Indoor Air Quality Testing Procedure – Why It Matters More Than Ever
For over 25 years, Perfect Pollucon Services has been helping businesses and homeowners in India assess and improve their indoor air quality. Poor indoor air can lead to respiratory diseases, allergies, fatigue, and long-term health risks.
Did you know? Studies show that indoor air can be 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air!
Why is this concerning? 🔴 Many people spend over 90% of their time indoors—at home, offices, schools, or shopping malls. 🔴 Pollutants such as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), mold, CO₂, CO, and fine dust (PM2.5, PM10) degrade indoor air quality. 🔴 A lack of proper ventilation and air filtration worsens the situation, leading to Sick Building Syndrome (SBS).
To ensure a safe and healthy environment, we recommend professional indoor air quality testing to detect pollutants, analyze air composition, and provide corrective solutions.
In this guide, we’ll explain: ✅ The step-by-step procedure for Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) testing. ✅ The latest methods & equipment used. ✅ Common mistakes to avoid during IAQ testing. ✅ How to interpret your Indoor Air Quality Report.
This survey will basically give the idea about possible pollutants present and will help us understand which method to be used for indoor air quality testing procedure.
Common Mistakes in Indoor Air Quality Testing
💡 Expert Tip: Don’t Make These Indoor Air Quality Testing Mistakes!
🔴 Relying Only on a Single Test Point: Air circulation is uneven indoors, so testing in just one spot can give misleading results. ✅ Solution: Always take measurements from multiple locations within the building.
🔴 Ignoring Ventilation & HVAC Systems: A major source of indoor air pollution is poor ventilation. ✅ Solution:Test near HVAC ducts, windows, and closed rooms to identify ventilation issues.
🔴 Not Considering Time-Based Variations: Pollutant levels fluctuate throughout the day. ✅ Solution: Conduct tests at different times (morning, afternoon, evening) to get an accurate reading.
🔴 Using Cheap, Uncalibrated Equipment: Many low-cost air quality meters provide inaccurate results. ✅ Solution: Use certified IAQ testing equipment or hire professional consultants (like us!).
Identification and Selection of Location
Once an overall analysis is done of the survey questionnaire, we can identify locations for indoor air quality testing. For testing of indoor air quality, more than one location is to be selected as the distribution of air indoors is not even.
Indoor Air Quality Sampling Methodologies
Indoor Air Quality Sampling Methods – How Professionals Do It
IAQ testing is conducted using various methods, depending on the type of pollutant present.
📌 Step 1: Identifying Common Pollutants in Indoor Air
Chemical Pollutants: VOCs, CO, NO₂, SO₂, formaldehyde.
After selection of Indoor air quality testing method and duration, samples can be collected using some of the following equipments to measure indoor air quality:
VOC meter – This instrument can measure a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) , total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs)
NOx meter – This device is used to measure Nitrogen oxide levels
SO2 meter – It is used to measure Sulphur dioxide levels
CO2 meter – This device measures real- time and average levels of Carbon dioxide
Dusttrak – This instrument can measure PM1, PM2.5, PM10 Mass concentration and RSPM.
Testo 480 IAQ Pro – This instrument can measure air flow, temperature, humidity and CO2.
Indoor air quality testing kits – Full analysis including mold, dander, carcinogenic fibers, bacteria and dust
Swab tests – Mold and bacteria can be sampled using swab tests
Thermo-Hygrometer – Measures temperatures and humidity
If you wish to conduct indoor air quality testing by yourself then you can simply order an indoor air quality testing kit and perform sampling as mentioned in the manual. After collection of samples you can send them to the laboratory mentioned on the kit for generation of the report.
Once testing is complete, we generate an Indoor Air Quality Report that includes: ✅ Measured pollutant levels compared with CPCB & WHO standards. ✅ Possible sources of pollution (e.g., poor ventilation, mold, chemical emissions). ✅ Corrective measures & recommendations to improve air quality.
📌 Sample Indoor Air Quality Report Summary:
Parameter
Measured Value
CPCB Standard
Status
PM2.5
75 µg/m³
60 µg/m³
❌ Poor
CO₂
1200 ppm
1000 ppm
⚠️ Moderate
VOCs
0.3 ppm
0.2 ppm
❌ Poor
Humidity
75%
40-60%
❌ Poor
🔹 If pollutants exceed the recommended levels, we provide customized solutions such as: ✅ Installing air purifiers & dehumidifiers. ✅ Improving ventilation & air exchange rates. ✅ Using low-VOC materials in furniture & paint.
Below is the sample report for Indoor Air Quality Testing Procedure:
Improving quality of indoor air reduces the possible threats to our health. So, why not test the quality of our indoor air and make our way to achieving better health and quality life.
Nice article and great work. keep posting information like this
Thanks
Great post! Air Quality Testing is important part for our health. We should do Air Quality testing in a month.
It’s interesting to know that there are also testing kits available for air quality testing. I’m planning to get an indoor air quality testing service soon because I recently found out that my daughter is asthmatic. I have to make sure that I can make the necessary adjustments needed in order to make sure that my home is very safe for my daughter’s lungs.
I like that this post shared that when looking to have our indoor air tested, it is important to ensure we have the right equipment. It makes sense as in doing so, it ensures that our air quality will be properly managed. I will definitely keep this information in mind for future references.
Nice article and great work. keep posting information like this
Thanks
Great post! Air Quality Testing is important part for our health. We should do Air Quality testing in a month.
It’s interesting to know that there are also testing kits available for air quality testing. I’m planning to get an indoor air quality testing service soon because I recently found out that my daughter is asthmatic. I have to make sure that I can make the necessary adjustments needed in order to make sure that my home is very safe for my daughter’s lungs.
I like that this post shared that when looking to have our indoor air tested, it is important to ensure we have the right equipment. It makes sense as in doing so, it ensures that our air quality will be properly managed. I will definitely keep this information in mind for future references.