Air Quality Monitor – Know What You Are Testing For

What Does An Air Quality Monitor Test For?

There are several different types of air quality monitor available.

Most people don’t even know how many different aspects there are to monitoring of indoor air quality. You can test for everything from mold to gases and various types of particles such as lead and other air pollutants.

You may wonder if it’s really that important to test the air quality of your home, but consider this: according to the American Lung Association , lung disease kills nearly 335,000 people each year in America and it’s the third leading cause of all deaths in the nation. During the past ten years, the number of lung disease-related deaths has increased faster than that of almost all other major diseases.

This is due to the increase in pollution of the Earth’s atmosphere as well as increased contamination of the air inside buildings such as homes and office buildings. An air quality monitor is generally used to monitor the quality of air to ensure that it meets healthy standards.

If you are interested in using an air quality monitor to check the quality of the air in your home or office, you must first decide what you are going to test for. If it is mold that you are concerned about, then a mold test kit is what you need.

If you are concerned about levels of toxic gases, you will need a gas tester that will detect a specific type of gas or a multi gas tester that can detect more than one type of harmful gas.

Gas detectors are often used in industries in which one or more specific types of gases may be present and a risk of those gases leaking is possible. For example, a fertilizer plant will probably have an ammonia detector that will alert workers of high ammonia levels to give them a chance to evacuate. Industries that involve gases such as propane or other potentially volatile substances generally have the type of air quality monitor required to detect the presence of these gases.

In areas where more than one type of gas may be present, a multi gas detector will help protect you from harmful levels of several different gases.

The most common air impurities that homeowners are usually concerned about are mold or gases such as carbon monoxide, radon or natural gas. Mold is a major concern, particularly in older homes or areas that have damp climates. Mold can cause serious and sometimes irreversible respiratory problems and lung damage.

Mold test kits are available that allow you to test for a variety of harmful types of mold to ensure that the air in your home is safe for you and your family to breathe.

Carbon monoxide is another concern, as this deadly gas is colorless, odorless and tasteless, and it can originate from common sources such as furnaces and wood stoves. High levels of carbon monoxide can kill, which is why electronic carbon monoxide monitors are widely available for home use are and reasonably priced.

Test kits and monitoring equipment for radon and natural gas can also potentially save lives as well as improve the air quality in your home.