About harmful airborne chemical compounds in dwellings

Test the air quality in your dwelling

Fenix Environmental can help with measurements and analyses of chemical compounds to assess the airquality in dwellings. Contact us for more information and order.

Why not do an air quality control in conjuction with the energy declaration of your dwelling! 

A screening of the air quality comprises, e.g., deterimnation of total concentration volatile organic compounds (VOC). This is mostly compounds that are emitted from construction materials, interior fittings etc. Moreover, included are also determination of ethyl hexanol, emitted due to decay of softening agents, and determination of formaldehyde, emitted form constuction materials and textiles. The measurements are ccarried out with user-friendly passive samplers (see pictures below) that easily can be put up in dwellings. This screening can also be extended with radon measurements.

More information
Harmful chemical compounds in dwelling air is an increasing problem. Unsuitable building constructions and materials, water damages, poor ventilation and so on constitute health risks in dwelling environmnet. The air quality in dwellings depends on several factors. Outdoor air with various compounds from, e.g., exhaust and acidification, is introduced through the ventilation.Inside the buildning compounds are emitted from, e.g., furniture and fittings. People that reside in the buildning also emitt compounds to the air form their bodies, e.g., carbon dioxide, odour substances. Activities also emit compounds to the air, e.g., cooking exhausts, tobacco smoke, perfume, cleaning products. With a water ocr mould damage additonal compounds are emitted to the air from decay of constuction materials and viable moulds. 

A large number of these compound concequently naturally occurs in indoor air. The concentration of these compounds may vary considerably depending on the number of people residing in the buildning, what kind and how old furniture and fittings, when the latsest renovation occured and so on. An important factor for the air quality is the ventilation. The better ventilation, the faster the air is exchanged. If the ventilation is poor, chemical compounds emitted will not be vented out fast enough and the concentration of these compounds will increase. It is not possible to measure all these compounds in the air. There are, however, specific compounds or groups of componds that are emitted in higher concentration when, e.g., water damages occur, and after renovation or installation of new fittings. These compounds contribute to decrease the air quality when they are emitted in higher concentrations. To assess the air quality, we have chosen some of the compounds that, when they occur in higer concentrations, they indicate poorer air quality in a building. These compounds are:

• Volatile organic compounds ”VOC” (from painted aurfaces, fittings etc)

• 2-ethyl hexanol (from plastic capets when a water damage has occured)

• Formaldehyde (from building construction materail and fittings)

We report the concentration of these compounds in the air in you dwellling together with the levels normally found in dwellings with narmal air quality. Based on thes values, we assess the air quality in your dwelling into three levels: