Indoor Air Quality Checks
Indoor Air Quality Testing for occupational and consumer safety.
There is often no single factor that determines the quality of indoor air in an office, retail or enclosed space. The Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) of a building is a complexity of factors that influence the link to human health effects.
Concentrations of indoor air pollutants are influenced by changes in activities both within and outside the buildings, cleaning, heating and renovation regimes, the degree of ventilation, and the presence of products that are hazardous (including asbestos) or emit volatile organic compounds.
Increasingly, as dwellings have become better sealed from the external environment, pollutants being released from indoor sources are being found at higher concentrations such as fungi, microbial contamination, house dust mites, particulates and air toxics such as formaldehyde.
The Purple Tick selects approved laboratories such as CETEC with significant IAQ assessment experience (ie air quality monitoring) and which have a strong focus on the quantitative elements of IAQ.
The Purple Tick and CETEC adopt a disciplined sampling methodology. This may include airborne sampling and swabbing of representative affected areas. In many instances, speciation may be necessary as some species are more hazardous to human health than others.
Quantitative measures can involve monitoring the following:
- Temperature and humidity
- Measurement of building ventilation rates (carbon dioxide) and the effectiveness of the ventilation system
- Concentration of selected indoor air pollutants, such as VOCs, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde
- Air particulates
- Airborne microbials
- Radiation
Mycometer® Microbial Testing
Rapid on-site microbial testing with new European patented technology Mycometer.
Mycometer® is a state of the art tool for the rapid assessment of microbial issues within the Indoor Environment, in Water Microbiology, and in Industrial Applications. It provides significant benefit to users due to it providing rapid on-the-spot results, typically within 30 minutes to an hour; compared to that of conventional plate count methods which typically take 4 – 7 days.
Why Mycometer®?
- Game changer in microbial analysis
- Rapid on-site results for surface, water, and air analysis
- Unique, European, proven technology (US EPA verified)
- One portable set, multipurpose, wide range of applications
- Low cost
- Used since 2013 in Australia in a range of hospitals following high microbial levels found in water systems
The Mycometer technology is based on the finding that it is possible to identify enzyme activities that characterizes certain taxonomic groups of organisms. In 1999, the Company launched the Mycometer®-test for measuring the fungal biomass on surfaces. This test is based on the finding that the level of an enzyme activity ( β-N-acetylhexosaminidase, NAHA) correlates with the level of ergosterol, a known indicator of fungal presence.
Further, the Mycometer® technology allows for the separate measurement of Bacteria, and Fungi which differs from ATP testing, which only measures total microbial loading.
Bactiquant-Surface
The most robust on-site surface bacteria contamination assessment.
Bacteria can sometimes inhibit mould growth and vice versa. In situations where liquid water is visibly present bacteria often dominates completely inhibiting mould growth. Where conditions are moist, but without liquid water, mould usually dominates and can inhibit bacterial growth.
The Bactiquant-surface fills the gap between the slow classical cultivation methods and the very rapid but non-specific and inaccurate methods based on ATP technology. A high reproducibility and robustness has provided a platform for the development of Interpretation Criteria which is a unique feature for the Bactiquant-surface.
The new method allows on-site results in an hour and is based on detection of a hydrolytic enzyme activity by use of a very sensitive fluorescence technology. Sampling is performed with sterile swabs which are wetted with sterile saline and used for swabbing 9 cm² area. The analysis follows an easy four step process to get results in an hour.
With the Bactiquant®-surface method you can demonstrate the efficacy of cleaning effort and show that the total bacterial level has been reduced to levels found on clean surfaces in non-contaminated buildings. Both pathogenic bacteria and endotoxins are therefore reduced to insignificant levels.
The Bactiquant is the only rapid surface technology specifically for bacteria that has been verified by US-EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).
Applications include:
- Water & flood Damage
- Contamination assessment
- HVAC cleaning/maintenance
- Medical & cleaning facilities
- Building envelope leakage