4 Signs Your Commercial Building Has Poor Indoor Air Quality

A well-designed and maintained building is essential to maintaining comfort indoors. However, if you own a commercial building, it’s important to be mindful of the tell-tale signs of poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) you can prevent potential health effects for your tenants.

What Is Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)?

We gave a complete breakdown of IAQ in our recent post, 5 Ways to Improve Your Building’s Indoor Air Quality, but to quickly recap, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is real measure of the quality of air inside a building.  IAQ is affected by a number of factors, such as the temperature, humidity, commercial HVAC system, and contaminants. IAQ is always evolving as new pollutants, such as mold, mildew, pollen, dust, dander, smoke, and other contaminants enter your building.

The Signs You Have Poor Air Quality

If you suspect your commercial building may have poor air quality, look for the following signs:

Dust Buildup

Dust is an inevitable part of occupying spaces, however if you’re noticing significant amounts of buildup, keep in mind that this is going to reduce the IAQ in your building. The more often you’re leaving windows and doors open and skipping those air filter changes, the more likely dust is collecting inside.

Odors

No one wants to experience bad odors in a commercial building, but there are some unpleasant odors that serve as warning signs to potential risks to the health of your tenants. The ability to smell harmful chemicals in the air, for example, varies from person to person, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Sometimes people can smell certain chemicals in the air before they are at harmful levels…community members have reported that smelling odors in the air decreases their quality of life and sense of wellbeing.” Keep in mind that unpleasant odors can build up in your commercial HVAC system’s ducts if not regularly maintained.

Coughing or Breathing Difficulties

If your tenants are coughing or having difficulty breathing when no explainable health issues are known, it’s a key indicator that your building likely has poor air quality. It could be occurring because of a variety of factors, such as breathing in contaminated dust, dander, allergens, viruses, or other harmful particles in the building’s air.

Headaches and Nausea

Another health-related sign of poor air quality is headaches, which can occur because of the contaminants from chemicals in products used in the building, such as cleaning products or pesticides. In even more extreme cases, carbon monoxide in the air, which is very dangerous, can cause headaches and nausea for occupants.

Next Steps If Your Building Has an IAQ Issue

If you think your building’s air quality is poor, it’s important to take action as soon as possible, starting with a thorough evaluation of your commercial HVAC system from Air Stream to uncover any underlying issues. Our trained technicians will be able to determine if any contaminants are present and recommend a solution that will help improve the comfort in your building.

For an evaluation of your building’s indoor air quality, call (516) 747-4700 to set up an appointment.