Centek Laboratories Blog

  C entek Laboratories has been doing the LEED IAQ testing since 2009 and is always striving to stay on top of decisions that will affect your LEED program. Due to the continuing growth of the Indoor Air Quality testing for the LEED program (IEq 3.2, V4 & V4.1), the sampling guidelines may change. Refer to USGBC website to cross reference any changes.   This is just an overview with many more questions that need to be answered. Feel free to contact me at 315-416-2752 or just leave a comment...Lets get started...Rus   Most important  – What LEED program is the building register under?   ·         LEED 3.2 _____ ·         LEED V 4 _____ ·         LEED V 4.1 _____   If you don’t have this right then you run the risk of not getting points or misquoting prices.   LEED 3.2 Criteria ·         Sampling is one for every 25,000sqft -  However,  if there are 2 or more air handlers within that 25,000 then adjust your volume of samples to the number of air handlers.   ·         All samples have

I want to thank everyone who has been contacting us for testing formaldehyde in the bulk and air IAQ test. The phone calls have been very informative and the results have been more than fascinating. I would like to update everybody who has done work with us on what we are hearing from engineers, consultants, and health officials. The largest portion of all of this is that professionals must tell clients that you cannot compare emissions data directly to health standards . In other words, if your results in the flooring sample are 0.800ppm it does not mean you have 0.800ppm in your indoor air. Once you have established that formaldehyde is coming off your flooring you have several choices to do the indoor air quality test. They are as follows: A laboratory test should be done by a laboratory that is certified to do formaldehyde in IAQ. Their methods in sampling can be Tubes & Pumps, Badges, or canisters. We as a laboratory prefer small canisters due to ease of use and holding ti

…Know Your Sources: You may be aware that the news has been reporting on imported laminate flooring, from China, having elevated formaldehyde concentrations. The Formaldehyde levels appear to be exceeding the California Air Resources Board (CARB) criteria. Our laboratory has been analyzing formaldehyde in Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) for years under the LEED program following USGBC criteria. We would like to raise a little caution that just an IAQ test may not be conclusive and that a headspace chamber test should be done. The reason for this is that we must realize that we live in a Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) world and they are everywhere. Formaldehyde is a VOC and is used in all types of products such as building materials, cosmetics, consumer products and in cigarette smoke just to name a few. So why is it important that we do a headspace chamber test on the flooring first rather than just an IAQ test? The reason is simple; you need to define the source . If you measure only your i