Indoor Air Quality Solutions, IAQS

“Whats In the Air you Breathe?”

Your Indoor Air is invisible but it is the most basic, life-sustaining feature of your home. Preventive measures, ventilation, and daily habits play a role in protecting your home’s precious supply.

Sources of Indoor Contaminants

•1. Dirt and Dust: Outdoor soil can contain fertilizer, pesticides and more. Tracked in, it becomes part of the indoor dust, which already holds dander, dust mites, plastics, possibly lead or asbestos from indoor sources, etc. As dust becomes airborne, these substances may enter the body and cause symptoms ranging from asthma and allergy _are-ups to even nervous system damage and cancer.

•2. Mold: Airborne mold spores and mold fragments can trigger asthma and allergy episodes.

•3. VOCs: Volatile organic compounds are found in cleaning liquids, paints, solvents and many more household supplies. They volatize or “o_ gas” into the air. Not all are harmful, but at high levels, many can cause a range of symptoms from short-term irritation to more ominous organ damage and cancer. The impact of lower levels and of mixtures of VOCsis under discussion or unknown, but reducing exposure is generally a good policy.

•4. Formaldehyde: This VOCis used in a wide variety of household products. Manufacturers have scaled back – but in many cases not eliminated – its use. It is a known carcinogen and may also trigger asthma attacks and irritate the eyes and respiratory system. O_ gassingcan continue for years, decreasing over time.

•5. Asbestos: Found in some insulation, _reproo_ngmaterials, acoustic tile and “popcorn” ceilings, these tiny particles can cause lung-tissue damage and cancer. Asbestos containing materials are harmless as long as they stay intact, but disintegration frees the _bers to enter the airspace and the lungs.

•6. Lead: Damaging to the nervous system, lead can enter the air as dust. Blood lead levels have dropped dramatically since the 1980s, indicating that unleaded gasoline and strategies regarding lead paint and lead pipes are working. Continued vigilance in the home is recommended, especially if your home is older.

•7. Moisture: Water leaks and high relative humidity encourage mold growth, dust mite proliferation and increased formaldehyde emissions from building materials, furnishings and other household items. These irritants can trigger allergy and asthma symptoms.

•8. Carbon Monoxide: Fuel-burning appliances and idling cars in attached garages can release carbon monoxide into the home, causing about 500 preventable deaths each year. The gas causes thousands more to become ill.

•9. Radon: Radioactive gas can cause lung cancer – no smoking necessary. The EPA estimates radon causes 21,000 preventable deaths each year. Radon testing is quite inexpensive and almost effort-free.

Correcting the Contaminants Source
•1. Eliminate; Often, the most reliable method of protecting yourself from unhealthy exposures in the home is simply to make sure harmful materials and contaminants are not present. Building or furnishing carefully with less hazardous materials, as well as proper cleaning eliminates many health threats.

•2. Separate; When removal is not advisable or not possible, reduce exposure by creating a sealed barrier. For example, tight wall construction keeps potentially hazardous insulation particles out of the living space.

•3. Ventilate; Reduce remainingair contaminants by regularly lettingstale air out and fresh air in. Balancing in and out airflowsin this process provides fresh air for your family and prevents a vacuum from formingand drawing air from a dangerous source like the furnace exhaust.

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
•www.Microshield-ES.com

Florida schools resort to triage in fixing aging, leaky buildings
October 30, 2010|By Denise-Marie Balona, Orlando Sentinel

Bill Smith sends this warning to Florida’s teachers, students and parents: If you think indoor-air quality in public schools is bad now, just wait a few years.

It could get a lot worse, said Smith, president of the state group representing school-facilities planners.

During the past few years, the Florida Legislature has cut hundreds of millions of dollars for public-school construction and maintenance.

“If you don’t have any money to fix roofs and air-conditioning systems, which are 50 percent of the cause of your air-quality problems, what do you do?” said Smith, facilities director for the Okaloosa County School District. “Where are we going to be in five years?”

As the economy weakened, state lawmakers dipped into school capital budgets to cover other education costs such as teacher salaries. They justified the change by noting that student enrollment had tapered or even dropped in many parts of the state, presumably making it less necessary to build new schools.

But this is the funding that also pays for renovations to older buildings and maintenance projects such as replacing roofs and air-conditioning systems — expensive undertakings that are crucial in the never-ending fight against mold and other indoor-air-quality problems.

Smith points out other factors that require vigilance in keeping school buildings safe: Florida is plagued with hurricanes and high humidity, which breed mold. And about one-quarter of public-school buildings are more than 40 years old.

