Indoor Air Quality Complaint Investigations

There are a number of benefits in using HBI to help investigate potential air quality related causes of occupant complaints, particularly if help is sought at an early stage:
» Identify the potential cause of the complaint
» Prevent building being labelled as sick
» Provide tangible evidence that the complaint is being taken seriously
» Where appropriate, allay fears that HVAC system is the cause of problems

Features

There are a myriad of different complaints related to the indoor environment that may be encountered in buildings such as poor comfort, odours, fatigue, headaches, dry eyes, breathing difficulties, skin complaints or general ‘sick building syndrome’.  Healthy Budilings International tailor investigations accordingly but the following provides examples of tests that may be included:

» spot checks on thermal comfort parameters such as temperature, relative humidity and air movement or other parameters such as light and noise that can cause discomfort

» measurement of carbon dioxide levels to assess the adequacy of ventilation in diluting and removing occupant related pollutants

» measurement of specific gases that can cause discomfort such as formaldehyde

» measurement of airborne bacteria and mould including those specifically related to allergic reactions, such as Aspergillus

» measurement of bacteria and mould on the surfaces of the ventilation supply system to identify potential sources of airborne microbes

» assessment of dust mite concentration (dust mite faeces are associated with breathing difficulties)

» logging of specific odour compounds such as hydrogen sulphide to illustrate patterns and help identify sources

» measurement of the spectrum of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to identify compounds that may cause odours or allergic reactions

» assessment of surface dust composition to identify materials associated with irritation or allergic reactions such as glass fibre or animal hairs. More information