What is the best way to test the air quality in my house?
January 7, 2012 12:08 AM Subscribe
For the past three years, my wife has been sick. constant respiratory issues that have grown into asthma and whatnot. We have been dealing with it for sometime, and it dawned on us, that it started right around when we moved into our current house ( I know, we are a bit dense).
We live in LA ( encino to be exact). The house is old ( 80-90 years, the house predates la county keeping building records), and has zero insulation. We live .4 miles from the 101/405 interchange, and we have a whole host of plants and trees in our yard ( bogenvia, orange trees, etc).
I know there are indoor air quality testers, but I am not sure if they work or which ones would be good for me. Are there services can check? Part of the issue is that the landlord lives next door, and I'm trying to fly under the radar a bit here, so a service might arouse problems i'm not ready for.
We live in LA ( encino to be exact). The house is old ( 80-90 years, the house predates la county keeping building records), and has zero insulation. We live .4 miles from the 101/405 interchange, and we have a whole host of plants and trees in our yard ( bogenvia, orange trees, etc).
I know there are indoor air quality testers, but I am not sure if they work or which ones would be good for me. Are there services can check? Part of the issue is that the landlord lives next door, and I'm trying to fly under the radar a bit here, so a service might arouse problems i'm not ready for.
I'm an environmental consultant and while it's not my personal area of expertise, I work for a firm that does air quality testing. Like gjc, I'd suggest allergy testing first to narrow down the field of what you're looking for. (I am not a doctor; I do have allergies, and have always had the most useful results from scratch testing.) Allergy testing also has the advantage of being completely unnoticeable to your landlord.
It could be a whole lot of things. If you bought new bedding right after moving and you didn't have a feather mattress pad/pillows/comforter before, it could be that (I've been there). Mold is unlikely in LA, but it certainly isn't impossible, especially if there's some sort of plumbing leak. If you got a pet right after moving, or changed anything else right after moving, I'd look at that as well.
posted by pie ninja at 4:41 AM on January 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
It could be a whole lot of things. If you bought new bedding right after moving and you didn't have a feather mattress pad/pillows/comforter before, it could be that (I've been there). Mold is unlikely in LA, but it certainly isn't impossible, especially if there's some sort of plumbing leak. If you got a pet right after moving, or changed anything else right after moving, I'd look at that as well.
posted by pie ninja at 4:41 AM on January 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
Like the other people replying, I'm not sure why you would be doing air quality tests. Instead the question should be: What specific allergens is your wife responding to? How can you mitigate the effect of those allergens if present? Can you lower the responsiveness of the immune response system to these allergens?
Similar to the other posters, I would recommend trying the following depending on how severe your wife's asthma is at this point:
--Get allergy tests to identify which allergens she is reacting to (dust mites? pollen? animals?)
--Make a specific plan with the physician/nurse to mitigate the effect of those allergens once identified. If it is dust mtes, they may recommend getting rid of stuffed animals, getting coverings, vacuuming, etc., but they will provide you with suggestions based on what those allergens are.
--Consider getting allergy shots. These can often help reduce symptoms and responsiveness of an immune response system to allergens.
posted by Wolfster at 5:20 AM on January 7, 2012
Similar to the other posters, I would recommend trying the following depending on how severe your wife's asthma is at this point:
--Get allergy tests to identify which allergens she is reacting to (dust mites? pollen? animals?)
--Make a specific plan with the physician/nurse to mitigate the effect of those allergens once identified. If it is dust mtes, they may recommend getting rid of stuffed animals, getting coverings, vacuuming, etc., but they will provide you with suggestions based on what those allergens are.
--Consider getting allergy shots. These can often help reduce symptoms and responsiveness of an immune response system to allergens.
posted by Wolfster at 5:20 AM on January 7, 2012
If you try allergy testing and nothing comes up, you need to get your house tested for mold.
posted by juniperesque at 8:58 AM on January 7, 2012
posted by juniperesque at 8:58 AM on January 7, 2012
Could be a mold issue too.
posted by wemayfreeze at 10:24 AM on January 7, 2012
posted by wemayfreeze at 10:24 AM on January 7, 2012
Response by poster: Sorry, Yes I did leave a few things out here.
