Contaminates
Chinese or tainted drywall, radon, mold,
wood destroying organisms, lead paint, asbestos.
Chinese Drywall:
Between 2001 and 2008 tainted drywall was
imported. The mineral sandwiched between the layers of paper had a significant sulfur and other chemical content which caused
the drywall to outgas these chemicals. In 2006, the largest year, approximately 550,000 pounds of tainted drywall was imported
from China. Most was ½ inch imported into the SE United States due to the housing boom and a general shortage of building
materials. This is enough for the construction of 36,000 homes but it was not just used for new construction
– it was also used for additions, commercial properties, condominiums, and especially repairs following hurricanes.
Sadly, Florida got 75% of it, mostly in coastal SE and SW Florida. Some has been found in Polk County
but not much. Lennar Homes (Tampa) is the builder with most reported cases, generally using “Knuaf”
trade named materials. Most was sourced through high volume wholesalers, and drywall purchased at Home Depot or Lowes has
shown no tainting. If a home was constructed or extensively modified in 2005-2006, it may be present. However,
there are 35 manufacturers cited and not all dry wall from China is tainted and even some American labeled drywall is tainted.
To confuse this further, many builders use drywall from multiple manufacturers on the same home and tainted drywall is seldom
reported by homeowners. Only 6,000 some cases have been reported nationwide to date. People just don’t
report.Tainted drywall gives
off sulfur compounds and other gases. These gases can cause medical symptoms, mostly respiratory especially
in people with sensitivity to sulfates. It also will corrode metals, especially copper. It can create an
odor like boiled eggs or burned matches. The best indication is black soot like corrosion on air conditioning
unit coils and refrigerator copper piping since these units tend to have a lot of interior air flowing over them. It these
cases if you wipe your finger along a coil you end up with a black charcoal like soot mark on your finger. It will also corrode
copper ground wires and other exposed copper wires in electrical outlets and switches.You may have some tainted drywall in your home and be totally unaware
of it. If it is only a small amount, or only slightly tainted, there may be no medical symptoms and very
little visible corrosion. It is more a matter of level: a shade of “gray” not all “black”
or all “white.” Many real estate agents are aware that tainted drywall can reduce the value of property.
And homeowners have replaced air conditioning coils to make it less obvious but significant levels of tainting will
show up in many areas throughout the home.So what is a homeowner to do if they have obvious tainted drywall in their home? A specialized consultant
is required to determine, involving some destructive sampling, the extent of the problem. If the entire home is tainted they
should consult with a specialist, an attorney, and then consider total replacement – a very expensive answer but the
only known method of remediation. If it is only in small areas then remediation is less expensive.
There is no known method to effectively seal or coat tainted drywall to stop out gassing and a distraught homeowner
should be careful of scam artists who promise a quick and inexpensive fix. Until mitigated, air conditioning
coils will have to be replaced every 1 to 2 years since the corrosion will cause Freon leaks.We carefully look for the visual indications of tainted drywall
during our home inspections. If we find indications, we will inform the client. However, we cannot determine very low levels
of tainting so we will not certify that a home is “Chinese drywall free.” That requires specialized equipment,
skills, destructive sampling and laboratory analysis. We do not do destructive testing. Any home inspector that tells you
that they will “certify” that a home is “Chinese drywall free” is telling you a fairy tale.
Radon:
Radon is a colorless and odorless gas created during the decay
or radium that emanates from the ground. Radon is radioactive. The EPA estimates that 20,000 lung cancer deaths are caused
by radon in the USA each year. If you are or were a smoker you are six times more susceptible to radon caused lung cancer.
Radon concentrations above 4 pico curies per liter of air is considered to be dangerous. In Polk County there are areas with
level 1 (highest) radon dangers: NE Lakeland, Mulberry and south to southeast of Mulberry & Bartow, and around Frostproof.
Level 2 areas include around and south to southeast of Lakeland, Bartow city, and Ft. Meade city. The
rest of the county is considered level 3. You will note that the higher areas are generally areas of active
and former phosphate mining which tended to concentrate naturally occurring radium in the soil in mining tailings. If you
know a home has been constructed in an old phosphate mining area the home is at risk for radon. Below is
an internet address to look at Polk County radon maps. http://www.doh.state.fl.us/enviornment/community/radon/MAPS/resbpolk.htm.Although slab on grade construction, typical for Polk County,
is not as susceptible to radon as basement construction, it still can enter a home, usually around the bathtub drain opening
in the slab. To tell for sure, a home needs testing, and a test must be a closed building test lasting
48 hours and requires a state certified radon testing contractor. If the test is positive, mitigation is recommended. Foreclosed
homes that have sat buttoned up with no airflow for an extended period will concentrate radon. At lower levels, mitigation
is not very expensive. Sometimes just forcing more fresh air through the home works. Sometimes an under floor slab exhaust
fan is required. If you are building a home a radon barrier placed prior to the slab pour is the best prevention effort.If a home we are inspecting is in a level
1 or level 2 areas we will recommend radon testing. If it is in a level 1 area you may need some mitigation efforts to lower
radon levels. Wells Inspections, LCC is not currently licensed to do radon testing or mitigation. However, a homeowner can
obtain a mail in radon test kit from a home improvement store and by carefully following the directions, do a radon test themselves
to see if they need to take additional action and consult with a licensed testing and mitigation contractor.