But cuts in capital budgets have forced districts to postpone many of their bigger projects. Across Florida, renovations also have been put off indefinitely, leaving many districts to do minor repairs on roofs that need replaced.

It also means tinkering with older air conditioners to keep them working — albeit, not always very efficiently — years after the manufacturer recommends they be taken out.

Leaky, humid buildings are perfect places for growing mold, and health experts say children are particularly vulnerable to its potentially harmful effects. Symptoms can range from itchy eyes and runny noses to respiratory infections and difficulty breathing.

In a recent report, the Orlando Sentinel documented thousands of complaints from Central Florida educators, parents and others about mold and other air-quality problems in classrooms, media centers and other school buildings.

• John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
• Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
• Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
• www.Microshield-ES.com

Mold a concern in Lake schools, though district officials say it’s not a problem
By Denise-Marie Balona, Orlando Sentinel

TAVARES — Lake County school employees, parents and students have complained hundreds of times about mold and other indoor-air quality problems in local schools in recent years — sometimes repeatedly, records show.

A recent Orlando Sentinel investigation shows that mold, which experts say can cause health problems ranging from itchy eyes and runny noses to respiratory distress and infections, is a chronic concern across Central Florida.

A Sentinel review of Lake school documents, including maintenance work orders and independent environmental reports from August 2007 to August 2010 shows that:

•Nine schools and several district-level offices — the most of any Central Florida county — have had elevated levels of some of the most potentially dangerous types of mold.

•Numerous schools continually ask the district to investigate mold and other indoor-air-quality issues such as odors, high temperatures and high humidity.

•Workers frequently repair a variety of leaks and air-conditioning malfunctions — two of the most common causes of air-quality problems such as mold, which thrives on moisture, including humidity.

•It’s difficult to get a full picture of Lake’s mold problems. Some records are hard to locate, partly because they are not in the district’s relatively new electronic databases. Also, work related to mold and air quality is categorized in different ways so it is time-consuming to track. For example, work might be labeled as an air-quality issue or filed as a plumbing or flooring issue.

•The district generally takes a few days to several weeks to handle mold and air-quality problems. At times, it takes months. Almost three months passed before workers recently replaced some ceiling tiles at Beverly Shores Elementary in Leesburg that had grown mold from a water leak.

Despite the findings, district leaders say Lake responds immediately to complaints and currently has no mold problems.

“We’re not aware of any unaddressed issues and we are diligently working to make sure our schools are safe and free from mold,” district spokesman Chris Patton said.

Officials have downplayed the number of complaints, saying reports of mold and moldy odors can turn out to be dirt and the stink of too many air fresheners — or something else.

At times, it is tough to determine what exactly is causing flu-like symptoms in teachers and students — Florida air is full of allergens. Many complaints, however, turn out to be legitimate. How effectively they are addressed varies.

At least occasionally, workers have to fix the same issues in the same locations, which suggests they may not have been handled adequately the first time.

• John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
• Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
• Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
• www.Microshield-ES.com

BOYNTON BEACH — The mold blooming in unit L-107 at Venetian Terrace is a sickening black wallpaper of flowery-looking growths.

Like thousands of homes throughout Palm Beach County, it is in foreclosure, abandoned and caught in a labyrinthine legal system that has left it to putrefy with a leaky air conditioner that leaves dark puddles in the carpet and warping drywall.

Attorneys say L-107 is a prime example of everything that has gone wrong in real estate: a no-money-down loan on a condo now worth a fraction of its 2007 purchase price, a mortgage that went bad almost immediately, a borrower who walked away, a lost note, unclear ownership rights, and robo-signed documents handled by a foreclosure mill.

Another key factor: a court system so overwhelmed that even though a final judgment in favor of the bank was entered in August — more than two years after the uncontested foreclosure was filed — an auction sale isn’t scheduled until April 21.

But unlike the neighbor of a single-family home that can sit vacant with minor bother, June McCallion lives next door to L-107 and says she is ill from the musty odors invading her home.

“I’ve been living next door to hell,” said McCallion, 64, who suffers from a degenerative neurological disorder called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and now has respiratory problems exacerbated by the mold. “I would please just like someone to fix this.”

But who?

No one is taking responsibility for the decaying condo at Venetian Terrace, and the recent stops and starts in foreclosures as banks review and resubmit flawed court paperwork may allow L-107 to fester indefinitely.

“This is not an isolated story. I hear it all the time,” said attorney Gary Poliakoff, a principal with Fort Lauderdale-based Becker & Poliakoff and a specialist in property law. “What’s happening out there is horrendous and no one is acting rationally from top to bottom.”

Boynton Beach requires lenders to register foreclosures and do basic maintenance on the properties. More than 1,000 homes are on the city’s list, but L-107 isn’t one of them.

