Home Inspection Environmental Hazards

Real Estate Agents are very good at what the do.  They are good at marketing showing, selling, and setting up the home inspection.  Although real estate agents are good at recommending professionals including home inspectors, they need to know a little about environmental hazards around the house them.  The home inspector will be better at assessing environmental risks in the real estate transaction.  I am Preston Sandlin, a licensed home inspector in Charlotte NC and I have come up with a list of the common environmental hazards that I have run across in my 12 years of being a home inspector.

1.      Asbestos.  Asbestos comes from a Greek word that means “inextinguishable” Asbestos was very popular up until the 1960’s.  It was popular due to its resistance to temperature change, its durability, and its fire resistance.  The common areas that I find asbestos are in exterior siding, ceiling tile, floor covering and insulation wrap on ductwork.  What is the danger with asbestos?  If its fibers become airborne people can breathe them in causing a host of respiratory problems.  Asbestos can be professionally removed or encapsulated.  Encapsulation is the process of sealing up or sealing over the asbestos so that it does not become airborne or friable.

2.      Radon.  Radon gas comes from the breakdown of radioactive material in the earth.  Levels of Radon are measured in picos/liter.  The EPA mandates that levels 4.0 pico/liter is dangerous and in need of a Radon mitigation system.  Although Radon is found everywhere it more predominant in mountain areas, the Northeast, North and Northwest.  Recently Radon has been found in newer construction that is coming from the concrete.  Radon exposure has been linked to lung cancer.

3.      Lead.  Lead has been used in construction prior to 1978 for pipe and in paint. The biggest problem is the lead paint was in the paint. If lead paint peels or the dust is ingested or swallowed it can lead to brain and neurological problem.  If a house was built prior to 1978 there is a good chance that lead was used in the paint particularly in the trim paint.

4.      Carbon Monoxide.  Carbon Monoxide is a byproduct of combustion.  Carbon Monoxide inhibits the blood’s ability to transport Oxygen to the brain.  If exposed to Carbon Monoxide for a period of time fatality will occur.  There was an incident a couple of years ago here in Charlotte NC where someone left a car running in the garage under the condos down by the Carolina Panthers practice fields.  The Carbon Monoxide built up and it killed 4 people.

There are many more environmental hazards out there but these are the top four that I often run into.  For more information on environmental hazards around the house, contact Home inspection Carolina http://www.homeinspectioncarolina.com and the EPA http://www.epa.gov