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Archive for the ‘Lead Testing’ Category
Thursday, October 27th, 2011
Sales of older or so-called “resale” homes continue to be strong in Canada and the Toronto area in particular, despite gloomy economic news from other areas. An older home can have many advantages, including a lower price point and details and workmanship that you just won’t find in a brand new house. They can come with some other issues that aren’t desirable and that you may assume are ancient history, including lead contamination.
Lead was once used in a variety of very common household and industrial applications during much of the 20th century. It was widely used in paints, plumbing and even to solder canned goods. Federal regulations began to phase out the use of lead to solder canned goods in the mid-1970’s, and it was abandoned completely about a decade later.
Your home may present the risk of lead exposure if:
- it was built before 1960 (about a quarter of all Canadian homes were built before 1960)
- your plumbing was installed prior to 1990
Lingering lead contamination in the home largely exists in paint or paint dust. Lead based paints may have been used in your home, or also on painted siding. It’s particularly risky when the paint is peeling or eroded from wear and tear, and can exist as a dust that is then inhaled. Children – who seem to put everything in their mouths – and pregnant or nursing women are especially vulnerable to the risks of lead poisoning.
At Environmental Services Group, we can put your mind at ease with a lead survey and assessment. Call the experts at ESG for a quote today.
Environmental Services Group is a cutting edge environmental consulting firm based in Toronto and servicing both the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario. We provide state-of-the-art, industry-leading expertise in remedying environmental hazards such as mold, lead, asbestos and much more. Call 416-575-6111 or visit our website today for a pressure-free initial consultation. You’ll be glad you did!
Tags: Lead and Cadmium Testing Toronto, Lead Poisoning, Lead testing, Lead Testing Toronto
Posted in Lead Based Paint, Lead Testing | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011
At Environmental Services Group, we’re always pleased when we hear about new homeowners diligently checking their indoor air quality, undergoing proper lead testing, eliminating moist conditions that breed mold, or partaking in any other generally “safe” and “green” home strategies.
But it’s time we encouraged home owners to take their green approach to living a step further. Instead of fixing problems when they come up or even working hard to protect your existing home from environmental threats – why not make the green choices before your house is even built?
Mike Holmes of Holmes on Holmes himself offered some profound advice on Canada.com this week when he challenged the notion that every “upgrade” during the building process should be geared toward upping resale value.
The traditional logic is to go for the finished basement, the fancy countertop, the kitchen island, and so on. However, while the prettier, more attractive options in theory can boost your resale price down the road, they may not actually save you money.
The reason: you’re not factoring the repairs along the way into the equation. Home number one may feature all the pretty frills and be worth $600,000 five years from now – but what if it requires $50,000 worth of repairs to reach that point? A low-standard basement finishing may lead to paying for mold removal a year later. Same goes with a standard drywall installation.
On the flipside, going the green route with home number two may not give you the big price you want down the road but it may prove more profitable because you won’t have to make so many fixes along the way. Eschewing the jazzy kitchen for mold-resistant drywall will save you the repair cost down the road. So, while home number two’s asking price may be lower when you sell, your net gain may be higher. By going green, you’ll take better care of your home (and your health) and spend less money on the path to selling.
Featured in Holmes in Holmes, Global TV (Toronto) and CTV, Environmental Services Group is a cutting edge environmental consulting firm based in Toronto and servicing both the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Ontario. We provide state-of-the-art, industry-leading expertise in remedying environmental hazards such as mold, lead, asbestos and much more. Call 416-575-6111 or visit our website today for a pressure-free initial consultation. You’ll be glad you did!
Tags: Green Home Advice, indoor air quality experts, Lead testing, mold removal, mold testing, Ontario, Toronto
Posted in Indoor Air Quality, Lead Testing, Mold Removal | No Comments »
Friday, August 12th, 2011
There are few worse feelings than slogging through your workday in an unbreathable indoor work environment. As we’ve previously stated on the ESG blog, indoor air quality has a direct impact on workplace productivity. What are some ways to improve your breathing conditions while you work?
Minimize your controllable pollutants
The little things add up and we can often control them ourselves. Try to purchase and use “green” or natural cleaning products to release fewer chemicals into your office atmosphere. Disposing of garbage quickly, storing food in the proper places and ensuring your doormats don’t trap too much dirt from outside will add up to make a solid impact on your indoor air quality.
Be aware of ventilation points when arranging furniture
An easy way to get your employees breathing polluted, stale air: accidentally covering your vents with desks, tables, chairs and so on. You can waste a perfectly good ail filtration or ventilation system if you don’t keep it exposed and let it do its job.
Maintain active communication with maintenance staff
Keeping in touch and in harmony with your custodial or maintenance staff can go a long way. If they’re in tune with you, they’ll do a better job of regularly checking and cleaning all major ventilation areas.