Chase Home Finance, which filed for foreclosure on the unit in April 2008, has been accruing a $250-a-day fine from the city since Sept. 30, when it skipped a code enforcement hearing and failed to clean up the unit.

Although Chase has changed the locks and put the electricity in its name, the homeowner is legally responsible for the condo, spokeswoman Daisy Cabrera said. Asked why Chase doesn’t use a property preservation company to care for the condo, as it does for other abandoned foreclosures, Cabrera declined to comment.

Palm Beach County records show Aparecida Barreto, 47, bought the condo in August 2007 for $160,000 but stopped paying the mortgage three months later. It is not known whether she lived there.

Broward County records show Barreto also bought a Deerfield Beach condo in August 2007 for $195,000 with a no-money-down loan through Countrywide Home Loans. That property went into foreclosure in October 2008 with $194,302 still owed on the principal balance.

McCallion began complaining about L-107 more than a year ago, when insects started to invade her home. Today, a thin black layer of thousands of dead bugs covers the kitchen countertops and floors of the abandoned unit.

But the mold, McCallion said, is the worst part. Her clothes stink from it, and she said she has packed several boxes of books and belongings that have to be thrown out because of their musty odor.

Until recently, she was sleeping on her living room sofa because her bedroom, directly adjacent to L-107, had become uninhabitable. A cleaning of her air ducts, which cost hundreds of dollars, allowed her to sleep in her bed again, but she’s not sure how long that will last.

“My only alternative right now is to go into a nursing home,” she said. “I feel like everyone’s deceiving me, and I’m getting sicker and sicker.”

The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office now values L-107 at $36,000. It’s overseen by an association, but neither the Venetian Terrace property manager nor its association representative responded to calls from The Palm Beach Post.

Skip Lewis, senior code compliance officer for Boynton Beach, said there is evidence someone attempted to remove the mold.

On Oct. 26, he re­inspected L-107 and found small sections of drywall cut out. But the air conditioner, which was shut off because of the leak, had been turned back on, possibly by someone thinking it would clear the mold.

“It looks like someone started doing something and it was just too big of a job,” Lewis said.

Part of the conundrum began with L-107’s mortgage. The loan was granted by Texas-based Woodlands Family Mortgage Inc., but Chase filed the foreclosure represented by the Florida Default Law Group, one of four large firms under investigation by the Attorney General’s Office.

In court records, Chase claims to be the holder of the mortgage note. Attached to the original foreclosure filing is a copy of the note, but there’s no endorsement to Chase. Also, Chase claimed the original note was lost and asks for it to be re-established by the court.

In subsequent documents, an endorsed original note shows up, but one endorsement is left blank while the other is endorsed to Chase.

Foreclosure defense attorney Tom Ice, of Royal Palm Beach-based Ice Legal, reviewed the foreclosure documents on L-107 and said that the blank endorsement suggests the note was sold into a trust that is not identified in the case.

The foreclosure also contains two affidavits swearing to the amounts owed on the mortgage, both signed by so-called “robo-signers.” One of the signers, Beth Cottrell, has acknowledged in depositions that she didn’t read or verify foreclosure documents even though she swore to having personal knowledge of the cases.

Chase froze its foreclosures in late September over robo-signer concerns.

Besides the questionable documents, Ice speculated that Chase just doesn’t want the property and has been able to delay the case for what will be three years if the sale occurs in April.

“When it comes to foreclosures, nothing adds up. It’s all backward,” Ice said.

Meanwhile, McCallion suffers.

• John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
• Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
• Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
• www.Microshield-ES.com

By NEWS CANADA

Indoor air quality can suffer, especially over the winter when windows remain closed. However, with a few easy steps, homeowners can dramatically improve the indoor atmosphere. Here are some pointers from The Home Depot Canada to ensure your home’s air quality is up to par:

Manage mould – Keep your basement dry and mould-free by ensuring gutters and downspouts aren’t blocked, and that they direct water away from the home. Also be sure to get rid of carpets from bathrooms and basements with high humidity as mould often grows in these areas.

Clean easy – Choosing Eco Options products, such as the Eco Mist line of effective cleaning solutions, offer non-toxic cleansers for every surface of your home without the strong odours of traditional cleaning products.

Paint smart – If painting this fall, use Eco Options certified interior paints that are low in VOCs or VOC-free. Interested in the hot colour trends for fall? Try a subtle grey or taupe from the Martha Stewart Living collection. Just remember to open all windows to ventilate properly when painting indoors.

Check your chimney – Over time, soot from smoke and other particles can build up in the chimney causing smoke from fires to enter into the home. Make sure you have it inspected every fall and cleaned as necessary.

