Is your home making you sick? The odds are favorable, it is.

In fact, according to numerous studies, symptoms related to allergies, mold, hay fever, rhinitis, sinusitis, chronic cough, dizziness, diminished cognitive ability, sleeplessness, sleep apnea, asthma, irritability, chemical sensitivity and other related pulmonary functions complaints can be traced back to our homes.  Your house may be killing you or at least, killing your enjoyment of living. On average, we spend over 80% of our time indoors and many people spend well over 90% of their time in a conditioned space.  Small children, disabled, elderly or sedentary people may spend as little as 2% of their time outdoors.  For many urban adults, the time spent walking from the car into the office may be their only outdoor event for the work week.  We live in a conditioned environment; our homes, our cars, our bus/subway train, work places, eating establishments, shopping/entertainment venues – they are all conditioned spaces with little outdoor air.  The air may be slightly filtered but you are breathing a chemical/particulate composite of every component of the house and its occupants, including pets. The fastest growing field in medicine is Allergists and we now have 1 Allergist for every 10,000 adults in many metropolitan areas.  This is not related to population growth but rather to an increased need by the public. We are suffering from watering eyes, running noses, cough, lethargy, sore throats, throat infections, shortness of breath and a host of other ailments your family doctor refers you to an allergist for.  The allergist conducts a host of tests to determine what you are “allergic to”, prescribes medications and warns you to “stay indoors”, yet, most people just never get better.  The medications may help control the symptoms, yet the ailment persists and generally, over time, it gets worse. According to the World Health Organization, the US EPA, the Center for Disease Control, the US Department of Health and Human Services and other leading researchers, the incidence of asthma in children under age 7 is increasing exponentially and all of these authorities relate the increase in asthma to poor indoor air quality in our homes, day care facilities, and schools.  Even moderate levels of airborne or surface contaminants become systemic exposures over time as they remain in our environment due to inadequate fresh air intake or expulsion from the controlled environment.  The normal levels of mold spores which should not normally affect us, become chronic exposures and our threshold limit values decrease with time.  Safety professionals, industrial hygienists and industrial physicians rate this exposure as a Time Weighted Average which compares the Short Term Permissible Limit over a period of exposure to obtain a Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL).  In other words, what should not affect you over a few hours/days will affect you over months/years, at the same level. Indoor air pollution is a very real, quantitative measurement and poor indoor air quality will affect your health.  Children, sedentary, infirmed and the elderly are especially at risk. Can you recognize the risks in your home?  Many potential risks are easily recognized: a.  Excessive dust on furniture, surfaces, fans, etc. b. The presence of pets, especially exotic pets. c. Moisture or dampness. d. Excessive humidity in the home – especially newer homes. e. Excessive condensation on windows. f. Old AC ducts. g. Old insulation. h. Dusty attics. i. Old carpeting. j. Old vinyl flooring, drop ceiling tiles and other materials which may contain asbestos. k. Old copper or galvanized water piping which may contain lead. l. Aged or inefficient air conditioner systems. m. The need to run dehumidifiers in the home. n. Oil or gas fired appliances, fireplaces and furnaces. o. Inefficient wood burning stoves and fireplaces. p. Damaged roofs, window framing and wall cladding. q. Insufficient ventilation such as bath exhaust fans or range hoods. r. Over application of pesticides/insecticides in the home. s. Stored chemicals or petroleum products in the garage/utility room. t. Poor sanitation and housekeeping. u. Termite fumigation or mold remediation processes. v. Water damage, past or present. w. Excessive use of air fresheners, incense or candles. x. Paint and finishes which contained high VOC’s. y. Formaldehyde in engineered wood/laminate flooring. z. Possible “Chinese drywall”. If you have any of these conditions present, the likelihood exists that your indoor air quality is compromised. Many leading researchers assert that allergies and asthma are response mechanisms to air pollution in that, the body is trying to expel the contaminate which is diagnosed as the affliction; the believe the affliction, asthma, is the symptom of the contaminate rather than the cause.  The response, asthma, is related to the contaminate – poor indoor air quality.  Our work in assessing and removing indoor air contaminates and the resultant improvement in our client’s symptoms supports this research. “We are continually amazed at the improvement in our client’s health and lifestyle following our assessment and remediation of the poor indoor air quality issues found in their homes.  It is enriching to learn our clients have decreased doctor/emergency room visits, lowered or eliminated medications and are now reporting improvements in all areas of their daily lives.  Sometimes, even minor contaminates, when eliminated, make a world of difference.”  William Chandler, MRSA, CIEC Why would you want to talk to us about your home or health? a. You feel stuffy, congested or tired in your home. b. Your child suffers from allergies or asthma. c. You make regular trips to the allergist or emergency room. d. You get frequent headaches or nausea at home. e. Your home is always humid or damp. f. You have unexplained chronic cough or sinusitis. These are just a few reasons our clients call us.  Often, our clients call us after they have consulted with other air quality specialists who were unable to do much more than separate them from their money.  There are many firms who claim to provide “mold testing” or “air sampling” but that is not what you need.  Indoor air quality is not just about determining what  contaminate is present but rather about determining why it is there and what should be done to remove it.  It’s easy to collect an air sample and report “elevated mold spores present” but that information alone is useless. Our firm is uniquely qualified to assist the Florida homeowner in the assessment of indoor air quality.  We hold licensure/certification as a General Contractor, Mold Assessor, Board Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant, Board Certified Safety Professional, AHERA qualified for asbestos, USEPA qualified for lead paint inspection and Pest Control Operator (we know pesticides/insecticides). This knowledge and background supports our ability to assess the home as a complete system and this ability is integral to our success in eliminating poor indoor air quality in your home. Call us – we can’t help you until you do. Phone:  855-932-3784 or email:  [email protected] Visit our website:  www.TheBuildingInspector.net

“Your home, your health, your choice”

Serving Jacksonville, Daytona and Orlando metro areas