It’s an all too common call “My husband thinks I’m crazy, but I think my house is making me sick. Can you come tell me that I’m not crazy”? There is no air test that will tell if a person is crazy. Thankfully there are simple and inexpensive ways to evaluate the air in your home. Contact HomePro Inspections today to request a quote on our indoor air quality test.
How Do You Know If YOUR Home Is Making YOU Sick?
In the simplest sense there are only three categories of contaminates that could be in your home.
- Biologics
- Particles
- Gases
What is the Most Common Biologic?
The most common of the biologics in your home is mold. Mold is natural to fresh air. When air sampling is done there is always an outside sample of “fresh air” to use as a benchmark from which to compare the samples taken from inside. There should be no mold species growing inside your home that is not natural to the fresh air outside your home on the day of the sample. And for a given species of mold the concentration inside your home should not exceed the concentration of mold in the fresh air sample. Molds in your home that are not found in the fresh air sample or molds in concentration that exceed the concentration of the fresh air sample are indicators that you could have a problem that requires an investigation into WHY such a situation exists and HOW to remedy it.
Particles are “Mitey” Dangerous
The particulate material in your homes air is what you might commonly call dust. Dust is composed of small pieces of stuff that floats in the air and settles on your floor and furniture. Among the more common components of dust are cellulose, fiberglass, gypsum and asbestos. Pollen, insect parts, animal hair and dust mites are also common in dust. Both mold and particulates are easy and inexpensive to sample your air for. With the clear picture of what is in your air, your doctor can more easily access how you are responding to your home. If the air in your home contains a component that your doctor determines you are allergic to, you are well on the way to good health.
What Gases to Look Out For
Determining what gases may be contaminating your home is more difficult and expensive. Radon and carbon monoxide are these are simple and affordable to test for. It is not common to have elevated levels of radon in Jacksonville. And elevated levels of carbon monoxide is typically associated with combustion appliances such as gas furnaces or wood burning stoves, again not commonplace in Jacksonville. To sample for most other gases is difficult and expensive. Do in great part to the fact that there are numerous gases that COULD be present, most requiring a specific test for each making it difficult and expensive.
If you think that your home may be making you sick it is reasonable to consult with your doctor who may be able based on your medical history to narrow the options as to what you may be having an adverse reaction to. Based on the best guess of your doctor you could then sample for molds and particulates. If you home contains contaminates that your doctor suspected as possible irritants, you should be well in the way to good health. If after reviewing the air sampling results your doctor may suggest testing you for a negative reaction to specific irritants or allergens found in your home. The very thought that your home may be making you sick is a sickening thought. If you have that thought sampling your air makes perfect sense. HomePro inspections can do a no none sense sampling of the air in your home for contaminates in your home so that you and your doctor can sort what may be making your sick.
If your home is making you sick you are not crazy, if you home is making you sick and you don’t find out why. That’s crazy!
For more information about air sampling give us a call at (904) 268-8211. And be sure to ask for a copy of the pamphlet “A Brief Bit of Information on Particles in Your Home”.
