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news
Naples and Cape Coral homeowners and Realtors
are realizing that mold testing alone is not the proper way to determine if a home or structure has a "mold problem".
It appears many homes are being labeled with a mold problem by home inspectors and when a professional such as a certified
indoor environmentalist or industrial hygenist are called in, nothing can be found. Few mold remediation companies would
hire a home inspector for a mold inspection and the same is fast becoming true for consumers.
A Florida Seller Fights Unregulated Mold Report Stigma
..........Realty Times article by Blanche Evans
Air-purifier rules to be expedited
Press-Enterprise - Riverside, CA
... California air pollution regulators expect to adopt within
a year regulations ensuring the safety of portable air purifiers. ...
Sharper Image settles air purifier suit
BusinessWeek - USA
... Sharper Image's slide began when sales of its once-popular Ionic Breeze
started to crumble after Consumer Reports derided the products as ineffective. ...
See also:
Mold lawsuit settled for $775K
Livingston
Daily - Livingston, MI
A 2004 lawsuit filed by a Marion Township family forced from their newly constructed $374,000 home because
of toxic mold against a Brighton building company ...
Orlando Sentinel
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/health/orl-lmed0306dec03,0,910651.story?coll=orl-health-headlines
What are the causes of lung cancer?
Dr. Richard T. Bosshardt | Special to the Sentinel
Posted December 3, 2006
Question: If I don't smoke, what are my chances of getting
lung cancer? After reading about Dana Reeve, the wife of Superman actor Christopher Reeve, I learned of several others who
got lung cancer but never smoked. Is this rare?
Answer: It depends on your definition of rare. Every year, around 170,000
people in this country develop lung cancer. Although 90 percent have a smoking history, the remainder are nonsmokers -- about
17,000 people per year. Not common, but not rare either.
Of that
10 percent, studies show nonsmokers who live with smokers have a 25 percent higher chance of developing lung cancer compared
to other nonsmokers. Breathing secondhand smoke over time results in 3,000 lung-cancer deaths each year.
After secondhand
smoke, the second-highest risk factor in developing lung cancer for nonsmokers is exposure to radon gas.
Radon gas
is a tasteless, colorless, odorless gas that results from the decay of radioactive uranium, which is found naturally in rocks,
soil and water. Radon gas occurs naturally in the air and ground and can enter homes through cracks in the foundation, pipes
and other openings.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that as many as 1 in 15 American homes may contain
dangerous levels of radon gas. You can test for the gas yourself by purchasing a kit available in most hardware stores, or
you can have it done for you by contacting the local EPA office for information. You also may go to www.doh.state.fl.us/Environ
ment/community/radon.
If your home has high levels, certain measures can reduce them by up to 99 percent. The most
common one is installing effective ventilation systems to remove the gas to the outside. An estimated 15,000 to 22,000 lung-cancer
deaths a year are the result of radon gas. Smokers exposed to radon have a much higher lung-cancer risk than nonsmokers.
Asbestos
exposure is another risk factor in nonsmokers. Although it is no longer routinely used in construction and insulation, plenty
of asbestos remains out there, especially in older buildings. Nonsmokers exposed to asbestos increase their lung-cancer risk
fivefold. Smoking plus asbestos exposure increases the risk to a much greater degree than either smoking or asbestos exposure
alone. In addition to the typical lung cancers, asbestos exposure puts one at risk for an unusual cancer of the lining of
the lung, called a mesothelioma. Even a few months of asbestos exposure can greatly increase this cancer risk.
Air
pollution from automobiles, industry and power plants also can increase risk. Some regard long exposure to highly polluted
air as equivalent to secondhand-cigarette-smoke exposure. Air pollution causes an estimated 2,000 lung cancer deaths per year.
People
with certain chronic lung diseases, such as emphysema, also are at greater risk of lung cancer.
Beyond exposure to
environmental risk factors, some people have a unique and innate predisposition to develop lung cancer. It is probably inherited
genetically. If you have family members with lung cancer, this may mean you might be at greater risk. Individual susceptibility
to cancer-causing agents can vary widely. This is probably why some people who smoke one or more packs of cigarettes a day
for years don't get cancer, while others do.
