Air Quality Index (AQI) and You During the 2018 Paradise Fire smoke wave, many in the Bay Area obsessively checked online for air quality information and updates. Here is an overview of a handful of real-time air quality websites I found helpful and how they compare. Keep in mind that climate change plus newer and cheaper

DIY Box Fan Filter & Air Quality Experiment Here in San Francisco and surrounding areas kids are stuck indoors during this smoke wave caused by our wild fires with little or no air filtration. In San Francisco the school buildings are older and are not setup to have building wide air filtration. Nor can cash-strapped

Bay Area Wildfire Smoke and Indoor Air Quality I am writing this on November 13, 2018.  For the past week the state of California has been cloaked in thick, noxious smoke from the wildfires burning out of control.  Northern California is mostly affected by the Camp Fire near Chico, CA and Southern California by the

With the legalization of marijuana, some black-market growers are abandoning their illegal cannabis grow operations. Grow ops, often set up in rented properties, can leave a mess for landlords to clean up. Many of these properties are also put up for sale and then become the responsibility of the homebuyer. Identifying a grow-op is often

5 Interesting Things About EMF (Electromagnetic Fields): There are actually 5 different types of “EMF” that are commonly tested in buildings: low frequency magnetic fields low frequency electric fields “dirty electricity” or “high-voltage transients” or “electrical noise” radio frequency (RF) radiation alpha, beta and gamma ionizing radiation Each of the above types of radiation originates

6 Tips for Water Quality and Water Testing: Source matters! One of the most important variables in water quality is the source. Does the water come from an open water source like a lake or reservoir? Is it treated and delivered to a site via the municipal or county water service? Or is it a

Top 10 things people should know about soil quality and soil contamination: Site history matters! If your lot is over an orchard, old landfill or leaking underground storage tank, there will likely be pollution indicators present. Building history matters. If there is (or was) a structure built before 1980 on the property there have likely

Home Lead Testing There are of course DIY Home Lead Test Kits available online and in some hardware stores, but the more reliable way of evaluating a home and its contents for lead risks is to hire a Lead Inspector. The Lead Inspector will either utilize bulk sampling, which is destructive and will leave holes

How To Avoid Lead Dust During Home Renovations Containment, Wet Methods, HEPA Vacuum and Prompt Clean-up are the main work practices to follow in order to reduce exposure to lead dust during renovation. Sticking to these main concepts will help avoid the most common pathways of exposing your family to lead dust. Whether or not

Bay Area Air Quality Among Worst In Nation As an industrial hygienist it came as a surprise that the American Lung Association recently ranked Bay Area air quality among worst in nation for air pollution and particulates. Unhealthy levels of pollution were found in numerous parts of the country, but the San Francisco Bay Area