Employers or employees, we sometimes forget that half our lives are being spent in a workspace that is enclosed, and without any exposure to the outside environment. In short, employers and employees are breathing office air for eight hours or more during the day. And when that indoor air is poor quality, health is impacted. Allergy symptoms can be aggravated, worker performance can be diminished, and sick days can start to rise. For all kinds of reasons, it makes good business sense to keep employees healthy in their work environment with excellent quality indoor air. Air quality professionals often pinpoint poor ventilation as a major problem in the workplace. It simply means that fresh outside air isn’t circulating properly throughout a given space. Even worse, a poorly performing HVAC system might be circulating air pollutants instead of cleaning the air, as it should be doing. Optimum air ventilation in any living space is critical in providing fresh air, while reducing the p...

Contact Inspect it All if you want your home inspected or tested for lead paint.  Since 1978, lead-based paint has been banned in the United States, so there is practically no risk in newer homes, except from older painted furniture. Homes built between 1950 and 1978 are likely to have lead-based paint, while ones built before 1950 almost certainly have lead-based paint.  Lead was used in all kinds of paint, so any older, painted surface is suspect. Cracked or peeling paint poses the most obvious threat.  There is also risk when an older painted surface is sanded, scraped or sawed as part of a painting, repair or improvement project. In addition, windows can be problems because friction in the sashes slowly grinds up layers of old paint–some of which may contain lead. The resulting contamination can be easily inhaled or ingested. Lead tends to build up in the body causing a wide variety of mental and physical health problems. The risk is greatest for ch...