Maintaining Healthy Indoor Air Quality During ‘Fire Season’
I’ve lived in California for over 30 years. For most of that time I never really thought about wildfires. Their destructive flames seemed only possible in the movies. That has changed, not just for me, but for most of California, who have become brutally aware of the very real threat wildfire poses. While the fire
- Published in Environmental Testing, Healthy Building Inspections & Testing
Fire Proof Building
Fire Proof Building For the past few summers I’ve been somewhat caught off guard by how vulnerable I have felt when dry winds are blowing and smoke fills the sky. I remember very clearly being on the roof, with a mask on, cleaning out the gutters and small piles of leaves. As an industrial hygienist
- Published in Green Building Consulting, News
Lead Dust Testing Outside?
Dust Settling on Outside Patio or Furniture? I was sitting on my porch in San Francisco watching kids play on the wooden deck and started to wonder, “is the dust on my porch contaminated with lead dust? If so, how best to clean it up?” So I did a little experiment and tested for lead
Clean Crawlspace is Better For You and Your Home
Is Clean Crawlspace Really That Important? Crawlspaces are generally not what anyone would consider “clean.” When was the last time you went into a crawlspace? It’s typically a dark, dank environment where critters and odors run scare away even the most brave DIY building owners! Often old construction materials and cardboard boxes are crammed down
Air Quality Index (AQI) and You!
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
- Published in Environmental Testing, News
DIY Box Fan Filter – MERV 13 versus HEPA Air Purifier
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
- Published in Environmental Consulting, News
Wildfire Smoke and Indoor Air Quality
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
- Published in Environmental Testing, Healthy Building Inspections & Testing
Cleaning Up a Cannabis Grow Operation
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
- Published in Environmental Testing, Healthy Building Inspections & Testing
Interesting Things About EMF Testing
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
- Published in Business, Environmental Testing, Green Building Consulting, News
6 Tips for Water Quality and Water Testing
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
- Published in Business, Environmental Testing, News
Who is Healthy Building Science?
We are an environmental consulting firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area. A group of scientists working to make your indoor spaces healthier. We test your building or property to find harmful pollutants.
Healthy Building Science
Environmental Testing Services at HBS
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