Hire outside help to give your workplace a clean sweep
To really give your workplace A+ indoor air quality, contract an environmental consulting firm to do an expert assessment and major sweep of your building. They’ll identify any ventilation hindrances and go above and beyond what custodial staff can do, including mold, asbestos, radon and lead testing. Scheduling this type of maintenance will also get your employees out of the building to breathe fresher air for a little while.
During the hot, sticky summer, building maintenance is especially important for your indoor air! Follow those tips and you – plus your employees – won’t be sorry.
Environmental Services Group is a cutting edge environmental consulting firm based in Toronto and servicing both the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario. We provide state-of-the-art, industry-leading expertise in remedying environmental hazards such as mold, lead, asbestos and much more. Call 416-575-6111 or visit our website today for a pressure-free initial consultation. You’ll be glad you did!
Tags: indoor air quality, indoor air quality in the workplace, Lead testing, mold testing, Radon testing
Posted in Indoor Air Quality, Lead Testing, Mold Removal, Radon Testing | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011
Study: indoor air cleaners can reduce asthma in children
In the summer months, we’re particularly sensitive about any threats to our indoor air quality, including mold caused by excessive moisture or contaminated air as a result of sealing a home for air conditioning.
But what about some positive news for a change? A recent study by the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center suggests that indoor air cleaners can greatly reduce air pollution in the home and significantly lower the rates of daytime asthmas symptoms – even to the same level that anti-inflammatory asthma drugs can.
The study was done by plugging free-standing air cleaners into 41 different Baltimore-based households for six months. While the findings are encouraging, they still suggest that the air cleaners are most effective if used in conjunction with other environmental protection measures.
The air cleaners didn’t reduce the effects of agents such as second-hand smoke. By the same logic, an indoor air cleaner’s effectiveness could be reduced by the presence of mold, asbestos, lead, radon or other environmental threats.
The study should serve as an extra motivator to have an environmental consulting firm sweep your home. If you install an indoor air cleaner and undergo mold removal, lead testing and so on, you could have the cleanest home — and the healthiest family – on your block! Taking the proper diligence to have the experts inspect every threat to your indoor air quality will ensure that your indoor air cleaners will be as effective as possible.
Environmental Services Group is a cutting edge environmental consulting firm based in Toronto and servicing both the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario. We provide state-of-the-art, industry-leading expertise in remedying environmental hazards such as mold, lead, asbestos and much more. Call 416-575-6111 or visit our website today for a pressure-free initial consultation. You’ll be glad you did!
Tags: asbestos removal, indoor air quality, Lead testing, mold removal, Radon testing
Posted in Asbestos, Indoor Air Quality, Lead Testing, Mold Removal, Radon Testing | No Comments »
Friday, July 29th, 2011
You’re concerned about your home’s indoor air quality this summer. You want to make sure your home has no asbestos, toxic mold, lead or any other harmful environmental agents. So you do the responsible thing and hire a home inspector for the job.
That should cover you, right? Make your home a safe environment?
You’d think so, but that unfortunately isn’t true. A growing problem in Toronto environmental consulting and home inspections: too many of them aren’t good enough.
Far too many companies simply mail in the job. They may mistake actual toxic mold for simple water damage – even though water damage itself fosters mold. They don’t check the tough-to-reach places like roofs or piping inside drywall. They forget that lead testing includes outdoor toys like swing sets.
So how do you conquer the problem? One solution is to follow a home inspector around as he or she works on your house. Another is to file a complaint and hope the company will apologize and re-do the job for free.
But there’s a better route to take: hiring the right company. Having a poor home inspection may save you money in the short term but, more often than not, it costs you much more because of the eventual renovations you may require thanks to half-cooked inspections.
A proper home inspector should be certified, whether it’s in lead, asbestos, mold, indoor air quality, or all of the above. Before hiring just any inspector, it pays in the long run to do your homework. Read online reviews, look for testimonials and peruse the company’s website. How many years of experience does it have? What special certifications or awards does it have?
A proper inspection will leave no stone unturned. It’ll check every crack for ventilation leaks or every floor tile for mold. Sure, it could cost slightly more (though not always), but it will literally save you thousands of dollars in the long run. A good inspection only has to be done once!
Environmental Services Group is a cutting edge environmental consulting firm based in Toronto and servicing both the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario. We provide state-of-the-art, industry-leading expertise in remedying environmental hazards such as mold, lead, asbestos and much more. Call 416-575-6111 or visit our website today for a pressure-free initial consultation. You’ll be glad you did!
Tags: environmental consulting Toronto, home inspections, indoor air quality, Lead testing, mold removal
Posted in Asbestos, Indoor Air Quality, Lead Testing, Mold Removal | No Comments »
Thursday, June 30th, 2011
Is lead poisoning on the rise among young children?