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/environmental.asp
Mold / CDC / New Orleans
8-22-2005
/ Local Paper:
"Q. I understand
the American Lung Association lists radon gas as the No.2 cause of lung cancer deaths in the United States. How does second-hand
smoke rank on the list?
A. Second-hand
smoke causes an estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths a year, said Elizibeth Lancet of the American Lung Association. This
compares to about 124,000 lung cancer deaths a year from smoking and an estimated 15,000 to 22,000 lung cancer deaths each
year from radon.
Specific numbers and ranking
are an inexact science because, like most carcinogens, radon and second hand smoke are interactive, said Dr. Norman Edelman,
the association's executive vice president and cheif medical officer."
________________________
News
6-22-2005
The Governor
vetoed the Home Inspector / Mold Bill
did not do enough to
protect the citizens of Florida .
DATE AND TIME: August 16, 2005, 9:00 a.m.
WORKSHOP TOPIC: Alternatives to licensure and consumer protection in the field of home inspection. Conference phone number:
850.921.6623 or Suncom 291.6623.
DATE AND TIME: August 23, 2005, 9:00 a.m.
WORKSHOP TOPIC: Alternatives to licensure and consumer protection in the field of mold assessment. Conference phone number:
850.921.6623 or Suncom 291.6623.
DATE AND TIME: August 30, 2005, 9:00 a.m.
WORKSHOP TOPIC: Alternatives to licensure and consumer protection in the field of mold remediation. Conference phone number:
850.921.6623 or Suncom 291.6623.
DATE AND TIME: September 6, 2005, 9:00 a.m.
WORKSHOP TOPIC: Alternatives to licensure and consumer protection in the field of mold inspection or testing. Conference
phone number: 850.414.1711 or Suncom 994.1711.
Below copy:
Gov. Bush Letter about Veto
If you have an opinion, let your law makers know.
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0250
Dear Secretary Hood:
By the authority vested in me as Governor of Florida, under the provisions of Article III, Section 8, of the Constitution
of Florida, I do hereby withhold my approval of and transmit to you with my objections, House Bill 315, enacted during the
107th Session of the Legislature of Florida since statehood in 1845, during Regular Session of 2005, and entitled:
An act relating
to building assessment and remediation…
This bill seeks to provide public protection against the possibility of fraudulent practices in the unregulated fields
of home inspection, mold assessment, and mold remediation. It provides education
requirements and requires liability insurance for home inspectors, mold assessors, and mold remediators, prohibits certain
acts which could lead to fraudulent practices, and provides penalties for those acts.
I support efforts to protect the public from unscrupulous business practices and I believe providing strict standards
for home inspectors, mold assessors, and mold remediators is warranted.
However, I am concerned that this bill will have unintended consequences, including putting some legitimate and responsible
employees out of business. The bill grandfathers some home inspectors but does
not provide for the grandfathering of responsible and experienced mold assessors and remediators. This will likely put employees and companies that cannot complete the bill’s education and training
requirements by January
1, 2006 out of business.
Additionally, the bill is somewhat ambiguous and does not provide clear guidance to the industry in some areas. For example, the bill does not establish clear educational and examination requirements. While this bill requires training, it contains no specificity with regard to what
kinds of curriculum and/or standards are necessary for home inspectors, mold assessors or mold remediators. Further, the bill appears to arbitrarily require high school and college degrees while presenting no clear
reason why.
Finally, the bill requires mold assessors to maintain a mold-specific insurance policy and in-contracting mold remediators
to maintain a general liability insurance policy with a mold insurance pollution rider, both in an amount of not less than
$1 million. There is some question as to whether these policies will be available
by the required date of October 1, 2005. There is a further concern that this will have the unintended effect of allowing insurers to deny payments
for mold claims under a homeowner policy if work on a home has been performed by a mold assessor or remediators.
Because I agree with the bill’s sponsors that additional consumer protection is warranted in these fields, I
have directed Secretary Diane Carr of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation to work with various stakeholders
during the interim to develop proposed legislation. I encourage legislators to
participate in this process and hope that they will work with the department to find a solution that protects the public while
providing a constructive business climate in which legitimate and responsible Florida businesses can compete.
For the reasons enunciated, I withhold my support for House Bill 315, and do hereby veto the same.
