Chemical Off-Gassing

We test for exposure to indoor chemical compounds

In addition to molds, chemicals used in many household products can accumulate and affect the quality of your home’s indoor air. Many of these chemical compounds are known to cause cancer in animals; some are suspected of causing, or are known to cause, cancer in humans.

Indoor Chemical Awareness

The products used in construction, remodeling, finishing, and cleaning our homes are composed of a variety of chemicals that can accumulate in our indoor environments.
Even stored cleaning products, paints, and solvents can off gas volitile compounds into the indoor air. Such materials should not be stored indoors.
Manufactured wood products, such as fiberboards (MDF), Oriented strand board and plywood, frequently contain formaldehyde. In most cases, formaldehyde free products are available.
Paints, primers, stains, varnishes, paint strippers, wood preservatives contain a wide variety of volatile chemicals. Low and non-VOC products are now commonly available if you ask for them.
Mothballs are made up of 99 percent naphthalene, a chemical that is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Cleansers, disinfectants, air fresheners are all common household products that contain a variety of chemicals. There are plenty of non-toxic alternatives availalbe.
Because gases can leak even from closed containers, by not storing chemical products in your home, indoor chemical exposure levels can be greatly decreased. Materials that you do decide to keep should be kept only in a well-ventilated locations that are safely out of reach of children.
Dry-Cleaning - Perchloroethylene is the chemical most widely used in dry cleaning. In laboratory studies, it has been shown to cause cancer in animals. Recent studies indicate that people breathe low levels of this chemical both in homes where dry-cleaned goods are stored and as they wear dry-cleaned clothing. There is nothing “Dry” about the process used in the “dry-cleaning” of clothing. Clothing is exposed to a bath of some very “wet” chemicals that will continue to offgas in your home. Consider using a “green” dry-cleaner.
Before bringing dry-cleaned clothes into your home, let them off gas in a unoccupied staging area. (Also don’t leave them to offgas in the sun in an unventilated car.)
Insecticides