Measure indoor air quality

That's how you do it

The indoor air quality is often worse than that of the environment: after all, indoor air contains polluting substances such as gases, fine dust, bacteria or fungi from both inside and outside. The building itself partly determines the air quality by, for example, the building materials used or the construction techniques in the field of insulation or ventilation. The behavior of the occupant or user of the building also has an influence, for example through the products used or the degree of ventilation.
Poor indoor air quality can be linked to the ' sick building ' syndrome (more explanation below). It is therefore very important to measure indoor air quality in order to be able to intervene in time.

• Pollutants in the air can be measured with sensors or by taking samples ('sampling'). Sensors measure continuously. Samplers measure passively and give you an average concentration for a certain measurement period.

Tip

• There is a wide range of cheap to very expensive sensors for measuring air quality. The quality can vary greatly, so it is best to inquire well before you buy them.
  • The Flemish Planning Bureau Environment has indoor boxesavailable to measure indoor air quality.
  • Be sure to check out the website of the " VAQUUMS " project, where the Flemish Environmental Agency, together with two Dutch partners (TNO and RIVM), conducted research into the reliability of NO2 and PM sensors.

Knowing more

The ' sick building ' syndrome is all of the complaints that people experience during prolonged presence in a certain building and that can be attributed to the condition of the building. Common complaints are irritation of the mucous membranes, red skin, itching, headache, fatigue, listlessness and loss of concentration.

More information

● Clean air project (Flanders, Netherlands)
● Hoemeetiklucht (Flanders, Netherlands)
● Sensor box measures the air quality in the house (VITO, Flanders)
● Indoor box (Department of Environment, Flanders)
● Indoor air quality
● VAQUUMS (Flanders, Netherlands)
● Air quality (Department of Welfare, Public Health and Family, Flanders)