Building environmental hazards:

Guide to articles giving in-depth advice on indoor and building related environmental hazard inspection, detection, remediation: Environmental Hazard Testing, Effects, Remedies, Prevention Procedures. Indoor Contaminant Detection, Testing, Cleanup, Illness, Symptoms, Diagnosis.

These articles explain building indoor environmental hazard inspection, detection, and remediation procedures giving advice from un-biased experts.

Example topics include explanation, testing and remedy procedures for building hazards from: asbestos, mold, IAQ, toxic gases, fiberglass, sewage backups, bacterial hazards, lead, radon, UFFI, noise pollution, oil spills, odors & smells, ozone, other potential building indoor contaminants.

Also try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need.

Environmental Hazard Testing, Effects, Remedies, Prevention Articles

These questions and answers about diagnosing & curing indoor environmental problems or hazards were posted originally at ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS at BUILDINGS - home page, where we page provides

an index to key articles about the building indoor environment: hazards, troubleshooting, or contaminant identification, risk assessment, and remediation.

You will also find our master index to building environmental topics at the MORE READING links at the bottom of this article or scroll down through the descriptive list of building-related environmental topics discussed at InspectApedia.

The photo at page top shows steel chemical drums that we discovered on a residential property during a home inspection.

[Click to enlarge any image]

On 2019-03-11 by (mod) -

I think it's generally the case that you don't expect to find any carbon monoxide in an occupied space. The significance of the level is really one of determining the urgency of response. In addition to attempting to seal off the source and properly ventilate the area where the sea is being generated you might look at a fresh air heat exchanger for your own occupied space.

On 2019-03-09 by Jim

Thanks Dan,
One of the problems is that the CO levels are below emergency levels , roughly 10-15 ppm in the garage and perhaps 2 ppm in the residential area. Beyond the nuisance factor it is more an issue of long term health effects of low level CO poisoning and exposure to ultrafine particulate matter. Ill look into getting the air tested for PM since the threshold levels are much lower.

I filed an appeal with the State yesterday to get them to turn on the fans and will probably go to the newspapers as well. Will also look into the legal route as well.

On 2019-03-06 by (mod) - strong smell of car exhaust throughout the building and soot settling up by our apartment doors

Jim

You can easily be stuck in an endless arm-waving debate among people with conflicting interests in a question like the one you pose.

I suggest:

1. obtain some objective data: actual measurements of carbon monoxide or CO, reports of alarm sounding inside your apartment, or if that never happens, accurate CO measurements by an independent, un-biased expert

2. If that data shows a hazard bring that immediately to building management

3. If building management does not respond then you need to ask for help from your health department, based on documented credible data.

If there are nuisance odors beyond the life/safety hazard of engine exhaust and Carbon Monoxide gas then those are issues to discuss with an attorney jointly with a review of the terms of your lease.

On 2019-03-05 by Jim

I live in an apartment building in Mass. with an underground parking garage. We have the strong smell of car exhaust throughout the building and soot settling up by our apartment doors. Management refuses to run the exhaust fans at the minimum rate as required by The 1993 BOCA M-160S.6.1 Minimum ventilation. They are controlled by a CO sensor but it never goes off. The local inspector, health department environmental protection FD, all will not enforce this so I am about to appeal to the State. What other codes for an R-2 building are being violated if toxic exhaust is present in the building. Im afraid that the minimum fan rate wont be enough to solve the problem. Perhaps the sealing for the garage is inadequate too.
thanks

On 2018-11-09 19:45:05.316655 by (mod) -

Shae

You need a local environmental expert or industrial hygienist. You may find someone suitable at the page top EXPERTS DIRECTORY

On 2018-08-24 1 by Shae Hamilton

I would like to find out who, if anyone, is able to test my home after a major sewer line break occurred in the crawlspace of our town home? There was a great deal of raw sewage under the unit for quite some time and the company who did the eradication has been anything but professional or helpful during the process. They have made false claims regarding steps performed to remove the sewage. There is not enough time to go into all of their false claims and antics since they were contracted, but let's just say my confidence in their performing the job effectively is equal to the confidence I have that a dog will grow wings and swoop around flying in the sky. Does that sum it up? I NEED to be sure that it is safe for my Mom and I to return to our home after a Month in a motel. Who do I call or where can I start to accomplish this task? We are in Aurora, CO.

IMAGE LOST by older version of Comments code - now fixed. Please re-post the image if you can. Sorry. Mod.