Though the numbers aren’t exact, American studies regarding trends among children tend to mirror those in Canada. So it’s concerning to know that a recent finding by America’s Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning suggests that lead poisoning is on the rise among children aged six and younger.
Equally concerning: fewer children and homes are undergoing lead testing. Poisoning cases are on the rise, yet we’re checking for lead even less? It doesn’t add up.
Led poisoning commonly occurs among kids when they’re in contact with older toys or outdoor park toys like swings sets, which may be coated in lead-based paint. Lead poisoning among young children is particularly concerning because their brains and nervous systems are still developing. If contaminated by lead, they can suffer from brain damage and permanent behavioral problems as a result.
The news isn’t all bad. On average, for every 10 lead poisoning cases among children 20 years ago, there is only one today. We’ve drastically reduced the lead problem since we first gained proper knowledge of the threat it poses. But the fact that levels are rising again suggests that too many people are patting themselves on the back assuming the job is done.
We can’t be complacent. Take control of young children’s safety by having an environmental consulting firm test your home, including your children’s toys, for lead. When making any new purchases, make sure you thoroughly inspect whatever your children play with. We know how lead can harm their future. So let’s not jeopardize it!
Environmental Services Group is a cutting edge environmental consulting firm based in Toronto and servicing both the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario. We provide state-of-the-art, industry-leading expertise in remedying environmental hazards such as mold, lead, asbestos and much more. Call 416-575-6111 or visit our website today for a pressure-free initial consultation. You’ll be glad you did!
Tags: GTA, Lead Poisoning, Lead Testing Toronto, Ontario
Posted in Lead Based Paint, Lead Testing | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
Cooler doesn’t always mean healthier.
Air conditioners are often something we associate with indoor air quality. On muggy, summer days, like the ones lying ahead in the Greater Toronto Area over the next few months, it feels easier to breathe in an air-conditioned home. However, if you don’t take proper precautions, you could end up breathing more harmful air indoors than outdoors.
As we kick our A/C units into high gear, we often work to fix cracks, seal windows, and do everything we can to keep the outside air out. It’s considered sacrilege if any air escapes from a crevice in a windowsill above your portable air conditioner, right? We’ve all been there.
However, if you haven’t had an environmental consulting firm inspect your indoor air, you could be sealing countless toxins inside with you. That’s concerning considering that we spend, on average, 72 per cent of our entire lives indoors.
So what should you do to make sure you aren’t trapping unhealthy air in your house this summer? The first step is to have experts examine your home. That process could include indoor air quality inspections, lead testing, mold removal, or any other actions that help eliminate environmentally hazardous agents.
Once you’ve done that, it’s a good idea to ventilate your home either at night or during periods when you aren’t there. Energy recovery ventilators are also known to increase air quality while also decreasing electricity costs, as they recover energy lost during ventilation.
There’s nothing wrong with cranking the A/C on a muggy summer day in the GTA. Just don’t forget to air out your house once in a while. And keep tabs on your indoor air quality!
Environmental Services Group is a cutting edge environmental consulting firm based in Toronto and servicing both Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. We provide state-of-the-art, industry-leading expertise in remedying environmental hazards such as mold, lead, asbestos and much more. Call 416-575-6111 or visit our website today for a pressure-free initial consultation.
Tags: indoor air quality, Indoor Air Quality Testing Toronto, Lead testing, mold removal
Posted in Indoor Air Quality, Lead Testing, Mold Removal | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
Naturally, improving the environmental conditions in any workplace is good for one’s health. Mold removal, asbestos detection, indoor air quality checks and so on ensure that you’re exposed to fewer hazards.
However, keeping your buildings or work environments “healthy” can be expensive. Hiring an environmental consulting firm to inspect and remove toxic materials strains the wallet!
Or so we thought. As a recent study published in the The Globe and Mail suggests, in the grand scheme of things, an environmentally cleaner workplace can actually improve worker productivity. That means staying on top of building hazards increases your profits instead of just straining your bankbook.
The study discussed in the newspaper came from the National Bureau of Economic Research. It deals more with outdoor environmental factors but the principle it outlines applies to any workplace, indoor or outdoor.
The researchers analyzed data from farm workers in the Central Valley of California during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Farmers would scan a barcode into a computer each time they collected a bushel of blueberries or gapes, thus quantifying their performance.
The study found a direct link between the presence of ground-level ozone and productivity. Like many other compounds, such as mold or asbestos, high concentrations of ozone irritate the lungs, limiting their function, and exacerbate cardiovascular disease.
According to the study, cleaner air in the form of a 10 part-per-billion reduction in ozone concentration led to a 4.2 per cent increase in worker productivity. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, that would translate into $1.1 billion in annual cost savings.
That’s just one example to follow – but it’s extremely important. To any business wondering about mold removal, asbestos, or any other toxic compounds that affect lung and heart function: FIX IT. It may cost you money in the short-term but it’s been scientifically proven that you will literally profit from it in the long term.
