Air Quality Tips: WNC Regional Air Quality Agency

As we head into the fall, here are some good tips about indoor air quality from Ashley Featherstone of The WNC Regional Air Quality Agency

In regards to maintenance and testing indoor air quality, EPA and CDC recommend having a licensed HVAC contractor perform an annual inspection and tune up (if needed) on heating and cooling systems. The beginning of the heating season is the perfect time to get this done. They also recommend that everyone with combustion appliances (oil, gas, propane, etc.) have a carbon monoxide (CO) detector.

Click here to read more about CO.

Click here (or right click to download) more information about combustion appliances in the home.

With the exception of radon testing, EPA does not recommend mold testing or general indoor air testing because there are no standards for mold and most other pollutants that are applicable in the residential setting. Mold is allergenic and some molds are potentially toxic. If you can see it and/or smell it you may have a problem and it can usually be addressed without the added expense of testing. Finding the moisture problem and correcting it are the first steps, followed by proper clean up.

More information from the EPA's website on mold.

Click on Minnesota or Connecticut for info on indoor air and testing on their state websites.

Good additional information about indoor air in the home can be found on the EPA site.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions or need more
information,

Ashley

Ashley Featherstone
Engineering Supervisor
WNC Regional Air Quality Agency
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville, NC 28806
Phone: 828.250.6778
Fax: 828.255.5226
www.wncairquality.org
All correspondence to and from this address may be subject to the N.C. Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.