|
Simple Air Quality testing that can be done all by you!
If you were to pull out a thesis paper form a proper source and that deals with indoor air pollution you will not be surprised to see that air pollution; especially at indoor locations is fast becoming an issue with all health experts around the world. Elderly people, children, and others are continuing to suffer from this harmful trend. Breathing pure air even for few minutes is turning out to be a Herculean task. No wonder then that respiratory related problems are at an all time high. The whole mess can indeed be attributed to the harmful particles that get suspended in air and remain there. These particles could be of different types including pollen, dust, bacteria, fungus, and so on. Hence, the need of the hour is to do air quality testing and follow corrective measures from thereon.
|
|
It is very well documented that indoor air quality has deteriorated to a considerable degree world wide but how do you find out the extent to which it has happened in one particular area? Well, there is few simple air quality testing procedures that can be followed to verify this situation. These tests will help identify the exact cause for the deterioration of air quality that air purifiers designed to carry out similar tasks fail to do so. It is a common knowledge that contaminants do exist in 3 different forms – Dust or particulate, Microbial (mold or bacteria), and Gases – odors. Whilst most homes these days make use of air filters that are well suited to trap dust and other particulate matters, they aren’t efficient enough to tackle Gases and Microbial matters as they are not designed for it.
A common tool that is used for all air quality testing procedures is Petri Dish. They are basically sterilized kits of plastic inside which rich media of nutrients is placed so as to facilitate the growth of microbes in it. These kits are economical and easily be procured from market or can also be individually prepared by you.
As a first step, get a Petri Dish of “T-salt” type and place it in a room that is to be tested. It is better if you can place this dish far away from doorways and ventilation ducts and so on. You also need to ensure that it is kept far away from floor and the ceiling. They can however be kept directly in the air ducts if at all you need to be tested. The cover of the dish then needs to be removed and its liquid nutrient contents has to be poured on the base section. Thereafter, the dish needs to be swirled to ensure its bottom is covered. You can now start the time for Indoor Air Quality Testing . Once the set period is over, the cover of the dish needs to be placed at the room temperature for about 48 hours.
Once the incubation period gets over, you need to check different forms of growth on the dish. As per research based conclusions, bacteria appear like “rods”, yeast appear like “colonies and molds in the form of Fuzzy colonies and so on.
|