Sincerely,
Jeb Bush
RADON
Below are portions of an article taken from the Sun Sentinel (Nov 21, 2004)
A picocurie is a measure of radioactivity equal to the disintegration of about two radioactive atoms
per minute.
The EPA's radon danger line of 4 picocuries, 10 times the amount
of radon generally found in outdoor air, is a nonenforceable public health guideline. Exposure
to that much radon is the same as soaking up 200 chest X-rays per year, and creates a cancer risk similar
to that for a smoker who puffs on half a pack of cigarettes per day, the EPA says.
Forty-six percent of the multifamily homes checked during
that time frame, .... had high radon levels, the state figures show.
With air pressure in the ground and around a home generally greater than the
pressure inside it, an imbalance is created that draws radon indoors. The gas can then pool inside basements and crawl
spaces, on ground floors and higher.
As radon decays, it releases atoms of heavy metals called
alpha particles, or "radon daughters." Those daughters latch onto particles of smoke and dust that people inhale with
the air. If the particles become mired in lung tissue, they can bombard it with cell-damaging radiation.
Often
a basement or ground-floor threat, elevated radon also can appear much farther upstairs in Florida, in the upper floors of
some high-rise condos and apartment buildings.
Harmful levels have appeared as high as the ninth
floor of a building at 410 Flagship Drive in Naples, state records show. Naples radon tester Wall said he has measured excessive
radon even higher up in buildings, inside 20th-floor penthouses.
That has fueled a belief that radon is emitted
from the walls, ceilings and floors of high-rise homes formed from cubes of concrete. Concrete is forged from aggregate such
as gravel or crushed stone, sand and cement -- stuff quarried out of the ground where radium is found.
Proponents of
this radon-from-concrete explanation say that the escaping radon is being concentrated by steamy Florida's energy efficient
building code, intended to keep cooled air from escaping from homes. The relatively airtight homes the
code engenders likely trap the gas, they argue.
"It's a strong hypothesis," said
Clark Eldredge, a radon specialist in the bureau's Radon and Indoor Air Toxics office.
Others argue
that radon more likely is traveling from the ground upward through building chases -- conduits that carry plumbing and electrical
lines -- or other vertical passageways such as elevator shafts and garbage chutes.
To view the entire article click on the link below.
Radon Mitigations & Mold Article:
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| 04/20/2005 |
| Radon: the plot thickens |
| By William Rogan, Ph.D GRI |
|
Well, April 15 has come and gone, and we can now start thinking
about the next possible disaster to hit home. No, I don't mean an IRS audit. Hurricane season, believe it or not, begins on
June 1, just over a month away. And the damage from last season's bout with Mother Nature still hasn't been resolved entirely.
If you are due to close on a house after June 1, be sure to have your homeowners policy in place before that date or you might
have some difficulty. More information on hurricanes can be found at www.floridadisaster.org.
Dr. Bill Gray, the hurricane guru, predicts 13 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes for the 2005 hurricane
season in the Atlantic Basin. Great news, isn't it? I'll have more to say about hurricanes as time goes on.
Speaking of storms, William Levy of Associated Radon Services
in Stuart, Fla, wrote me with some corrections to the article I recently wrote about radon. No, Flash Gordon still does not
have a radon gun, and we are in no danger of terrorists releasing radon at Disney or the next Super bowl. Put away the duct
tape and take a deep breath. Or, perhaps not so deep a breath, if you do indeed have excessive radon levels in your home.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines radon as "a radioactive gas that has been
found in homes all over the United States. It comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets
into the air you breathe. Radon typically moves up through the ground to the air above and into your home through cracks and
other holes in the foundation. Radon can also enter your home through well water. Your home can trap radon inside."
According to Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Richard Carmona, "indoor radon is the
second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and breathing it over prolonged periods can present a significant
health risk to families all over the county." Not a laughing matter, is it?
Levy informed me that "according to data on file with Florida Department of Health (DOH),
Bureau of Community Environmental Health, Radon and Indoor Air Quality, there have been no complaints made to date concerning
moisture or mold problems after installation of a radon mitigation system. This is from a database containing 1,000s of reported
mitigations statewide." William Levy is a highly respected authority in the field of radon detection and mitigation and can
be reached at his Web site, www.radonserv.com, by e-mail at wlevy@radon
serv.com, or by phone at 800-741-0629.
