Home Inspectors / IAQ
Air quality in any contained space can be of concern, both in homes due to an occupant’s long-term exposure, as well as in a business or industrial setting, due to the potential range of particles and materials that might be generated in a business. Customized microscopic testing allows an air quality professional to identify dust or fugitive particles. MicroVision Labs provides analyses ranging from general composition investigation to identification of a single type of particulate in a mixed sample. While dust build up is one issue facing sites examined by home inspectors, other challenges can also be approached with custom microscopic analysis, including unknown trace materials in a home, building distress, or comparison of paints or building materials. The combination of microscopy’s ability to examine extremely fine individual particles as well as targeted chemical analysis allows for very specific results.
Dust Characterization
Our dust analysis provides a general overview of many common particle types present in a dust sample and the concentrations at which they are present. Depending on the level of detail and confirmation needed, this analysis can be performed with optical and/or electron microscopy. This is extremely useful in helping to determine the potential source of your dust or in evaluating the impact that one site is having on another. We handle samples from home owners to indoor air quality professionals daily.
Particle Size Analysis (PSA)
The diameter, perimeter, shape and aggregation patterning of particles are often of interest with manufactured or naturally occurring materials. Our PSA method is useful to measure and document the morphology and distribution of a sample. Whether you have particles, pores or film coatings, we can accommodate your project needs.
Soot Analysis
This analysis utilizes light and electron microscopy to determine the quantity and potential source of any combustion products present in a residential or business dust sample (e.g. oil soot, wood ash, natural gas soot, candle soot, fly ash, coal ash, etc.). Our detailed analysis informs clients of the type of soot present in addition to other particles that may be of concern in their samples. When your dust is black, we can tell you if soot is the problem.
Unknown Materials ID
Useful when you have a solid, liquid, gel, powder, fiber, or multiphase material of unknown origin that needs to be identified. By using a combination of microscopy techniques and in-house methods we are able to categorize your sample if not identify it specifically. Let us take the “un” out of your unknown.
Wildfire Dust Analysis
Designed to identify soot, vegetative char and ash, this analysis combines light and electron microscopy to conclusively document and differentiate wildfire debris from other sources of combustion residue such as home furnaces, cigarettes or industrial burners. This detailed analysis informs clients about the presence or absence of fire related particles, the relative loading of these particle types, and the presence of other materials that might be a dark char look-alike material, but are not fire related.