Home Air Check™ can help improve indoor air environments by identifying chemical pollutants that can trigger asthma attacks

Home Air Check™, the leading indoor air quality testing solution for measuring hundreds of chemical pollutants in home air, announces a simple do-it-yourself test for detecting the presence of airborne chemical irritants that can trigger asthma attacks and make symptoms worse in asthma patients. TheHome Air Check VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) Test is a professional-grade test packaged in a home-use kit that looks for over 400 chemical compounds in the air that are known to be problematic for asthma sufferers.

As part of May 2012 Asthma Awareness Month, the EPA and the CDC are reminding everyone of the importance of breathing clean air and of reducing the environmental causes of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator said, “As we mark Asthma Awareness Month, it’s important for parents and children to learn more about the disease and its triggers, so we can prevent asthma attacks and better protect our health and our children's health."

The EPA and the CDC state that it is critical for the health of asthma patients to control their symptoms by avoiding things in the environment that trigger attacks. Most people are aware of triggers like mold and secondhand tobacco smoke, but VOCs are also major contributors to the exacerbation of asthma. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, several scientific studies suggest that exposure to VOCs may make symptoms worse in people who have asthma. And a recent study published in Indoor Air, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, revealed a significant link between childhood asthma and low-level exposure to VOCs – particularly toluene, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, benzene, and xylenes. A Home Air Check VOC Test surveys for these toxic compounds and hundreds more, detects for the presence of mold which may be hidden behind walls, and reports on the levels found. In addition, Home Air Check helps in the development of an asthma action plan – another EPA/CDC recommendation – to locate the sources of the air contamination so that they can be reduced or removed from the home. By knowing the source of the triggers, Home Air Check can aid in the management of asthma symptoms.