by FunGuy | Jun 21, 2018 | air quality, air testing, American Lung Association, Asbestos Testing, asthma, Building Inspection, building safety, emergency, Environmental Protection Agency, Health, los angeles, Los Angeles County Health Department
WEST LOS ANGELES (KABC) —
At least 15 residents in a West Los Angeles apartment complex were forced out of their homes after asbestos exposure.
The incident happened around 9:48 p.m. in the 1800 block of Prosser Avenue, when authorities determined that 11 of 12 units in the complex were exposed to asbestos. A county hazmat team was sent to the complex and the residents were evacuated.
The residents were decontaminated by Los Angeles Fire Department crews. Officials said no one showed or mentioned signs of illness or injury from the possible exposure.
Residents living in the complex said it all could have been prevented. They said management had been doing some renovations after a tenant moved out and that the contractor doing work did not remove the popcorn ceiling properly, resulting in the health scare.
“Most property owners know that when you’re doing construction you have to do it properly and dispose of it properly. Unfortunately, they just hired whoever. They took it off and disposed of it in our dumpster and exposed us all for the last few weeks to asbestos,” Shannon Streger said.
The hazmat team will determine if the building should be red-tagged. Any vehicles parked in the complex were also taped off and could not be removed.
Residents were provided temporary lodging by the American Red Cross. They thanked the organization for the help and also the city for its prompt response to the situation.
by FunGuy | Dec 12, 2012 | black mold, mold, moldinspectionslosangeles
Photo of the Month – Look For FunGuy Before You Buy
Real Estate Los Angeles, CA
Thinking you might skip the mold inspection before you buy one of the most expensive purchases in your lifetime? During any real estate transaction, a potential homeowner must decide what type of inspections they should conduct before buying the property.
The truth is, a real estate mold inspection will help identify features of your building, undetected by your standard home inspection report. The above photo is taken from a real estate inspection for mold and water damage. The Building Inspection Service identified areas of water damaged materials. After further inspection, these materials had been removed, repaired and painted prior to fun guy’s scheduled building inspection. Our certified mold inspector was able to identify pipes, repaired, but still leaking below the sink!
From the field of view in the picture, you can tell how the area had been painted white within the cabinet in an attempt to hide the visible conditions of water damage and mold growth. Left Side of the Photo
Upon further inspection (lifting the board up) of the area below the kitchen sink, black mold was revealed on the wall below the kitchen cabinet’s (false) flooring. Right side of the Photo
Water Damage to the base of the kitchen cabinets and surrounding supports appeared more extensive and began to spread to others areas in the building. Including a closet and the garage, the walls surrounding the kitchen were also affected by water damage and toxic mold growth conditions.
The buyer was aware of the areas that could not be covered up with paint. Exposed during Fun Guy’s Real Estate Mold Inspection Building Report, the true conditions were reported on the building prior to the real estate purchase.
A Building Inspection Check List includes a Real estate mold inspection. Fun Guy Inspection & Consulting LLC makes every attempt to identify areas of moisture intrusion, measure the areas of moisture content of the building materials, and identify any unsightly mold growth – Look for FunGuy before You Buy.
by Fun Guy Inspection & Consulting LLC
by FunGuy | Nov 6, 2012 | Uncategorized
Recently, the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District located just north of Los Angeles, California, initiated “inspections” of private homes suspected of harboring illegal salt based water softeners. Recalcitrant homeowners who so far have refused to remove their offending water softeners face a $1,000 fine.
In 2008, residents of Santa Clarita voted for a ban on water softeners because they were told that there was too much salt going through the waste treatment facility, more than the amount allowed by state and federal regulators. Residents supported the ban in order to avoid an expensive upgrade of the facility. However, since water softeners only add a miniscule amount of salt to waste water, the Sanitation District is being forced to install a $250 million filtration system after all.
“Salt based water softeners are the best way to treat hard water which contains high levels of calcium and magnesium,” said Morton Satin, Vice President of Science and Research for the Salt Institute. “These scale deposits increase energy costs by reducing the efficiency of dish and clothes washers and causing them to break down and need replacement more often. In addition, research has demonstrated the potential for hard water scale on taps and shower heads to harbor pathogenic bacteria.”
In washing machines, hard water requires the use of more soap and hotter water to achieve the same results. Salt-regenerated water softeners work by running the incoming hard water through a resin filter that traps the calcium and magnesium, as well as any iron, manganese or radium ions in the water and replacing them with sodium ions.
