Verify Air Quality Testing

  Indoor air quality is a broad term that has many aspects. Air quality can be comfort as in temperature and humidity. Indoor Air Quality can also be gases, chemicals and dust. Air quality indoors can also be affect by mold. This blog will focus on why mold causes poor indoor air quality. We have all seen mold on window frames, mold on bread and some have also seen mold on plants. However, this can be normal and small amounts of mold growth indoors that can be normal and completely harmless in most cases. Where we get concerned about mold growth indoors is when mold growth behind walls, under flooring and above ceilings. Mold can even grow in the HVAC system. This is where mold can cause poor indoor air quality. Mold needs 4 things to grow indoors to affect the indoor air quality: Mold Spores. These are already ubiquitous or all around us in nature. These spores come indoors through natural ventilation. Cellulose Food Source. This is paper, cardboard or wood. Most homes have wood f...

Mold inspections need to be performed by a qualified mold inspector who has formal training and experience with mold inspections. Training and experience are necessary. Mold inspections should look for evidence of past or current mold growth.Past mold growth may indicate a water problem which will come back when certain conditions return such as a recurring leak. Past mold growth may also cause sensitized individuals to have an allergic reaction or, conceivably, cause some individuals to start becoming sensitized to mold. Mold inspections should look for mold within the building, inside walls, and in other areas where mold growth is undesirable, including areas where mold growth could be causing structural issues such as wood decay in crawlspaces. The purpose of a Mould Inspection is to determine the following: Do you have a serious mould issue? Where is the mould growth located and are airborne mould spores affecting air quality? Is it a small, medium or large mould growth problem? W...

Our job is to determine if you have a mould issue, how serious is it, where is the mould located and is it affecting the indoor air quality and are there health concerns.  We then issue a detailed step-by-step report that in minor cases you can follow and in more serious cases a mould removal contractor will follow. Our Mould Inspection Process: Visual Inspection of the home or office for signs of mould and water damage Relative Humidity readings Moisture meter survey of walls, ceiling and floors in suspect areas Thermal imaging of walls, ceiling and floors  Laboratory sampling for airborne mould spores Written report and consultation with client. Don't let your mould removal contractor decide the size and scope of the work.  An independent third party like Verify Air Quality Test can save you money and make sure the work is done right.

Best Air Quality Testing We have been in the indoor air quality testing field for almost 20 years now and have come across a multitude of indoor air quality products with even more claims and promises that we can count. That is why we test any air quality systems we recommend personally and actually use these systems in at least one of our homes, before we recommend these air quality products to our clients. At Verify Air Quality Test we want to make sure we only recommend air quality products that have been tested an proven to provide the best indoor air quality. Let’s start with some of the basics, furnace filtration. This is often overlooked. Many homes we see just have the cheapest furnace filter and most are not even sized right. This is the first step in ensuring your home has good air quality. The furnace filter keeps your HVAC systems and ducts from accumulating too much dust and debris which can cause poor indoor air quality. When we perform indoor air quality testing, this ...

Mold causes cancer in dogs Our pets, especially dogs are very susceptible to developing allergic reactions as well as serious diseases from poor indoor air quality as well as hidden mold growth. Dogs are like small kids in body size and spend the majority of their indoor life on or near the floor. Water damage and hidden mold growth tend to be hiding behind walls (near the bottom of the wall) as well as under flooring. This makes the vicinity of the mold growth a potential hazard to dogs and kids crawling on the floor. Mold growth produces mold spores which can become part of the breathable air. Many mold species produce mycotoxins which are toxic chemicals used by mold to battle other fungi. Inhaling an abundance of mold spores with mycotoxins can make you sick. Inhaling carcinogenic mycotoxins such as Aspergillus flavus can lead to cancer. The best way to protect your dog from developing cancer from a hidden mold growth issue in your home is to have a profession...

Wrong Way To Do Mould Remediation The mould remediation industry in Canada has taken off over the last decade or so. When we started air quality testing, mould inspections and mould testing in the Toronto area there were only a handful of large environmental companies doing mould assessments and only a few asbestos contractors dealing with mould removal. Toronto has seen a huge spike in contractors willing to do mould removal…many don’t know what they are doing. Just yesterday we were called in by one of our residential clients in the Toronto area that was concerned about how the mould growth in his basement was being removed by a contractor hired by his landlord. I have been doing air quality assessments and mould inspection in the GTA for about 18 years, never have I seen a worse mould remediation contractor like this. The mould removal contractor was cleaning up mould growth in the basement bathroom and kitchen area. None of his workers was wearing the proper Pers...

Safe Indoor Air Quality Safe Indoor Air Quality Is Filtering Out Bacteria, Viruses, and Allergens Now more than ever it is important to have good indoor air quality and safe indoor air quality. Your furnace filtration system needs to be able to filter out bacteria, viruses, and allergens including mold spores. There are lots of filters on the market with these claims but do they really perform as advertised. Most homes in the GTA have either very poor air filtration or no filtration at all due to cheap pleated media filters on the market. This leads to a whole host of indoor allergy symptoms and homeowners suffering needlessly when indoors. Let’s face it, the outdoor air isn’t as great as it used to be in Toronto coupled with people self-isolating at home due to the recent pandemic…now is the time to protect the indoor air of your home. Let’s look at the standard pleated furnace filter. Its basically like a facemask for your furnace. All of the airborne allergens suc...