- She has had allergy tests, and she did not show allergies to anything that was unknown ( she has a slight allergy to cats, but we had three cats for years before we moved in, and since we moved in, two of them have passed, so I doubt that is the issue).
- We have had a few instances where she spent time away from the house. She spent a few months with family out of state earlier this year. she seemed to get better the longer she was away from the house.
- We did have a very bad mold problem when we lived in santa monica ( we actually had mushrooms growing from the walls). It bothered her, but it wasn't even this bad.
- So far, the doctors have been somewhat unhelpful. They all are focusing on the symptoms and not very worried about the cause. We have a new allergist we are going to next week ( I am going with her, to help stress what is happening).
posted by brent_h at 10:28 AM on January 7, 2012
- She has had allergy tests, and she did not show allergies to anything that was unknown ( she has a slight allergy to cats, but we had three cats for years before we moved in, and since we moved in, two of them have passed, so I doubt that is the issue).
- We have had a few instances where she spent time away from the house. She spent a few months with family out of state earlier this year. she seemed to get better the longer she was away from the house.
- We did have a very bad mold problem when we lived in santa monica ( we actually had mushrooms growing from the walls). It bothered her, but it wasn't even this bad.
- So far, the doctors have been somewhat unhelpful. They all are focusing on the symptoms and not very worried about the cause. We have a new allergist we are going to next week ( I am going with her, to help stress what is happening).
posted by brent_h at 10:28 AM on January 7, 2012
Mold is less likely in an 80 year old house -- they weren't built to be sealed environments, there's still plenty of air exchange through drafts even if you caulked up all the drafty bits you could find.
Seconding an allergy scratch test.
posted by desuetude at 10:33 AM on January 7, 2012
Seconding an allergy scratch test.
posted by desuetude at 10:33 AM on January 7, 2012
Oops, should've previewed! What about dust mites in your bedding?
posted by desuetude at 10:35 AM on January 7, 2012
posted by desuetude at 10:35 AM on January 7, 2012
While you are waiting to figure out what is wrong, here are a few suggestions to give her a little relief:
Buy a top of the line air purifier for the bedroom.
Remove all carpet and drapes in the bedroom.
Dust the bedroom.
Vacuum the mattress.
Wash the pillows, comforter, etc.
Do not use a ceiling fan.
Basically, you want to give her one clean room to be in. The bedroom is the most important because that is where she spends most of her time.
Since you have a landlord, I am assuming you are renting. Move. Move now. She will only get worse with continued exposure.
Wherever you move to, choose a place with no carpets. Always remove your shoes at the door so as not to track in allergens. You should both wash your hair before going to bed. Do not undress in the bedroom.
I hope this helps. Allergies are a bugger to figure out. I have food and chemical sensitivities. Someone sprays lysol and I'm down for 4 days. They don't test for that.
posted by myselfasme at 10:49 AM on January 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
Buy a top of the line air purifier for the bedroom.
Remove all carpet and drapes in the bedroom.
Dust the bedroom.
Vacuum the mattress.
Wash the pillows, comforter, etc.
Do not use a ceiling fan.
Basically, you want to give her one clean room to be in. The bedroom is the most important because that is where she spends most of her time.
Since you have a landlord, I am assuming you are renting. Move. Move now. She will only get worse with continued exposure.
Wherever you move to, choose a place with no carpets. Always remove your shoes at the door so as not to track in allergens. You should both wash your hair before going to bed. Do not undress in the bedroom.