“The irony is that since the district is installing the salt filters anyways, there is zero benefit from banning water softeners. In the end residents will be stuck with hard water, higher energy and appliance costs, and will likely see their taxes increase to pay for the new water treatment system,” said Satin. “This is bad for consumers, taxpayers and the environment, not to mention a gross invasion of privacy.”
—30—
The Salt Institute is a North American based non-profit trade association dedicated to advancing the many benefits of salt, particularly to ensure winter roadway safety, quality water and healthy nutrition.
Morton Satin
Salt Institute
http://news.yahoo.com/water-softener-police-begin-home-inspections-salt-institute-040018053.html
by FunGuy | Nov 6, 2012 | black mold, mold, moldinspectionslosangeles
Los Angeles, CA
Imagine a fungus (Black Mold) that could eat your home from the inside out and weaken the walls to the point of them needing to be rebuilt. From a structural aspect this type of fungi is more devastating for the building that black mold. A couple of homeowners had some unwanted house guests showing up as white pancakes and mushrooms in the corner and floorboards. Mr.& Mrs. Moore from Los Angeles are experiencing this first hand as this invasive mold slowly weakens the structure of their home.
The Moores face a huge repair bill, some estimates indicate $300-700,000. The fungi has literally eaten away at their home. The Huffington Post reports “The Moore’s insurance company, Safeco, offered to pay $18,000 even though the family’s policy is worth hundreds of thousands, the couple said. Walter Moore, a lawyer, is still battling Safeco after a court threw out the Moore’s lawsuit against the insurer. He filed an appeal. “[The home] is our life savings and half of it is now worthless,” he told CBS. “The other half is dubious.”
It sounds like science fiction but, Poria has been known to extend its reach to extract water from other sources and invade homes. Poria slowly decays the ligen bonds in the wood. ” Its as if the structural members (lumber) within your home begin to turn to mush”, stated Robert Santanastasio, Certified Mold Specialist who has seen damage created by water damage and this type of ravaging organism-fungi in homes.
The organism does require a fungi mold specialist to properly diagnose and eradicate completely. A local Los Angeles inspection firm operated by De La Cruz specializes in this type of inspection and assessments. “Poria is a monster that no one wants to hear about,” De La Cruz said. “We can look at a house during an inspection and everything’s
fine. Six months later, it has wreaked havoc. It’s scary.” www.poriafacts.com
“It’s… the most devastating wood-decaying fungus of houses that we know of,” UC Riverside plant pathology professor John Menge told the Times.
FunGuyInspections.com
by FunGuy | Nov 3, 2012 | mold
Los Angeles, CA November 26, 2012
If you could only see the water damage and mold growing in your home. It might be just like using an x ray machine to see into the walls of your buildings. In some places you would see mold growing, others dry rot, wood rot, pests and insects roaming the cellulose divided hallways.
The picture of mold growing in the windows of this home is a prime example of how different components can work in harmony to create life.
The three essential components of mold growth involving mold spores, moisture, and a minimal carbon source. From these components the organism (Fungi | Mold | Mildew) are able to initiate growth, digest carbon components by using digestive enzymes to breakdown the cellular bonds of each substrate and reproduce.
In this case water intruding into the window, from outside the window pane, results in increased humidity and possibly dew on the inside. Over an extended amount of time, this will promote bacterial and mold colonies to proliferate with the available moisture. This is an isolated instance, yet water and moisture in the building materials can spread and extend further into neighboring walls, units or down multiple floors (in a larger style buildings).
Mold spores are found everywhere in the environment; inside and outside your home. Your home may have an air handling unit, the essential lungs to your home. If mold growth is observed the chances of mold spreading to different areas is a real possibility. Mold Testing specialist can help determine, by sampling for mold spores, levels that maybe above normal or acceptable ranges.
A known essential to life’s building blocks is the single and multiple carbon chains that exist in nature. Indoor Allergens such as insects parts, cat dander, mold spores, and pollens exist within our home. This may provide the basic elemental substrates to be added into the window pane by wind, pressure and other dynamic building features.
Additional investigations that indentify water damaged areas will greatly decrease your chances of mold growing within your home. Water damage tip: respond to moisture damage accordingly. Your initial response to water damage can results in a favorable turn of events and reduce the costly repairs.
Call Fun Guy Inspections to Learn More about your building today 888.399.3994
funGuy Moldy Times, Los Angeles, CA .
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