The reason is simple and pure common sense: healthier workers are better workers.
Environmental Services Group is a cutting edge environmental consulting firm based in Toronto and servicing both Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. We provide state-of-the-art, industry-leading expertise in remedying environmental hazards such as mold, lead, asbestos and much more. Call 416-575-6111 or visit our website today for a pressure-free initial consultation.
Tags: asbestos sampling, indoor air quality, mold removal
Posted in Asbestos, Indoor Air Quality, Lead Testing, Mold Removal | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
This environmental consulting blog has recently discussed the presence of lead in common household toys and even children’s face paint – but adults aren’t safe from the toxic element, either. According to a report recently published by Environmental Defence, entitled “Heavy Metal Hazards,” many makeup products contain multiple different toxic heavy metals.
The environmental advocacy group is urging the Canadian government to impose stricter regulations on the cosmetics industry in light of its findings. Environmental Defence tested 49 different makeup products and was alarmed to find that every product tested had at least some levels of hazardous chemicals. The worst offender was one lip gloss that contained levels of lead and arsenic exceeding the limits recommended by Health Canada.
On one hand, most of the products tested actually met the Health Canada guidelines; the greater issue is that the guidelines permit the presence of so many dangerous chemicals at all. Environmental Defence wants the government to revise the rules, especially because many of the toxic materials are “technically avoidable” in the manufacturing process.
The study has raised some controversy. Other health publications and some of the cosmetic manufacturers themselves dispute Environmental Defence’s legitimacy, as the dangerous metals are not actual ingredients but just traces picked up during the manufacturing process.
“For any of those amounts to be of concerns to consumers, you would probably have to eat pounds and pounds of makeup every day to get within the realm of risk,” said Darren Praznik, president of the Canadian Cosmetics, Toiletries and Fragrances Association.
On the other hand, many Canadians and environmental lobby groups feel that such a position isn’t good enough.
“Yes, in many cases these are low levels but scientists and doctors are clearly telling us that there is no safe level when it comes to things like lead,” said Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence.
If a cosmetics company can employ proper lead testing and testing for other hazardous materials without harming its own manufacturing processes, why not? Shouldn’t our businesses strive to eliminate anything toxic from their products?
Environmental Services Group is a cutting edge environmental consulting firm based in Toronto and servicing both Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). We provide state-of-the-art asbestos testing and sampling services. In Toronto, call 416-575-6111 or visit our website today for a pressure-free initial consultation.
Tags: Environmental consulting, Lead testing
Posted in Lead Based Paint, Lead Testing | No Comments »
Friday, May 6th, 2011
Contrary to what many businesses believe, it may actually “pay to go green.”
A recent poll conducted by TD Bank revealed that consumers believe green or environmentally friendly buildings have at least some positive impact on their communities. Being green for a building could mean being constructed or renovated using sustainable materials; it could also mean being properly inspected for potentially harmful agents.
How can a building ensure it’s as environmentally friendly as possible if it’s already built and no renovations are the horizon? Finding a good environmental consulting firm is a start. The proper experts can help a building with lead testing, asbestos and mold removal, radon testing and countless other ways of measuring how much risk to residents’ health and to the environment a given building poses.
The survey also revealed a generation gap among the responders. The younger groups – the “millenials” aged 18 to 34 – were the most aware of green buildings and the most likely to tailor their consumption based on whether or not a company’s venue is environmentally conscious. In other words, the biggest consumers of the future are the most environmentally aware.
The survey’s revelation suggests a win-win situation for businesses and consumers. By undergoing proper environmental consulting and inspection for their buildings, businesses obviously reduce their company’s environmental footprints and make their buildings safer places to work, shop and breathe. But the simple act of becoming greener can also be profitable. The upcoming younger generation wants to give its business to the greenest companies.
Now, it’s up to businesss in Toronto, the GTA and all over the world to take the next step. Ensure your company’s buildings have the highest standards for indoor air quality and environmental friendliness and the customers will follow you. The next step is to let the world know you’re doing it.
Jacquelynn Henke, Real Estate Strategy Officer for TD Bank, says it best:
“Consumers do believe [green] buildings are good for the environment and for their own health, but businesses must do a better job of communicating to their customers and the communities they serve about the development of environmentally friendly buildings.”
Environmental Services Group is a cutting edge environmental consulting firm based in Toronto and servicing both Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. We provide state-of-the-art, industry-leading expertise in remedying environmental hazards such as mold, lead, asbestos and much more. Call 416-575-6111 or visit our website today for a pressure-free initial consultation.
Tags: Asbestos Removal Toronto, Environmental Consultants in Toronto Ontario, green buildings, mold removal
Posted in Asbestos, Indoor Air Quality, Lead Testing, Mold Removal, Radon Testing | No Comments »
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