From households to industrial job sites, there are various applications for gas detectors. However, besides having the means to sense dangerous gases, you must understand the multiple culprits behind hazardous air. By understanding how the air becomes dangerous in the first place, you can find the right solution for your specific situation. These are the three main causes of bad indoor air quality you should know.

Cleaning Products

Of course, cleaning homes and workplaces is essential for creating a healthy, welcoming environment. That said, spraying cleaning products puts pollutants in the air that people can then inhale. These pollutants are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) harmful to our respiratory systems after long-term exposure. Always read the labels on cleaning products to learn any safety recommendations from the manufacturer. By doing this, you’ll ensure you don’t unknowingly put yourself or others at risk. However, there’s another important factor to remember when optimizing air quality. It’s sufficient ventilation.

Poor Ventilation

One of the main causes of bad indoor air quality you should know for home and workplace safety is insufficient ventilation. Good ventilation is crucial for establishing clean, consistent airflow in any area. For example, poor attic ventilation can cause condensation on building materials, resulting in mold growth over time.

Likewise, if a workspace lacks proper ventilation, it can lack safe oxygen levels too. When employees work in areas lacking sufficient oxygen levels for long enough, they suffer from fatigue and other dangerous side effects. For this reason, monitoring oxygen levels on job sites is just as crucial as calculating the presence of dangerous gases.

Formaldehyde

Although formaldehyde might sound like an alien term to some people, this material is present in many products you’ll find at home. It’s also present in many job sites. For example, formaldehyde is common in building materials (especially wood products), paint, and cigarette smoke. In fact, it’s a good rule of thumb to assume that if smoke is present, so is formaldehyde.

The reason for this presumption is that formaldehyde is a combustion byproduct, meaning things like furnaces produce the substance. Luckily, you don’t have to leave formaldehyde detection up to guesses if you have high-quality formaldehyde monitors, whether you’re at home or on a job site.