from outside the property which acts as the control sample and at least one indoor air sample which will be compared against the control sample. For interior samples, it is recommended that 1 sample be taken for every 1,000 sq ft. These samples are generally taken in central areas of the property. Once the sampling is complete, these samples are taken to an accredited laboratory where they are analyzed and produce a report that identifies the mold spores detected, the concentration and the relationship between the exterior and interior samples to determine if elevated levels of mould exist in the home.

Radon

Radon doesn’t have to be a problem. Radon is a radioactive gas that is colourless, odourless and tasteless. It is formed by the breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and groundwater. There are health risks associated with exposure to radon gas. This is now the second leading cause of lung cancer.
According to Health Canada, the acceptable level of Radon gas has been reduced from 800 Bq/m³ to the new level of 200 Bq/m³. Action to reduce the radon level should be taken in a home whenever the average annual radon concentration exceeds 200 Bq/m³ and the radon level should be reduced to a value as low as practicable.

We will test your home or property to determine if you have a potential radon problem and help guide you if you do. Don’t ignore a problem that can easily be fixed.

VOC

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) indoors is generally two to five times higher than the level of VOC’s outdoors. VOCs commonly referred to as “off-gases” are emitted from certain solids or liquids. VOC concentrations in indoor air depend on many factors, including the:

• Amount of VOCs in a product;
• Rate at which the VOCs are released;
• Volume of the air in the room/building;
• Ventilation rate or the area; and
• Outdoor concentrations of VOCs

In the indoor environment, VOCs can be released by sources such as furniture, paint, adhesives, solvents, upholstery, draperies, carpeting, spray cans, clothing, and construction materials, cleaning compounds, deodorizers, copy machine toners, felt-tip markers and pens and correction fluids. Concentrations of many VOCs emitted indoors are generally higher than outdoor concentrations because of the presence of indoor sources such as building materials, consumer and commercial product use and human activities such as cooking.

Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a colourless gas that is commonly found in the indoor air of homes. It can be emitted from building materials and furnishings, in particular those made from pressed-wood products with formaldehyde-based adhesives.

Health Canada’s Residential Indoor Air Quality Guideline for formaldehyde recommends maximum exposure limits of;

Short-term exposure: 123 µg/m³ (100 ppb)
Long-term exposure: 50 µg/m³ (or 40 ppb)

We will test your home or property to determine if you have a potential problem.

Dust Sampling

Many allergens in your environment can trigger allergic symptoms, house dust is the main indoor allergen. House or building dust is an airborne mixture that might contain fine particles of soil and plant material from indoors or outdoors, particles of human and animal skin (dander) and hair, fabric fibers, mold spores, dust mites, fragments of insects that have died and their waste, food particles, and other debris.
Testing your air for allergens and pollutants is a good start. Our standard test can detect and identify common indoor allergens including dust mites, Cat, Dog, Cockroach.

Thermal

Over the life of a building exterior components do fail and this can lead to hidden leaks, hidden entry points for insects and rot, deterioration, mould growth, an unhealthy indoor environment, structural damage and worse.

Using advanced thermal imaging, we look for hidden problems so you can stop them before they do serious damage.

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