Protect from invisible hazards – For those that don’t already have a carbon monoxide detector, now is the time to install one. For those who do, test it and make sure it is working properly.

Freshen the furnace – A dirty furnace is less efficient, especially during the winter months when it is in constant use. Replace or clean the furnace filter in early fall and once a month during periods of continuous use. To check the filter, take it out and hold it up to the light. If it looks clogged, be sure to wash or replace it with a new filter of the same type and size. A furnace’s blower and motor should also be cleaned regularly. So if they haven’t been checked in a while, it might be time to call in an expert.

• John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
• Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
• Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
• www.Microshield-ES.com

Central heating and double glazing keeps us warm in the winter months, but the house dust mite loves them too.

The cold weather’s arrived and the nights are drawing in: it’s that time of the year again to turn on the central heating and be glad of double glazing. However, allergy experts are warning that we are not alone in finding our homes a winter haven.

For the house dust mite the warm and slightly humid atmosphere of our centrally heated, hermetically sealed houses are a perfect place to survive and propagate – and they are a major cause of allergies at this time of year.

This is the start of the indoor allergy season. Allergies are very common, with estimates of one in three people having an allergy at some time in their lives. People have an allergic reaction when their immune system reacts to a harmless substance by making a specific antibody to fight it. This releases histamine and other chemicals which are the cause of inflammation and irritation.

What causes indoor allergies?House dust mites are the leading cause of indoor allergies. Most of the problems stem from the mite’s droppings which break up into extremely small particles – tiny enough to be inhaled deep into the lungs.

However, they are not the only cause of indoor allergies.

Everywhere in the house there will be microscopic mould allergens, unable to be seen by the naked eye. Mold favours warmth and dampness, so expect to find it in bathrooms, kitchens, fridge door seals, shower curtains and the corners of window frames. Mold may also be present in the moist soil of pot plants.

A pet – such as a dog or a cat – is also a source of allergens. These come from their dried saliva and skin flakes that they shed. Smaller domestic animals, such as guinea pigs and hamsters can distribute allergens from their urine-soaked bedding as they scurry around their cage.

So, what are the symptoms of indoor allergies?According to the Asthma, Allergy & Inflammation Research charity (AAIR), the principle culprit of indoor allergies – the house dust mite – can trigger allergic reactions such as asthma, eczema and rhinitis – a condition where the inside of the nose becomes inflamed, causing cold-like symptoms such as sneezing and a blocked or runny nose.

Other symptoms of indoor allergies are:
Coughing, wheezing shortness of breath
Itching, watering and inflammation of the eyes
Headache
Disturbed sleep
Poor concentration

Symptoms are often worse while in bed or first thing in the morning.

“Sneezing is the obvious symptom,” says Rosie Bradshaw from Guernsey describing her winter allergies. “It makes me very tired,” she tells us. She says house dust mites, fluff, animals, household cleaners and open fires have all triggered allergies.

Combating the indoor allergiesThe experts say there are ways to fight back against indoor allergies.

One of the first things to do is to reduce dampness. The AAIR charity recommends opening windows while cooking, washing and bathing. Also, avoid hanging clothes up round the house to dry: the evaporated moisture has to go somewhere.

“I try to open the windows as much as possible,” says Bradshaw, who would rather put on extra clothes than turn the heating up. “Fresh air is wonderful,” she adds and helps her avoid any problems with condensation in the house.

Its recommended that you encase mattresses, duvets and pillows with allergen-proof barrier covers and washing all other bedding once a week at 60 degrees or above – a temperature high enough to kill house mites.

It also recommended that you remove carpets and cartpeting whenever possible or vacuuming them regularly with a high-filtration HEPA vacuum cleaner.

“We have wooden floors in the bedroom because they’re easier to clean and you don’t get the dust that you get with a carpet,” says Bradshaw. “And we have cotton linen, which we wash very hot, and we have protectors on our mattresses and pillows,” she says.

Cats and dogsAs for pet allergies, the experts at the AAIR charity say households who do not currently have a pet should think carefully before acquiring one, particularly if there is a family history of asthma or allergies. Asthma UK says people who have cats and dogs should bar them from the bedrooms and preferably living areas too. Dogs and cats should be washed regularly, groomed outdoors and their bedding should be laundered.

Bradshaw says that people should try to discover what causes their allergic reaction. However, she cautions that finding out – and then making any necessary changes – could be a lengthy process. “It’s trial and error. You have to do it over a period of time because all these changes are major changes affecting the whole family,” she says.

• John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
• Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
• Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
• www.Microshield-ES.com