Allergens Dust Testing
When To Test
It’s a tricky balance to manage dust exposure and your allergens in San Francisco. There are lots of construction sites that create dust that contains molds. Your neighbor may have a dog or cat and the walls between your homes aren’t air tight. Old windows allow pollens to enter.
All of these things can cause chaos in managing your identified allergens.
Many people are allergic to things found in common house dust. This can include but are not limited to Pollens, Plants, Animal Dander, or Insect Parts. If your Medical Team or Allergist find that you are allergic to any of these. We can provide a sampling strategy do determine the levels in your Home, Office, or Vehicle.
Prior to our arrival onsite, we would discuss the project and ask certain questions to determine if this sort of service may be applicable for a project.
A Site Assessment Is The First Step
Most allergens come from the outside into your home or office. Identifying and stopping all air leaks is important information for you to know. We can identify where the air instructions are coming in. It may or may not be possible to stop all the air exchanges in building, but often our recommendations can bring real relief.
Testing The Dust For Your Allergens Is The Second Step
Your Allergist or other medical professional has analyzed your allergen triggers.
We can test the dust in your home or office to see if those same allergens are present. Once you know if your allergen triggers are present, a plan can be made. This plan will help you manage the presence of your allergen triggers.
MARIA dust testing samples for dog and cat dander, rat and mouse urine and feces, and dust mites.
ERMI dust testing samples for mold spores.
Do read more about both tests and confer with your medical team to be sure this testing is appropriate and beneficial for you.
How We Test
If you or your medical team is concerned about Dog Dander, Cat Dander, Rodent Feces and Urine, and Dust Mites. M.A.R.I.A. testing is the preferred method. This sample is taken with a vacuumed in specific areas or rooms to determine the levels of those contaminants in the dust. This can show the if any of these animals are or were present in the areas tested. This dust can be found in high concentrations in carpeting and upholstered furniture.
Cleanup Action
If an elevation of a specific contaminant is found through this testing, then an abatement protocol can be developed. The abatement action may be as simple as removing the source (i.e. pest control expert removing mice/rats) or can be more in-depth if professional cleaning of all contents and surfaces as well as the HVAC system if applicable.
Post Cleanup Testing
After any appropriate abatement has been performed, we can return to perform post abatement validation testing to prove that levels have decreased.
