Prism Analytical Technologies, Inc.

Sick Building Syndrome

“Sick building syndrome" (SBS) is a situation in which occupants of a building experience health ailments and discomfort effects that appear to be associated with the amount of time the occupant spends in the building; however, no specific illness or cause can usually be identified. The health complaints may be confined to a particular room or office, or may be spread throughout the building. Most of the sick building syndrome situations are related to poor indoor air quality, due to flaws in HVAC systems, outgassing of building materials, VOCs, mold, improper exhaust ventilation, or lack of adequate air filtration or fresh-air intake.

Prism offers the following solutions to address Sick Building Syndrome problems:

Air Scan

TDT Air Scan®

AS002-HS — High Sensitivity scan for over 400 quantitative and semi-quantitative compounds.

AS002-IR — Analysis that uses Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy to determine 50+ lower molecular weight organic compounds including propane, formaldehyde, and short chain alcohols, ketones, and aldehydes.

AS002-HS-MS — High Sensitivity scan for mass spectrometer compounds.

Click here to view a TDT Air Scan sample report >
Click here to read “What is Air Scan?” >

Tedlar Bag

Tedlar Bag Air Scan

TB002-IR — Air scan for IR-active compounds including CO, CO₂, Methane, Ammonia, HX.

Product/Material Off-Gas

AS004-HS — A full spectrum of compounds is determined in the product/material off gas using a combination of Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). These include organic and inorganic compounds from methane and ammonia to C14 and methylnaphthalene (one of the diesel markers). The analysis depending on the instrumentation employed includes up to 400 compounds like halogenates, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, primary hydrocarbons, aromatics, and petroleum aromatics as well as inorganics like SO_X, NO_X, CO_X, HCl, HF, HBr, methane, water, ammonia, and fluorinated compounds typically associated with the semiconductor industry. This analysis is primarily designed to identify volatiles off-gassed from solid and semi-solid materials.

Off-gas can be determined as either partial or total off-gas and either at one temperature or multiple temperatures. For IR-active compounds, a 10-second time interval between samplings is available for off-gas time resolved studies. Generally, a discussion with the technical staff at Prism Analytical Technologies is recommended before sampling commences.

For assistance with dealing with sick building syndrome issues, contact us by email or call 989-772-5088 to talk to an IH or Chemical Specialist.

   • Industrial (Heavy/Light)

   • Homes/Residential

   • Schools

   • Commercial Buildings

   • Medical

   • Indoor Air Testing

   • Mold Testing

   • Product Off-Gas

   • FTIR Applications Support

   • Stack Testing

   • Particulate Fallout

   • IH Consultant Referral List