2 WEEKS OF REMODELING WREAKED HAVOC ON OUR HOME’S AIR QUALITY

The air quality Kaye and I experienced during our kitchen renovation can be summed up in two words: not good! As I mentioned on Page 1, I used my laser particle counter to collect data on the air we were breathing. Specifically, I analyzed two different particle types: PM2.5 and PM10.0.

PM2.5 particles are very small, and you can actually breathe them in. They travel deep into the alveoli of the lungs and can cause allergic reactions and breathing troubles in people with allergies and asthma. They can also carry chemicals that cause long-term damage.

Ideally, the presence of these particles, measured by weight, should be kept under 15.0 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter of air sampled). As you can see, during the first week of our remodel, our air had unsafe levels of PM2.5 particles because of settled dust from the kitchen areas. Yikes!

My laser particle counter also gathered data on PM10.0 particles, which are bigger than PM2.5s. Although you can breathe in these particles, they’re considered “non-respirable.” They’ll make your skin and eyes itch and irritate your nose and throat enough to force you to cough or sneeze. PM10.0 particles should be kept below 50.0 µg/m3, but we had above-ideal levels every day of our remodel except for the first and last. These particles came from cutting, sanding, painting, and the other remodeling activities.

We did our best to keep the air healthy in our home during the renovation by opening windows and using fans to move dust and construction particles outside. Unfortunately, that still wasn’t enough! (Perhaps because the contractors didn’t always follow my instructions …) Next time you remodel your home or building, keep this in mind and take as many precautions as possible.