Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is the product of numerous factors. The quality of an indoor environment is the result of interaction between the building site, pollutant sources, the current ventilation system and operation, building furnishings and the building occupants. Indoor air pollutants can be chemical, biological or physical. The multiplicity of factors that affect indoor air quality often makes IAQ investigations complex. A well-defined IAQ objective and measurement program must be formulated in order to gather meaningful observations and data. Only from a sound scientific approach can appropriate, cost-effective remediation strategies be developed.

To provide a healthy indoor environment, it is essential to provide good indoor air quality. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines good indoor air quality as:

To provide a complete assessment of these parameters, IAQ Consultants, Inc. program features a multidisciplinary approach. This evaluation design allows for a comprehensive building assessment.

IAQ Consultants, Inc. incorporates IAQ protocols from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE); the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH); the EPA; and IAQ Consultants, Inc. original research efforts.

The typical IAQ evaluation will include an assessment of symptom expression, a walk-through of affected and non-affected areas, inspection of the ventilation systems (air handling units, cooling coils, drain pans, supply plenums, outside air intakes), pollutant intrusion pathways, measurement of surrogate gases to evaluate air exchange and measurement of temperature and relative humidity to determine thermal comfort parameters. In most evaluations, this will be sufficient to determine building-related problems.

When analytical documentation is required or needed, a sound sampling strategy is designed prior to field collection. Air sampling for particulates, chemical pollutants or biological pollutants are performed with clearly defined objectives for the resultant analytical data.

IAQ Consultants, Inc. Certified Indoor Air Quality Professionals (CIAQP), Certified Indoor Environmentalist (CIE), industrial hygienists, chemists and biologists have received specific training in indoor air quality and environmental assessments.

Analytical services offered include:

IAQ Consultants, Inc. is adept in utilizing applicable and proper laboratory techniques to obtain representative field samples. Experienced field personnel, under the direction of a project supervisor, are proficient in the methodologies of various sampling procedures required for each individual project.

Indoor air quality evaluations are performed on-site with data-logging air quality monitors, surrogate gas monitors, toxic gas monitors, quantitative bioaerosol apparatus, and traditional chemical pollutant collection techniques. Building operation, an essential diagnostic for potential indoor air quality, is thoroughly evaluated. IAQ Consultants, Inc. is capable of identifying chemical pollutants in the part-per-billion range using thermal desorption and GC-MS protocols.

IAQ Consultants, Inc. personnel employ methods in accordance with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines.

Experienced personnel, utilizing calibrated personal sampling pumps equipped with cassette filters, mini impinger, charcoal tubes, or Tenax traps, enable IAQ Consultants, Inc. to sample for many different airborne incitants. Laboratory analytical capabilities include gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy, gas chromatography, spectrophotometry, atomic absorption, inductively coupled plasma emission spectrophotometry, chemical titrations, biological determinations, and microscopic determinations.

Examples of recent workplace evaluations include both reactive and proactive IAQ evaluations of multi-story and single tenant buildings both regionally and nationally. IAQ Consultants, Inc.'s staff has provided expert witness consulting services for both microbial and chemical contamination litigation. IAQ Consultants, Inc. has worked in the commercial, institutional and residential environments.

IAQ Consultants, Inc. is certified by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) to perform IAQ evaluations. Certified Indoor Air Quality Professionals (CIAQP), Certified Indoor Environmentalists (CIE) perform on-site IAQ evaluations, field sampling, data interpretation and final report documentation. Professional staff attend IAQ related symposia, teach IAQ courses and publish peer reviewed IAQ literature to remain on the cutting edge of IAQ science. American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) certified laboratories are employed for atypical chemical analyses. Licensed by the TDSHS as a Mold Analysis Laboratory to ensure quality control in microbial identification protocols.