Areas of Practice
ASBESTOS INspections
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral found in rocks including in the State of California. Asbestos is known to have been used by product manufacturers particularly in the period pre 1980’s and therefore the asbestos fiber may be found in construction building materials. Even though asbestos was regulated in the United States, here is no cut-off year for asbestos testing of construction building materials as some products may be imported into the country from other countries where asbestos is not regulated. When asbestos containing building materials are disturbed by removal or impact, the asbestos fiber becomes airborne creating a health hazard for the workers or anyone who may come become exposed to it. Breathing the fiber may create breathing and lung health problems later in life from the exposure. It is necessary that a survey be performed prior to any demolition work, so that if asbestos is present in the building materials being removed, the right contractor is hired to take the proper precautions in completing the work.
Lead Paint inspections
Older homes and buildings are more likely to contain lead-based paint, particularly buildings constructed pre 1978. The most common way that lead gets into the body is through dust. The process of demolishing older housing generates dust that includes lead from interior and exterior lead-based paint. This lead dust eventually falls and settles on surfaces. Demolition workers inhale this lead dust and also track the lead dust to their homes and communities. Through inhalation and tracking, demolition workers, their families and communities, are all exposed to the hazardous effects of lead. That is why it is very important to avoid any health and contamination by hiring a professional Environmental Consultant to inspect any of the components containing paint that will be impacted from the planned demolition project.
Mold Inspections
Due to the health concerns that have been associated from mold exposure like allergies, respiratory problems, lung issues and other health problems, it is important that when a mold concern arises in your home or work environment, that an experienced mold consultant is contacted to complete the proper mold assessment that will determine if a concern exist or not. If there is a medical concern, see a Physician or Doctor to help with that matter. It's best to have mold testing performed for you by a qualified mold professional. By hiring a professional mold consultant with knowledge of the samples needed to be collected, interpreting the laboratory results will lead to you obtaining the most accurate results with a proper written assessment report. Mold testing will provide you with mold spore levels to that specific day and time. Laboratory results will also indicate the type of spores that were found through the sampling method completed by the inspector. The levels of mold spores are only specific to the time and date when they were collected as the mold spore count and mold spore types will fluctuate throughout the day. Several things factor in the mold spore count fluctuating in the environment such as, relative humidity, temperature, a windy environment, rain, etc. Sometimes trying to find your own methods and solutions will temporarily relieve the problem or in some cases it my worsen the situation. It is best to contact an experienced mold inspector to assist you.
Sewage Bacteria inspections
Sewage backups such as a toilet overflow, sewage drain leaks and backups can be very messy and and an unpleasant situation to deal with. Such water losses are considered too be Category 3 water losses. In some cases rain water that floods a building may also be considered a Category 3 water loss since it quite possibly came in contact with exterior soil. Several types of bacteria are of concern when dealing with sewage contamination such as E. coli (Escherichia coli), Total Coliform and Enterococcus. These types of sewage bacterias may produce a health illness when it goes into your body such as high fevers, diarrhea, stomach flu’s and other illnesses. Seek a Physician or a Doctor if medical attention or concern is needed. It is important to hire a professional to help determine the extent of the sewage contamination, specially since other unaffected areas in the building may have also been contaminated from people moving around the building and tracking it elsewhere.
Smoke Soot-Combustion by product inspections
Building or wildfires damage can go beyond the visibly damaged areas. Smoke damage from fires can affect the surrounding areas, even in spots that were never touched by flames. Smoke, soot, and ash damage are common hazards that are caused through fires that may affect the interior and exterior of any building structure, such as a single-family home, apartment complex, commercial buildings and industrial complexes. The hazards left behind from wildfires and/or structural fires may lead to potential health hazards that can last for a considerable amount of time after the fire has been contained. To determine if your building may be contaminated by smoke particulates from a recent fire event wether structural or wildfires contact us and let us provide you with the proper assessment, to determine if a problem really exist or not.