FAQ: We need to check the quality of air in our house. Can I use those results for legal purposes? Sincerely A.Z.
ANSWER: Hello A.Z.,
There are two main reasons why people do air quality in their home:
1. Personal – to be sure that they are safe.
2. Legal – to demonstrate if the air is safe or not.
Even if the chemical aspects are the same, the sampling procedure can be different and this is why:
Air Quality test for Personal Reasons. Let say, you wanted to check the level of asbestos fibres in your home after a renovation. We send you an easy to follow sampling instruction and explain what is considered the low (safe) and elevated level of fibers in the air. You collect the samples and return them back to us for analysis. We analyze them and send you a final report. This report will explain if the air from the samples you provided is clean or not. Those results cannot be used for legal purposes due to some particular technicalities.
Danger Asbestos
Air Quality test for Legal or Compliance purposes. Before you start, please explore if you qualify to do this kind of test. In most cases, you should not do this yourself, simply because of conflict of interest. You are interested in the outcome and therefore may influence the results. Please contact your counterpart (lawyer, landlord or whoever will be reading your report) and discuss if they are comfortable with the you collecting the sample. Please confirm if there are any regulations, which require the sampling to be done in specific manner. For example, asbestos sampling is enforced by the Ontario Asbestos Regulation # 278/05 (correct in 2017). Read and understand the sampling procedure (for asbestos fibers, we use method NIOSH 7400). Contact our laboratory and order your equipment. Do not forget to order Quality Control blank samples. Our laboratory will assist you with what may be required for your specific needs.
Summary. Air sampling for legal purposes should be performed by third party professionals who are experienced in air quality testing. If you need one, please email us and we will refer you to a consultant working in your area.