I hope this helps. Allergies are a bugger to figure out. I have food and chemical sensitivities. Someone sprays lysol and I'm down for 4 days. They don't test for that.
posted by myselfasme at 10:49 AM on January 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
One more thing- Remove any animal products from your house. Goose Down comforters, angora sweaters, that sort of thing. Even wool can be a problem for some people. Focus on allergy free laundry detergent and if you use those awful glade plug ins, stop. They are nightmare devices for allergy sufferers.
posted by myselfasme at 11:11 AM on January 7, 2012
posted by myselfasme at 11:11 AM on January 7, 2012
There are thousands (millions?) of kinds of mold. She may have been mildly sensitive to mushrooms in your old walls, but if you have mold anywhere in this house, she may be more sensitive to a different kind. Just because the house is 80 years old doesn't mean that it can't have mold. This place has good reviews online: http://www.moldinspections-losangeles.com/
Seriously, stop spending all your money going to the ineffective doctors for now and hire someone to check your home thoroughly for mold.
Beyond that, your wife's health is not worth a big house in Encino that is slowly sickening her! Even if you cannot find a culprit, you've got to move. You've been there for three years and your wife is still sick. Get out of there! If the house does have mold, look into your lease for clauses that allow you to break it in the event the house is rendered unlivable.
posted by juniperesque at 11:24 AM on January 7, 2012
Seriously, stop spending all your money going to the ineffective doctors for now and hire someone to check your home thoroughly for mold.
Beyond that, your wife's health is not worth a big house in Encino that is slowly sickening her! Even if you cannot find a culprit, you've got to move. You've been there for three years and your wife is still sick. Get out of there! If the house does have mold, look into your lease for clauses that allow you to break it in the event the house is rendered unlivable.
posted by juniperesque at 11:24 AM on January 7, 2012
Response by poster: Thanks everyone for the info. As I said we are happy here, and don't want to move, but will if we need to ( I'm already checking craigslist and westside for listings), but moving is wicked expensive, and I worry that if it is something not in the house, we would be moving out of a place we love, and strain our meager finances in vain.
Does anyone have any experience with something like this?
posted by brent_h at 10:44 PM on January 7, 2012
Does anyone have any experience with something like this?
posted by brent_h at 10:44 PM on January 7, 2012
Assuming it's the house itself seems fantastically premature. What if the culprit is tree outside that wasn't in proximity of your previous house or another outdoor allergen that could be controlled? What if it's not allergies at all, and it's some other respiratory and/or inflammatory issue?
This is a medical problem, if your current doctors aren't taking it seriously, go find another doctor.
posted by desuetude at 11:49 PM on January 7, 2012
This is a medical problem, if your current doctors aren't taking it seriously, go find another doctor.
posted by desuetude at 11:49 PM on January 7, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
Parthenium is a vigorous species which colonizes in bare land, roadsides, crop fields, and in places around water bodies. It reduces production of crops and pastures, and it is very difficult to control the weed. The plant is a major health hazard to animals and human beings and even to other plants as well. Pollens of these plants cause asthma to the exposed person and causes dermatitis on contact. It reduces the yield of milk and weight of grazers; and causes severe diseases in rabbits. Seeds and plant-litter leach out toxins that inhibit the germination of seeds of plants of other species. Some of the serious diseases caused due to Parthenium are contact dermatitis, Eczema, Eczematous dermatitis, allergic reactions, fewer in cows, hypersensitivity in rabbits( like restlessness, natural falling of hair from the dorsal region of the neck and back, small boils etc.), ulcerations in buffaloes, horses, donkeys, sheep, and goats.
Scientific investigations have found that pollens of Parthenium contain Sesquiterpene lactones, Caffeic acids, vanillic acids, Anisic acids, Chlorogenic acids, Para hydroxyl benzoic acids (all Phenolic acids) that are severely lethal to human beings and cattle. Parthenin is the basic toxic substance extracted out and studied by our scientists. The Chemical Formula of Parthenin is C15H18O4.
Sorry, this may not be your specific answer but I'm applying the Occam's Razer approach to your problem since we've seen this with my mother who is asthmatic - it happens in Bangalore and in Anaheim (when she visits).
posted by infini at 12:52 AM on January 7, 2012