On 2018-11-09 by (mod) - hire an expert to guide cleanup after a major sewage contamination problem

Shae

You need a local environmental expert or industrial hygienist. You may find someone suitable at the page top EXPERTS DIRECTORY

See SEWAGE BACKUP TEST & CLEANUP for an outline of the usual concerns, procedures, cleanup, testing.

On 2018-08-24 by Shae Hamilton - terrible sewage backup in Aurora Colorado

This is horrible

I would like to find out who, if anyone, is able to test my home after a major sewer line break occurred in the crawlspace of our town home?

There was a great deal of raw sewage under the unit for quite some time and the company who did the eradication has been anything but professional or helpful during the process.

They have made false claims regarding steps performed to remove the sewage. There is not enough time to go into all of their false claims and antics since they were contracted, but let's just say my confidence in their performing the job effectively is equal to the confidence I have that a dog will grow wings and swoop around flying in the sky.

Does that sum it up? I NEED to be sure that it is safe for my Mom and I to return to our home after a Month in a motel.

Who do I call or where can I start to accomplish this task? We are in Aurora, CO.

On 2018-02-27 by (mod) - landlord wants contractor to come in and spray for mold

Spraying "mold killing" chemicals is never a safe, fully-effective remedy for indoor mold contamination. The risks include leaving "dead" but toxic materials as well as some live mold, and failure to fix the cause of mold growth in the first place - so the problem simply recurs.

See MOLD SANITIZER, SPRAY, BIOCIDE USE GUIDE where we explain the issues and have some further suggestions.

On 2018-02-27 by Rory

My landlord wants to have contractor come in and speak chemicals and stay clean up with my pregnant wife and children in the home.

No test, no precautions taken or information given and even handed my wife cleaning supplies and said she needed to clean black mold before he did anything to find the cause. I have done allot of research and it all said pretty much the same " landlord is required to give info about health risk involved.

He has said through email "we will not get any kind of letter for plan of action or documentation from anyone he hires" now he is threatened to take 10 day action and told wife and I in front of our kids he regrets signing another year lease and we should leave

This quote obviously made or youngest daughter emotional and all 3 of them stressed out about adult problems they shouldn't deal with as a kid.

We live pay check to pay check and I have been sent in circles from health department to mold remediation outfits and on and on, every one of them say tests are needed with visual black mold, building material effected such as drywall carpet ,

carpet padding, wood or and any porus building product disposed of, and we should not be any near this work without specifically labeled safety resperator gloves eye protection ect.

Much less living here. At this point he is becoming hostile threatening to take action and we only asked him to abide by obligation as a landlord and fix this correctly providing appropriate information and remediation plan

I/me my pregnant wife and 3 kids need help as this guy is putting or health and well being aside knowing we have a girl due at the end of May.

4+years as Tennant's with this guy so we obviously have been bad renters until we bring an issue to light as law requires us. What do I do for immediate assistance and where do I actually find such a thing?

On 2018-01-02 by (mod) -

I can't say, all I see is some blurry greenish material. If there is a dust hazard is had a sample teated.

On 2018-01-02 by MichiganDude

Does this ceiling contain asbestos

On 2017-07-12 by (mod) - black treatment coating wood in rafters in attic

Judith, with no view I can but guess, perhaps a wood preservative/sealant, perhaps over areas of a prior fire or leak. You're welcome to use the page bottom CONTACT link to send photos for further comment.

On 2017-06-19 1 by Judith S

There are areas on the joists and rafters in attic and eave storage spaces that appear to be "painted" with a black treatment.

There is no odor and it does not come off on my hand when I rub it. House was constructed in the late 50's/early 60's, The rafters and joists are not completely "painted", just certain areas. Any idea what this could be?

On 2017-05-26 by (mod) - Toxic carpet, need testing

Ronald

We are in contact by email.

You will also want to see

CARPET CONTAMINATION TEST PROCEDURE https://inspectapedia.com/sickhouse/Carpet-Contamination-Test.php

CARPETING & INDOOR AIR QUALITY https://inspectapedia.com/BestPractices/Carpet-Offgassing-IAQ.php

CARPET PADDING ASBESTOS, MOLD, ODORS https://inspectapedia.com/interiors/Carpet-Padding-IAQ.php

On 2017-05-26 by Ronald Lindsay

Toxic carpet, need testing, possible tampering, physical symptoms 760-966-3019

Thank You Ron Lindsay

...

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