indoor air quality consulting News
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Decades after their Ban Toxic PCBs are Still a Threat
The indoor air quality consulting experts at Future Environment Designs provide environmental testing solutions for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Although no longer commercially produced in the United States, PCBs may still be present in products and materials produced before 1979. PCBs belong to a broad family of man-made organic chemicals known as chlorinated hydrocarbons. Domestically ...
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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 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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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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Reducing Indoor Exposure to Formaldehyde in New York and the Tri-State Area
Just last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule to reduce exposure to formaldehyde off-gassing from certain wood products produced domestically or imported. These products include hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard, and particleboard, as well as household and other finished goods containing these products. As far back as 1987, the EPA classified ...
By VOETS, LLC
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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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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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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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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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Texas Environmental Professionals Help to Prevent Occupational Asthma with Air Testing and Monitoring
More than 2 million Texans have been diagnosed with asthma. A significant number of these people are in the workforce and suffer from occupational asthma. Also referred to as work-related asthma, occupational asthma is the most common occupational lung disease in the United States. Nationwide, OSHA estimates that 11 million workers in a wide range of industries and occupations are exposed to ...
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Texas Air Quality Experts Help Prevent Exposure to Hazardous Levels of Lead at Gun Ranges
Texas is home to a multitude of indoor and outdoor shooting ranges. Across the entire country, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimates there are approximately 9,000 non-military outdoor firing ranges and between 16,000 and 18,000 indoor ranges. The U.S. military alone operates more than 3,000 indoor firing ranges. Gun enthusiasts, law enforcement officers ...
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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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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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Outbreak of Shigellosis Occurs at Texas Elementary School
Last month, a school district in San Antonio sent home a letter to parents informing them of multiple cases of a bacterial infection at one of the district’s elementary schools. Parents were encouraged to keep sick children at home and the school reportedly took extra precautions to clean and sanitize classrooms and the school building. The infectious disease that spread in the school ...
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Texas Building Science Experts Provide Gulf Coast Residents with Hurricane Season Advice
Earlier this month Tropical Storm Bill made landfall and brought more rain to an already soaked Texas. It was a reminder that hurricane season in the United States has begun and won’t be officially over until November 30th. People who live in Texas and along the Gulf Coast are at risk this time of year for experiencing the damaging effects of hurricanes and tropical storms. As ...
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Spray Polyurethane Foam & Chemical Exposure Concerns in Texas Homes & Buildings
Residential and commercial builders across Texas and the Gulf Coast have increasingly turned to spray polyurethane foam (SPF) to insulate new construction and for remodeling projects. SPF has become a popular alternative to other forms of insulation due to its superb insulating properties, ability to protect against moisture, to fill cracks and crevices, and its excellent sound reducing ...
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Chicago Area Environmental & Building Sciences Consulting Company Expands Services to the East Coast
EC2, Inc., puts their decades of environmental and building structure knowledge to work on the Eastern Seaboard through strategic partnerships with Advanced Indoor Air Quality Care and Pure Air. One of the leading building sciences and indoor air quality (IAQ) consulting firms from the Chicago area has recently announced they have aligned their services with two major providers of IAQ services ...
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Leading IAQ Consulting Firm Helps Educate People about Aspergillus
Aspergillus is a genus consisting of several hundred mold species found in various climates worldwide. It is commonly found in the environment and can also sometimes be found in household dust, building materials and even in some foods. There are numerous types of Aspergillus, but the more common ones include Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus ...
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Moisture Testing Identifies Building Problems and Microbial Growth
Millions of Americans suffer from allergies and asthma. One of the common culprits that cause allergies and can trigger asthma attacks is mold. Although mold is all around us and is a natural part of the environment, elevated levels of mold in indoor environments can cause health concerns. Typically if an indoor environment is suffering from elevated mold levels it is due to mold growing ...
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Illinois Fire May have Exposed Residents to Hazardous Chemicals
Last month, 35 fire departments responded to a major industrial fire at a plastics plant in Zion, Illinois. Due to heavy smoke and toxic fumes, evacuations were ordered for a 1 mile radius south of the fire that lasted approximately 2 hours. One of the reasons for the large evacuation area was due to concerns over formaldehyde being released from chemicals burning at the plastics plant. ...
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