In a previous blog post, Indoor Science covered The Basics of Legionella. Legionella is a bacterium that can be found naturally in various freshwater environments. This bacteria becomes a health hazard to people when it is inhaled. In this blog post, I will discuss where Legionella can be found in building water management systems, and how it is tested.
One of the most dreaded things a facility manager or business owner can receive is a notice from OSHA about a workplace complaint. OSHA complaints can come in many forms, what we will be talking about today are specific complaints related to air quality and worker exposure in the workplace. We commonly deal with two
In a prior blog post, I discussed how a home’s heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can aid in controlling a host of indoor air quality issues. Now let’s take a look at how the HVAC can hurt indoor air quality (and hopefully see how to avoid them)! Lack of proper ventilation in HVAC
As a prospective home buyer or a homeowner contemplating renovation activities, not only should asbestos-containing materials be a concern but also lead-based paint. In this blog, we will discuss when lead paint was used in homes.
April showers bring May flowers and with them comes seasonal allergies. Those affected by allergies know that when the weather warms up and there is more rainfall, the outdoor environment changes. Plants begin to grow and generate pollen which is bad news for someone with pollen allergies. Allergy sufferers understand that the outdoor environment may cause symptoms to flare up, but what if you suffer from allergic symptoms inside of your house? This begs the question, am I allergic to my house? This blog post will discuss allergen sources inside of a home.
Inevitably, you have seen mold at some point in your life. Whether on a loaf of bread that you let sit around too long, on the fruit you let spoil in the fridge, or in the basement of your Grandma’s house that always flooded, mold is routinely around us in our daily lives. In a
Well, spring is in the air and that means that the real estate market is in full swing. Your checklist for the new home seems daunting with mortgage applications, credit checks, moving vans, building inspections, and a host of other issues. I don’t mean to throw another issue on the pile, but by all means,
During the purchase or renovation of a property built before the 1980s, many homeowners will question if asbestos-containing materials are present. When inspecting a property, many people ask what were the peak years for asbestos to be used in homes
New construction homes and commercial buildings are often viewed as a safer bet to avoid the headaches of older properties. The rationale is that newer properties have fewer problems. While this may be true for some aspects, it is worth considering the negative effects of VOCs in new construction.
If you do an internet search for mold, you are bound to find numerous links about “toxic black mold” and anecdotes about the health effects from these toxins. You may be curious to know if there are any of these toxins inside your home and seek professional testing. So, can you test for mycotoxins in
Mechanical systems can greatly aid in improving indoor air quality. I’ll discuss how in this blog post.
Many assume that indoor air quality problems originate from within a property, such as mold growth from a burst pipe or asbestos-containing materials getting disturbed. However, some problems can originate from outside a property. One such problem that arises from the exterior is vapor intrusion. In this blog post, I will cover what is vapor intrusion and some of the common sources.
Typically our blog posts focus on the dark side of mold. How mold is hazardous, problematic, and a general headache when it is found inside a home or building. While all of those posts are very informative, it is also worth mentioning the beneficial qualities of mold. This post will shed some light on mold’s critical role in the environment and its impact on the food industry.
How Can You Test For Cigarette Smoke? Cigarette smoke can be one of the most frustrating odor issues in a multi-family building. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) secondhand smoke (smoke exhaled into the surrounding air from a smoker, or the smoke from the end of a lit cigarette) and thirdhand smoke (the stale cigarette odor that
Happy National Radon Action Month!! Granted, this is not meet with the level of excitement that one might reserve for Christmas or New Years, but it does serve an important function: radon awareness! Why do we feel its important to do radon testing and spread the word about radon gas? Let us count the ways.
Unlike asbestos, which is a naturally occurring group of fibrous silicate minerals, fiberglass is a man-made material. While fiberglass wouldn’t be used commercially until the 20th century, there were artists who used glass
Renters have unique challenges because they are limited in the types of repairs and changes they can make to their home. If you are renting and are concerned about mold, what should you do? This post can serve as a general guide for renters on what to do, but keep in mind that every situation is different and the severity of the mold problem plays a huge factor.
It’s the holiday season and the malls are filled with shoppers looking for the perfect gifts for family and loved ones. If you are like me, I have a difficult time finding the best gifts. However, when giving a gift to someone who wants to improve indoor air quality, it’s important that the gift will
Gather ‘round the computer screen, as I recite a tale of yore. Way off in a dark and mysterious land known as “Peoria, Illinois” (my hometown) comes the legend of Moldy Mary, and how her magic spoiled fruit helped save millions of lives. This may sound like the talk of storybooks and tall tales… you aren’t likely to see her name in history books.
Pesticides are chemicals that are used to kill different types of organisms including fungi, bacteria, and insects. These chemicals are typically sprayed onto fields or in homes where pests may be lurking. When using pesticides, we often only think about it’s intended effect which is to eliminate the pest. However, we rarely consider the effects on air quality after pesticides are sprayed. In this blog post, I will provide some information on pesticides and testing for these chemicals.
Formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound (VOC) and a human carcinogen utilized in a variety of industrial, commercial, and scientific applications. It is also a common component of new building materials. In this blog article,
When people think of mold inside their house, they typically think of a big black splotch on the wall or ceiling. More times than not, this would be correct. But mold has tens of thousands of species and can have a wide variety of colors and show up in different areas for different reasons. Although
Superman has x-ray vision, mold inspectors do not. So unless your inspector gains superpowers, how can they inspect obscured areas like inside of wall cavities for mold growth? We have a number of different options on how we can check the inside of wall cavities during mold inspections, ranging from totally noninvasive measures up to destructive methods.
The days are getting shorter and the temperature is dropping. As an added bonus, we have flu season to contend with. Every year we are encouraged by medical professionals to get a flu shot and take basic precautions like basic hand hygiene and avoiding close contact with sick individuals. Let’s add another weapon in your arsenal to protect yourself against the flu by improving the ventilation of your home.
Most people assume a property built after the late 1970s won’t have any asbestos present. While this is the most likely scenario, it is still possible to have asbestos in a home built after that time period. Many will be stunned by this revelation because they assume that asbestos was fully “banned” in the United
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