Mold:
Mold is an ongoing problem in Florida. If it smells moldy,
it is. However, every home has some mold since it grows everywhere there is enough moisture, warmth, and food to eat. Outside
air carries mold spoors. They stick to you, your pets, and blow in when the door opens. You air conditioning
system distributes these spoors around you house and most mold spoors will go right through a standard air conditioning system
filter. The issue is the type and concentration since some people’s respiratory systems are sensitive to airborne mold
spoors. You could have invisible but significant mold concentrations in your home. A plumbing leak behind a wall could provide
the moisture, sheet rock paper is the food, and anything over 60 degrees is warm enough. You will see mold in a bathroom around
the tub/wall junction, in a laundry room behind a washer, under the kitchen sink, usually in dark locations. If you find it,
clean it up with detergent and find and fix the moisture source. Never carpet a bathroom!Mold in high enough concentrations to cause respiratory distress
is an issue for homeowners. There can be multiple types present but the “black” mold seems to be the most toxic.
If we find it we will report it. Mold sampling, either swab samples and/or air samples are then required
to determine concentrations and type. Wells Inspections, LLC can arrange for swab and airborne mold testing
by a professional member of the International Association of Certified Indoor Air Consultants (IAC2) if you so desire. Their
rates are based on the number of samples, time, and lab test costs. In high concentrations mold remediation requires a state
licensed mold remediation contractor.It should be noted that foreclosed homes that have been buttoned up without power for an extended period and had even
a tiny plumbing or roof leak have shown high concentrations of mold on the back side of sheetrock. Mold remediation is usually
necessary. Properly maintained continuously air conditioned homes are a lot less susceptible. Moisture
is the key issue. Keep it out of your home.
Wood Destroying
Organisms:
Insects and fungi can cause damage to wood. The most common wood destroying insect is
the eastern subterranean termite. They can get into a home through a 1/32 inch crack and actually eat the wood. They need
moisture to survive and their nests are outside the home, underground. Since they make galleries in wood, you will not see
the workers munching on your home. When they swarm you may see the flying variety with four long equal sized wings, or just
the wings alone, or you may see the mud tunnels they make to get from the ground into wood over foundation walls. Florida
has a couple of different species of termites. We also have carpenter ants. Usually
black, large, with elbowed antenna. Carpenter ants don’t eat wood but they do make galleries for nests. Some areas may
have “powder post beetles”. That is really a generic name for multiple species.
Finally we can have carpenter bees. Big fat black abdomen bees which drill half inch holes in unpainted wood to lay
their eggs. They don’t sting but sure look like they could. Termites are by far the most damaging
wood destroying organisms.The
best defense against termites is to have the ground treated with a termite barrier prior to the pouring of the floor slab
during construction. After construction, perimeter rodding and insecticide treatment works well.
Baiting also works almost as well, is more environmental friendly, but takes longer. Insecticide also works for the
other insects. Over the counter insecticides are essentially ineffective: they are not strong enough. You need professionally,
licensed, treatment application to work well. Fumigation (tenting) of a structure will kill all insects inside a home –
but will not prevent re-infestation.Fungi (a type of mold) is mostly dry rot in Florida and there is a lot of it. This is a misnomer since all fungi growth
requires moisture above 15%. Any wood subject to periodic wetting and then drying is subject.
Replacement is the usual fix. And cedar, red wood, and other exotic woods can and will dry rot.
Wood destroying organism prevention is always related to minimizing moisture infiltration.To inspect for, treat, and mitigate against wood destroying
organisms in Florida requires a State issued pest treatment license. Most licensed firms will do an inspection
for little or no cost since they want to be the ongoing pest control service you select for your home. If we see indications
of infestation during our inspection we will advise the client. We are not licensed as a pest control firm and very few home
inspectors are. We will always recommend a separate wood destroying organism inspection from a licensed pest control firm.
Lead Paint:
Almost all paint sold for homes, interior
and exterior, prior to 1978 contained lead. After that date it was illegal to manufacture or apply paint
containing lead. Undisturbed the lead paint remains safe. When it flakes off the chips are very toxic, especially to children
who ingest the chips. If you sand it, the fine dust is toxic and can be inhaled. Lead paint remediation is done two ways:
it is removed using special equipment or by totally replacing the contaminated object or it is covered with a strong and flexible
sealant. Removal is the preferred method. In either case a state licensed lead paint remediation contractor
is required.Wells Inspections,
LLC can arrange for lead paint sampling to be performed. Rates are based on the quotations obtained from licensed testers.
Asbestos:
Asbestos is a mineral that was used extensively
in insulation, siding, floor tile, and etc. for many years. It was used since it contained thousands of tiny fibers which
helped hold materials together and was very fire resistant. The problem is that these fibers, when airborne,
get into to the lungs and cause asbestosis and mesothelioma (lung cancer), although exposure normally needs to be high and
for a long duration. Asbestos is no longer permitted in building materials. And as long as it remains undisturbed, it is not
a problem. However, if it is disturbed in any way that introduces the fibers or dust into the air it is a danger.
This usually occurs during renovations.The only way to be sure that a building material contains asbestos is by sampling and laboratory testing.
However, there are some visual characteristics of asbestos containing material that provide a clue. If Wells Inspections LLC
spots an asbestos containing material in your home we will advise the client. Then, if the material is
to be disturbed in the future, protective action can be taken. Only a state licensed asbestos remediation
contractor is authorized to do asbestos remediation in Florida.