Healthy Indoors Magazine - USA Edition

HI April 2022-USA Edition

Healthy Indoors Magazine

Issue link: https://hi.healthyindoors.com/i/1467183

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 17 of 50

16 | April 2022 W onder Makers Environmen- tal of Kalamazoo, Michigan, conducted a controlled study to compare the relative effectiveness of a new sampling technology developed by Inspirotech, branded as "AirAnswers ® ," in relation to the most common indoor air quality sampling system for mold investigations. Currently, the use of spore trap style samples, which capture particulate contaminant from an air stream onto a sticky surface, and subject to direct evaluation under a microscope, is the predominant sampling technique for mold investigations. The initial sampling and comparison indicate that the AirAnswers test returns re- sults consistent with, and at least as sensitive as, the current industry standard spore trap and direct observation sampling. To identify water and fungal-damaged buildings, par ticularly when confronted with occupant health concerns, indoor air quality professionals generally inspect for visible indicators of water intrusion and fungal growth. In addition to visual in - dicators, inspectors often utilize a variety of sampling methods to assist with their evaluation of the structure. For the last two decades, spore trap style samples, available from a variety of manufacturers, have been the predominant sampling methodology for such projects. To determine how their new sampling system compares to spore trap samples, AirAnswers sampling devices were run side-by-side with spore trap sampling pumps. Multiple sam- ples were collected from structures with visible indications of fungal growth, as well as structures without any visible clues of contamination. Comparison results demonstrate that the AirAnswers device is an appropriate supplement, or potentially substitutionary tool, to current industry standard spore trap sampling when used as designed. Just as importantly, the AirAn- swers device can evaluate an additional range of contaminants that cannot currently be identified using spore trap samples. The Market The indoor air quality (IAQ) market for products and services has been estimated by private and government sources to have exceeded $10 billion in 2021.Although investigative and sampling costs are thought to make up only 10-15 percent of that total, it still equates to expenditures by building occupants and inspection professionals more than $1 billion. A decades-long trend of better understanding the connection between various contaminants in the indoor air and occupant health means that the growth in IAQ services and products are not likely to slow down any time soon. Although IAQ covers a multitude of parameters, including temperature/humidity, chemical off- gassing, dust levels, and invisible hazards like radon, the impact of bioaerosols on occu- pant health is a critical subset of contaminants that have proven negative health effects on occupants. Bioaerosols, or biological aerosols, are a subcategory of particles released into the air, both inside and outside of structures. They consist of living and non-living components of biological sources (animals, fungi, pollen, bacteria, mold, and viruses). Generally, the dilution effect of the wind keeps bioaerosols outside buildings below harmful levels. In contrast, when bioaerosols build up inside, they can result in concentrations of microbial pathogens, endotoxins, and aller- gens, which are dangerous to human and animal occupants. Allergens and mold garner considerable attention from IAQ investigators because of the wide variety of ill health effects and symptoms that exposure can cause. The migration to treating people with allergies holistically (with medicines to suppress symptoms and environmental activities to identify, clean up, and control exposure to the actual allergens causing the immune Industry feature: A Comparison of AirAnswers Sampling to Spore Trap Samples for Mold Investigations Part One

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Healthy Indoors Magazine - USA Edition - HI April 2022-USA Edition