I purchased an older home (built in 1976) in 2013. I was so impressed with the solid structure of the entire home. The original solid wood panels and beams. However, after a short while, i noticed an unusual amount of dust on every surface. It was unrelenting. The air filters had to be changed before their due date. We had the carpet ripped out as well as the drapes. We replaced all the old windows. Still, the dust was everywhere. Around this time, I started to notice changes in my health. I have developed debilitating inflammation in my joints to the point of not being able to get out of bed. I have no idea if these two are connected but I would definitely like to check my home for any levels of toxicity. What would you recommend that I start with?
Safety first. The problems you describe could be caused by a furnace not working correctly and generating carbon monoxide. Please get a carbon monoxide detector, if you don't already have one, and get your furnace checked.
Environmental tests are very expensive. It's better to eliminate any tests that have already been done or are unlikely. For example, was a radon test done when you bought the property? If so, unless there is overwhelming reason, don't repeat the test. Was a lead paint test done (lead paint wasoutlawed in residences in 1978, so it could have been used in your house)? Unfortunately, that will probably take getting an M.D. Involved to tell you what environmental factors could cause the physical problems.
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One place to start might be monitoring the levels of particulate matter in your home. You could compare sensors across rooms to see if there are any hot-spots for dust. You could do this with something like the #purple-air sensors that many folks on this site use. This resource can help you to compare different inexpensive air-quality monitors.
If you're concerned about Lead, there area many at-home tests that you can get at your local hardware store. @read_holman put together this great resource on testing for lead in your home.
Another thing you can investigate is whether this dust is originating inside of your home or may be something coming in from outside. Our tool Leaflet Environmental Layers can help you to look and see what types of environmental monitoring is happening near your home that may seem relevant. From PublicLab.org/map you can use the menu in the upper right had corner to view local environmental data.
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We breathe in 20,000 breaths each day, according to the American Lung Association, 90 percent of which occur indoors. The air inside of our homes is two to five times more polluted than the outdoor air. With asthma and allergies skyrocketing, everyone is affected by poor indoor air quality today. Toxicity tests examine finished products such as pesticides, medications, cosmetics, food additives such as artificial sweeteners, packing materials, and air freshener, or their chemical ingredients etc. Also for building Different scaffoldings are made to check the air quality from outer side into the room.
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