Indoor Air Quality
Good indoor air quality
Mould, condensation, damp, and radon are all signs that we have poor indoor air quality. But if we have none of these problems how do we know if we have good indoor air quality and what are these pollutants? Well every day many of us are adding pollutants into our internal environment from fuel burning appliances that add nitrogen dioxide and also carbon monoxide which in poorly ventilated properties with no properly sized permanent vents can lead to death.
Other invisible air pollutions which can have a serious effect on our health come under the description of volatile organic compounds (VOC). These pollutants come from everyday products we use in our home such as deodorant, nail varnish, hair spray, perfumes, cleaning products, scented candles, air fresheners, the list goes on. Other items that produce VOC’s are not so obvious such as carpets, foam mattresses, furniture and building products that give off formaldehyde.
Since early 2020 we have been told constantly to ventilate our home and places of work to combat the spread of Covid 19. But there are many other bacteria and organisms such as dust mites that thrive in poorly ventilated properties. Houses with a low occupant density where the ventilation rate may be adequate to keep moisture production at a low level may have an inadequate ventilation rate to keep the level of VOC’s to an acceptable level.
The Technical Building Guidelines Part F have set a minimum whole house dwelling ventilation rate of 0.3 litres per second of internal floor area to combat the production of VOC’s. This level of ventilation is not a solution for radon and a separate test for radon should be taken if you live in a high radon area. During nearly all our surveys for mould and condensation problems we find that this ventilation rate for VOC’s is not achieved. So in our conclusion just because you have no mould or condensation does not automatically mean you have good indoor air quality. But it is highly likely that if you have mould or condensation you also have a high level of VOC’s in your home. All our surveys take details of the VOC ventilation rate and permanent ventilation for fuel burning appliances. We then make a recommendation for ventilation products to meet these standards.