State Agency Takes Aim at Reducing Potentially Toxic VOCs in the Home

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has developed materials to help educate the state’s residents about volatile organic compounds and what people can do to limit their exposure.  The MDH has published a brochure and developed a website full of helpful tips, information and advice.
 
VOCs are all around people in the typical home, office and school environment.  Building materials, household furnishing, consumer products, cleaning supplies, and even some clothes off-gas these chemicals.
 
Some people think that if they cannot detect a chemical odor then VOCs can’t be a problem in their home.  As the MDH points out, that is not always the case. “While most people can smell high levels of some VOCs, other VOCs have no odor. Odor does not indicate the level of risk from inhalation of this group of chemicals. There are thousands of different VOCs produced and used in our daily lives.” 
 
Volatile organic compounds are a diverse group of chemicals.  Each has its own toxicity and may cause different health effects among building occupants.  An individual’s response to exposure to any VOC depends on the concentration of the chemical in the air, duration of time a person is exposed, and their sensitivity level.
 
One company that has made it easy and affordable for people to test their homes, offices and schools for these common and potentially harmful gases is IAQ Index. IAQ Index manufactures home test kits that identify a number of common indoor air quality (IAQ) pollutants, including VOCs.  “High levels of VOCs or even low levels of these chemicals over time can cause a myriad of health problems,” reported Bruce Jacobs, CIH, President of IAQ Index.  “Many of these chemicals that are all around us are known carcinogens.  The IAQ Index VOC test kit was developed to allow people to easily test for these chemicals and receive a detailed report that provides information and an IAQ ranking of their air.”
 
To learn more about testing for volatile organic compounds or other indoor air quality (IAQ) contaminates, please visit IAQ Index at http://www.IAQIndex.com, email info@IAQIndex.com or call (888) 259-3883.
 
About IAQ Index
IAQ Index was developed by a Certified Industrial Hygienist with decades of experience dealing with indoor air quality issues.  IAQ Index was developed as a health-based, easy-to-understand, air quality index that is calculated from data generated for various parameters commonly measured during IAQ surveys.  The approach is similar to the EPA’s Air Quality Index that has been used historically to communicate the risks posed by common pollutants in the ambient air.

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