People with allergies think of their home as a safe place where they naturally feel protected. The most common source of allergies in houses is biological dust. Pets, pests, insects, plants, and mold can be found in any house and contribute to the accumulation of allergenic dust. Unfortunately, our super-insulated, air-conditioned, and basically airtight houses do not allow dust to escape into the environment. This effect is often called dust “amplification” and is very typical for modern houses.

LCS Laboratory offers the air sampling kit for the self-evaluation of naturally occurring allergens in the air of your house or office. This DIY air-sampling kit is recommended to anybody who suffers from allergies caused by air dust, and for air quality consultants helping their clients resolve allergy outbreaks.

Sampling Kit. Your sampling kit includes a sampling manual, one air sampling pump, and several cassettes for air testing of 2 or more rooms. Prepaid laboratory analysis and the laboratory report with the certificate of analysis are also included in the cost.  The sampling procedure is based on the methodology developed by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (USA)  NIOSH 7400. We modified the analytical procedure and now we can identify and count the most common allergens with a sensitivity of 300 particles/m³. The sampling procedure is quite straightforward and is similar to the one used to collect asbestos fibers (as seen here ). We recommend 3-4 hour sampling to achieve the best sensitivity. The samples that you collect, should be returned to our laboratory for testing.

Plan Your Test. People have different sensitivities to different allergens. Even within the same household, one person may suffer from a mold allergy, and a spouse doesn’t feel a thing. This is why there are no official limits for allergens in the air. They are as unique as every person is. This kit can be used for different purposes:

  • Identify allergens in your house. This strategy is recommended for clients who need to evaluate the presence of potential allergens. The samples collected in rooms where you expect the source of allergens, and in the rooms where you spent most of the time.  Locations with the highest level of allergens clearly point to the source of the problem, and concentration in other rooms how the spread of allergens.
  • Estimate your Personal Sensitivity Threshold. This strategy is used when you know that you have an adverse allergic reaction to something in your house, and need to evaluate what is your acceptable tolerance limit. Select several areas in your house or office: “clean” room or area where you do not experience any allergic reaction; “tolerable” is the room where you feel irritation, but can stay there long enough; “Symptomatic” room is the room where you cannot stay for a long time without developing and adverse allergic reaction. You collect a sample in one of each room and compare your observations with the laboratory results. The allergens that correlate with your symptoms are likely causing your symptoms.  The concentration of allergens is found in the area that you can “tolerate” are your sensitivity thresholds.
  • Evaluate the Effectiveness of your House Cleaning Procedure.  This strategy is recommended for households and the hospitality industry when the cleaning efficiency needs to be scientifically evaluated. Collect air samples before and after cleaning. Reduction in the concentration of allergens gives you the effectiveness of your cleaning procedure

Laboratory Analysis. Our chemists analyze your samples using high-resolution microscopy to identify various forms of biological dust and estimate its concentration.  The following biological particles will be identified and included in your report:

Alternaria spores (spores/m3) 
Ascospores spores (spores/m3)   
Aspergillus/Penicillium-like spores (spores/m3) 
Basidiospores spores (spores/m3)
Chaetomium spores (spores/m3)
Cladosporium spores (spores/m3)
Curvularia spores (spores/m3)
Drechslera/Bipolaris-like spores (spores/m3)
Smuts/Myxomycetes/Periconia spores (spores/m3)
Stachybotrys/Memnoniella spores (spores/m3)
Ulocladium spores (spores/m3)
Hyphal fragments (spores/m3)
Miscellaneous/Unidentifiable mold spores (spores/m3)
Pollen (spores/m3)
Plant tissue (particles/m3)
Dog dander (particles/m3)
Bird dander (particles/m3)
Miscellaneous/Unidentifiable dander (particles/m3)
Animal hair (fibers/m3) 
Human hair (fibers/m3) 
Bird feather fibers (fibers/m3)
Insect dust (particles/m3)

Understand your Results. The lab results can be used for self-evaluation of your allergic symptoms, to be discussed your air quality results with doctors, or to be used as a certificate of the quality of air of your rental property or business.

We’d like to assist you with testing of air quality of the air in your house. To order your kit, please email us your address, please explain what test you want to perform, and how many rooms you want to test. We will reply with a quote. The typical cost of instrument rental and laboratory analysis of 3 samples is $400CAD plus shipping.  Looking forward to working with you.

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