There are two types of people in this world: Those who look forward to spring cleaning, and those who don’t. Personally, I can relate to both of these types. On the one hand, by the time Spring comes around, my house is itching for a good scrub-down. The forgotten socks collecting dust underneath my bed are screaming, “Find me!”, not to be outdone by the cries from the dirt in the back of my kitchen cabinets. But then on the other hand, I know that I’m gonna have to devote at least a day or two to the job, and...
HazardsNewsSafety
NYC receives $300,000 grant for Lead Paint removal efforts.
After its heavy usage until the 1980’s, lead paint was officially banned for its extremely dangerous health effects upon inhalation – namely Lead Poisoning. While lead can be found in the air, water, and soil, the most common way to contract Lead Poisoning is inhaling the dust of lead-containing paint. While lead paint has been banned for decades, it still resides on so many of our homes and buildings. The most common place to find this durable and pigmented paint are on the door frames and window panes of older buildings. Because these are high friction points with a lot...
Air QualityBuildingsHazardsHealthNewsWorkplace
Asbestos used to be a beloved friend of the construction industry. Since the 1960’s, the lethal effects of this material have been discovered. But, we are still in the thick of this issue – specifically in our schools.
Asbestos was a popular product for an entire century since the 1880s. This man-made material is loved for its heat resistant properties, commonly used for insulation. If a building was built before the mid-twentieth century, it almost certainly contains asbestos in its lining. The issue is that when this material turns into dust, it can be inhaled, causing myriad healthy issues including cancers, such as Mesothelioma, and its own “personalized” disease called Asbestosis. How does asbestos turn to dust? In two ways: as it ages and when it is disrupted. During the construction or remodeling of an asbestos-containing building, asbestos...
Air QualityApartmentsHealthHomesUpdate
In the era of quarantine, indoor air pollutants may be a greater cause for concern than ever.
We’d all like to believe that our weekly sweeping/mopping/dusting are enough to keep away all of those nasty toxins that could be harboring in our homes. Well unfortunately, that’s just not the case. Things like dust mite allergens, mold, bacteria, and fungi all present themselves upon the very surfaces that we eat, sit, play, and sleep. This disturbing fact is more important than ever considering the sheer number of hours we’ve all been spending at home lately. With Zoom school, work, and events, we’d better make sure our home is a safe place to live the majority of our lives....
When winter rolls around, complaints about mold in homes and buildings skyrocket. Why’s that? Two words. Burst pipes.
For Tanerica Joseph of Round Rock, Texas, the great Texas storm of February 2021 meant more than just some chilly nights and the need for a heavy snowplow. The freezing temperatures outside made the pipes inside of her apartment burst. It is not uncommon for the water inside pipes to freeze in very cold weather. When this happens, a blockage is created in the pipe. This is so dangerous because the frozen water causes water pressure to build up behind it. The pressure keeps on building until the frozen water can’t take it anymore and has nothing to do but...
AdviceAir QualityHealthHomes
Spring Cleaning: How Important Is It Really?
There are two types of people in this world: Those who look forward to spring cleaning, and those who don’t. Personally, I can relate to both of these types. On the one hand, by the time Spring comes around, my house is itching for a good scrub-down. The forgotten socks collecting dust underneath my bed are screaming, “Find me!”, not to be outdone by the cries from the dirt in the back of my kitchen cabinets. But then on the other hand, I know that I’m gonna have to devote at least a day or two to the job, and...
HazardsNewsSafety
NYC receives $300,000 grant for Lead Paint removal efforts.
After its heavy usage until the 1980’s, lead paint was officially banned for its extremely dangerous health effects upon inhalation – namely Lead Poisoning. While lead can be found in the air, water, and soil, the most common way to contract Lead Poisoning is inhaling the dust of lead-containing paint. While lead paint has been banned for decades, it still resides on so many of our homes and buildings. The most common place to find this durable and pigmented paint are on the door frames and window panes of older buildings. Because these are high friction points with a lot...
Air QualityBuildingsHazardsHealthNewsWorkplace
Asbestos used to be a beloved friend of the construction industry. Since the 1960’s, the lethal effects of this material have been discovered. But, we are still in the thick of this issue – specifically in our schools.
Asbestos was a popular product for an entire century since the 1880s. This man-made material is loved for its heat resistant properties, commonly used for insulation. If a building was built before the mid-twentieth century, it almost certainly contains asbestos in its lining. The issue is that when this material turns into dust, it can be inhaled, causing myriad healthy issues including cancers, such as Mesothelioma, and its own “personalized” disease called Asbestosis. How does asbestos turn to dust? In two ways: as it ages and when it is disrupted. During the construction or remodeling of an asbestos-containing building, asbestos...
Air QualityApartmentsHealthHomesUpdate
In the era of quarantine, indoor air pollutants may be a greater cause for concern than ever.
We’d all like to believe that our weekly sweeping/mopping/dusting are enough to keep away all of those nasty toxins that could be harboring in our homes. Well unfortunately, that’s just not the case. Things like dust mite allergens, mold, bacteria, and fungi all present themselves upon the very surfaces that we eat, sit, play, and sleep. This disturbing fact is more important than ever considering the sheer number of hours we’ve all been spending at home lately. With Zoom school, work, and events, we’d better make sure our home is a safe place to live the majority of our lives....
When winter rolls around, complaints about mold in homes and buildings skyrocket. Why’s that? Two words. Burst pipes.
For Tanerica Joseph of Round Rock, Texas, the great Texas storm of February 2021 meant more than just some chilly nights and the need for a heavy snowplow. The freezing temperatures outside made the pipes inside of her apartment burst. It is not uncommon for the water inside pipes to freeze in very cold weather. When this happens, a blockage is created in the pipe. This is so dangerous because the frozen water causes water pressure to build up behind it. The pressure keeps on building until the frozen water can’t take it anymore and has nothing to do but...