Diagnosing and Solving IAQ Problems: What are the Symptoms?

                 Potential Cause

Symptom/Condition

Primary

Secondary

Comment

Cough, congestion, chest tightness, shortness of breath, fever, chills

• Check for microbial contamination in room/area, in the ductwork, in the cooling tower, or at the air handler

• Check for mold

Diagnosed infection or allergic disease

• Obtain information about causes from diagnosis
• Check for microbial contamination in room/area, in the ductwork, in the cooling tower, or at the air handler
• Check for mold

• Biological (allergen) if small numbers involved

• Chemical/particle if large numbers involved

• Chemical/particle if small numbers involved

• Biological if large numbers involved

• Check for microbial contamination in room/area, in the ductwork, in the cooling tower, or at the air handler

• Check for mold

• Check for fiberglass contamination from insulation in ducts or around building envelope

• Check for renovation/remodeling sources

• Check for painting, adhesives, solvents, petroleum products in maintenance or housekeeping

• Check for aerosol products, cleansers, waxes in housekeeping

• Check major occupant sources such as printing, dry cleaning, hair salons etc.

Asthma triggers

• dust mites
• animal dander
• pests
• tobacco smoke
• mold
• ozone

• Check dust mites

• Keep relative humidity below 50%

For animal dander

• Clean all surfaces
• Clean carpets and upholstered furniture

For cockroach or rodent allergens:

• Institute or check integrated pest management procedures

For tobacco smoke

• Ban smoking, or check adequate operation of smoking lounge

For mold

• Check for mold

For ozone

• Check information about outdoor ozone levels

• Consider cleaning outdoor air brought into building
• Check electrostatic precipitators or other electronic air cleaners which can produce ozone
• Check for indoor ozone generating air cleaner

See other responses associated with biological pollutants

• Mild discomfort in eyes, nose, or throat

• Mild headaches

• General lethargy

• Generally not feeling well

• Lack of outdoor air

• Temperature or humidity

• Chemical/particle

• Biological

• Check outdoor air

• Check thermostats

• Monitor temperature, and relative humidity

• Check for mold

• Lack of outdoor air

• Temperature too high and/or relative humidity too high

• Check outdoor air

• Check thermostats

• Monitor temperature and relative humidity

• Check volume of supply air

• Temperature and/or relative humidity too high

• Humidity too high

• Lack of outdoor air

• Check thermostats

• Monitor temperature and relative humidity

• Local heat source/high radiant temperature

• Check volume of supply air

• Temperature too high

• Humidity too low

• Particle pollutants

• Check thermostats

• Monitor for temperature and relative humidity

• Check for dust or other particle sources

• Check housekeeping.

• Check over ventilation in heating season

• Too much infiltration/exfiltration

• Check outdoor air

Odors

• Musty

• Stale air/body odor
• Dirty socks

• Sewer

• Petroleum

• Chemical (metallic taste)

• Gas fumes

• Pungent odor

• Mold

• Lack of outdoor air/air mixing

• Dirty coils/filters, lack of outside air

• Sewer gas, drain traps, sanitary vents

• Leaky tanks, spills

• Cleaning products, pesticides, preservatives

• Combustion spillage

• Particles burnt on a hot surface

• Check for mold

• Check outdoor air

• Check coils/filters; Check for mold in air handler

• Check sewer gases, sewer line leak, soil air drawn from leach field, septic tank

• Check fuel tanks for leaks

• Check recent use of chemical products

•  Check combustion spillage

• Check for particles burning on heat exchangers or hot baseboard heaters/radiators