Levy referred me to Clark Eldredge, Senior Health Physicist at DOH, whose email is ClarkEldredge@doh.state.fl.us
and telephone is 800-543-8279.
Doug Wall, of Wall Radon Testing, a member of Radon Professionals Group in Naples (www.radonmoldhelp.com)
was also very helpful, and can be reached at 596-0774. He is certified in both radon and mold measurement and has completed
more radon testing than anyone in Collier and Lee counties. Radon Professionals Group utilizes a sophisticated radon monitor
measurement device that includes temperature, relative humidity, and barometric pressure and records the data hourly during
the testing period.
Wall recommends making sure that mold inspectors also carry errors and omissions insurance,
as this helps define their credibility. However, he also told me that if the air conditioning system is operating properly
and the radon mitigation system is running as programmed, there should not be a mold problem. Incidentally, infrared cameras
previously employed in commercial buildings to find the mold sources is now being used more frequently in residential structures.
Mold and radon are indeed serious issues, but this does not mean that they have to become
a cause for hysteria. I'll let the radon and mold experts slug it out among themselves concerning who is or who isn't right
about radon measurement and mitigation, but as far as mold prevention goes, I'll say this: remove the moisture and its source,
and you remove the possibility of mold developing.
Years ago, I had a Bill Cosby comedy LP (yes, I admit to being that old) on which he did a
funny routine about Hoof and Mouth disease, not necessarily a humorous topic. Two cows were conversing (really, they were).
One cow evidently had the disease, apparent by the symptomatic foam around her mouth. The infected cow asks: "I hear they
kill you if you have Hoof and Mouth. How do I avoid that?" The other cow, obviously with a much higher IQ, replies superciliously,
"Hmm, wipe that foam from around your mouth." Oh well, it was funny at the time.
The real estate market
In March 2005, the average selling price of a home in Naples according to the Naples Area
Board of Realtors was $636,192. Nine hundred and ninty-six units were sold, including single family residences and condominiums/cooperatives.
There were 4,347 single family homes and 2,221 condo/coops listed as active. The majority of available homes were priced from
$1,000,000 to 1,999,999.
William Rogan, Ph.D GRI, is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Previews International, 550
5th Ave. South, Naples, 34102. You can reach Dr. Rogan at 253-9620 or post your comments and questions below.
| |
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Mold:
Realtors
If you think
a Home Inspector
or a Mold Inspector
Should have to have
a license
Should be required
to have E&O insurance
Should be required to have training
Let your state legislature know.
Collier & Lee
Counties have over 300 Home Inspectors and 250 Mold Testers
No state license is required
www.flsenate.gov myfloridahouse.gov
The Facts About Anthrax Sterilization with UV-C
Click here for UV-C dosage chart
Because of the recent threat of Anthrax and the numerous related deaths stemming from
suspicious letters, American Ultraviolet Company has received many inquiries about the nature and effectiveness of UV-C.
Anthrax
can be reduced with the use of ultraviolet 254 lamps and fixtures. In fact, when used correctly, these UV-C fixtures will
reduce up to 99% of airborne mold, bacteria and other microorganisms including Anthrax spores.
However, to effectively
minimize the danger using ultraviolet light, the Anthrax spores must not be mixed with any other substance. Additionally,
the spores must come in direct contact with the UV light.
Ultraviolet fixtures housed within a building’s air
ducts would prove quite effective in destroying up to 99% of the threat posed by airborne Anthrax. However, UV light cannot
penetrate surfaces and would, therefore, not be an effective countermeasure against Anthrax contained in a package or letter.
American
Ultraviolet specializes in products for UV curing, germicidal operations and water disinfecting. In this time of widespread
panic we feel it is our duty to help educate the public on the realities of UV-C sterilization against the spread of Anthrax.
Founded
in 1960, American Ultraviolet is one of the most experienced manufacturers of UV applications in the U.S. It is headquartered
in Lebanon, Indiana and has offices in Murray Hill, New Jersey; Beaufort, South Carolina; Torrance, California; and Romeoville,
Illinois
Walt Kline:
"companies performing radon testing are required to list what FL DOH certified Radon
Measurement business they are using for radon measurement services"
"on the home page"
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