indoor air quality consulting News
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Texas Indoor Air Quality Consultants Help Identify Asthma Triggers in Homes, Schools and Offices
In the United States, asthma affects approximately 25 million people, including 7 million children according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that in 2010, asthma caused 14.2 million visits to physician offices and the following year resulted in 3,345 deaths. Asthma can be controlled by taking medicine and avoiding ...
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Indoor Environmental Consultants Celebrates 15 Years of Service in Texas and the Gulf Coast
In 2001, a group of the leading building science, indoor air quality, environmental, and microbiology professionals officially opened the doors at Indoor Environmental Consultants, Inc. (IEC). The environmental consulting firm quickly made a name for themselves in their home state of Texas and across the Gulf Coast. Today, IEC is the area’s premier indoor environmental quality ...
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Texas IAQ Experts Provide Healthy Environments for Building Occupants
Since 2001, people across Texas and the Gulf Coast with indoor environmental quality issues or concerns have had access to one of the nation’s leading consulting firms. Indoor Environmental Consultants, specializing in identifying and resolving indoor air quality (IAQ) and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) problems, have helped thousands of people in schools, commercial and residential ...
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Indoor Environmental Consultants Support the Efforts of Asthma Awareness Month throughout Texas
May is Asthma Awareness Month and a reminder that approximately 25 million people in the United States suffer from the disease. In Texas alone, more than 2 million people have been diagnosed with asthma. The Texas Department of State Health Services reports that 1 in every 11 children has asthma and it causes 3 in 5 people living with the disease to limit their physical activity or miss ...
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Texas Floods & High Humidity Levels in Water-Damaged Buildings Can Cause Dust Mite Problems
The historic May rains across Texas resulted in an end to the drought that much of the state had suffered for years. Unfortunately, it also left a path of destruction and water-damaged homes and buildings in dozens of counties. While today, many people recognize that a water damaged structure can quickly lead to indoor air quality concerns due to the presence of elevated levels of mold, far ...
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Texas Indoor Environmental Quality Experts Provide Tips for Managing Mold Complaints in the Workplace
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are over half a million business establishments throughout Texas. These businesses employee millions of workers and are a critical part of the economic success of the state. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing “safe and healthful working conditions” for their workers. One area of ...
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Did Property Management Cover Up a Mold Problem?
Recently an NBC affiliate in Wisconsin reported about a case of mold contamination causing illness in a family at an apartment complex. WGBA began the story by asking if a mold cover-up was happening. According to the report, “A baby is fighting breathing problems and a doctor asked an apartment manager to step in and get rid of the mold. Now, the manager is accused of covering up the ...
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New Mold Fact Sheet Released to the Public
Recently, technical committee members from the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) released an informational document entitled, “Facts about Mold”. The document addresses a number of issues regarding mold and specifically mold in indoor environments. According to the document, “The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Institute of Medicine of ...
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Texas Building Science Professionals Identify Surface and Wot Rot Fungi
Wood continues to be one of the most commonly used building materials in Texas and across the Gulf Coast. When properly maintained and protected from moisture, structures made from wood can last for centuries. Termites and wood destroying insects have long been blamed for the destruction of wood used in buildings, but they are not the only culprits. Wood also makes for an ideal food ...
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Texas Indoor Air Quality Professionals Identify Legionella Risks
In December, multiple media outlets reported on the tragic case of a Texas newborn who developed Legionnaires’ disease and passed away early last year. The infant was born during a water birth that some health experts believe may have exposed the child to the bacteria that causes the disease. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Each year, between ...
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Texas Apartment Managers Turn to Indoor Environmental Consultants to Prevent and Resolve Mold Issues
Over the last several years, Texas has experienced a boom in its multifamily housing rental market. Some markets, such as the Austin metro area, have recently experienced occupancy rates around the 95% mark. The strong demand across much of the state has resulted in a marked increase in new apartment complex construction. Apartment complexes face many of the same challenges as other forms of ...
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Texas IAQ Professionals Help Businesses & Families Recover from Smoke and Water Damage following a Fire
Recently, Austin’s KVUE broadcast a report about thirty seven people who were displaced from their homes after a fire at their apartment complex in Round Rock. According to the report, sixteen units were destroyed or sustained water and smoke damage. While homes and businesses can be completely destroyed by fires, in multi-tenant situations and when a fire is in close proximity to ...
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Mold in California School Raises Concerns
In February, theVentura County Starpublished an article about leaking roofs and health concerns over mold at Fillmore Middle School. The school, which is only a dozen years old, has been plagued with roof problems that have resulted in water damage to the school. According to the article, the situation has gotten worse and mold has been found in some areas. The article quotes Earl Davis, interim ...
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MBM Insurance Resource Center Gives Gratitude to the IAQ Community during Thanksgiving
Each year, countless Americans are impacted by tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and wildfires. Virtually all of society lives in an area that can be impacted by some type of natural disaster. When one of these natural disasters occurs, homes, businesses and all of the institutions that society depends on can be damaged and contaminated by indoor air quality pollutants. Water damage from floods ...
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Schools across Texas & the Gulf Coast Review New EPA IAQ Guidance
In October, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new guidance to help school districts protect indoor air quality (IAQ) while increasing energy efficiency during school renovation projects. “This guidance provides common-sense solutions for improving energy efficiency and indoor air quality in schools across the country,” said Janet McCabe, Acting Assistant ...
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University in Texas Moves Classes Due to Concerns over Asbestos and Mold
Earlier this month, The Houstonian reported that a building at Sam Houston State University was recently found to contain mold and asbestos. According to the article, classes were moved from Academic Building III after complaints of mold resulted in an investigation that discovered it was indeed present in the building. In order to remove the mold that was found in some walls, existing asbestos ...
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IAQ a Key Component for a Successful School Year as Texas Students Return to Classrooms
Over 80,000 students begin classes today at the Austin Independent School District and similar situations are taking place at school districts across Texas. In fact, close to 5 million students at over 1,000 school districts statewide are ready to begin the 2015-2016 school year. School districts face many challenges when it comes to providing a healthy learning environment for their students. ...
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Texas Building Science Professionals Identify Indoor Allergens & Pollutants that Impact People with COPD
According to a Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey conducted in 2011, approximately 5.4% of residents in Texas had been told they have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) by a healthcare professional. That equates to over 1.3 million residents of the state that are afflicted by a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems. Chronic ...
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Texas Residents on the Lookout for Smoke Damage Following the Hidden Pines Fire
The Hidden Pines Fire consumed over 4,500 acres and destroyed dozens of homes along with several businesses. The destructive wildfire resulted in the evacuation of entire neighborhoods with hundreds of people having to leave their properties and reside in shelters and other locations for days. As the fire began to be contained last week, some area residents were allowed to begin returning to ...
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IAQ Professionals Encouraged to Review their E&O Insurance Coverage
Professional Liability insurance, also commonly referred to as Errors & Omissions (E&O) insurance, is a critical type of insurance coverage for professionals who provide indoor air quality consulting and testing services. This type of coverage provides protection for those who provide IAQ services from the complete cost of defending their business against claims of negligence and ...
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