Indoor Air Quality

Many chemicals and materials used in products today can have a significant negative effect on your health, and you may not even realize they are in the air around you.  The first step in our mission is to help you understand the terminology used to describe some of these products and the risks that they present.

All of the surfaces in your home are contributing to the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) found in your home.  Indoor air quality is the air quality within and around homes, buildings and structures. IAQ is known to affect the health, comfort and well-being of people spending time in those spaces. Poor indoor air quality is known to cause or contribute to illnesses and has also been linked to Sick Building Syndrome.

VOC’s

VOC’S - Volatile Organic Compounds are chemicals that readily evaporate at room temperature, entering the surrounding air.  Some VOC’s are benzene, acetone and formaldehyde.  Harmful VOC’s have been proven to have long-term health effects and are present in many building products.

FORMALDEHYDE - A colourless, toxic, potentially carcinogenic, water-soluble gas, CH 2 O, having a suffocating odour, usually derived from methyl alcohol by oxidation: used chiefly in aqueous solution, as a disinfectant and preservative, in the manufacture of various resins and plastic, and used in many millwork products.

OFF GASSING - Occurs when VOC’s present in various materials vapourize from solid or liquid form into the surrounding air.  The smell in a newly painted room is a result of VOC’s present in the paint that have off gassed into the air.

Products of Concern

ADHESIVES - A substance, such as paste or cement, that causes two surfaces to stick together. Adhesives are made of gelatin or other substances, such as epoxy, resin, or polyethylene. Safer alternatives are available that are no VOC, and less toxic.

SOLVENT BASED ADHESIVES - solvent-based adhesives are a mixture of ingredients (typically polymers) dissolved in a solvent. As the solvent evaporates, the adhesive hardens. Depending on the chemical composition of the adhesive, they will adhere to different materials to greater or lesser degrees.

SOLVENT BASED PAINTS, LACQUERS, & STAINS - Solvent-based paints are made up of liquefying agents that are meant to evaporate via a chemical reaction with oxygen. Typically, moving air surrounding a solvent-based coating will help to speed up the reaction, reducing drying times.

 SURFACES - Proper selection of the materials for the surfaces in your home (i.e. flooring, drywall, millwork, etc.) can reduce and even eliminate the contaminants released into your indoor air.