Bay Area Outdoor 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 Woolsey Fire.  Many

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 (https://healthybuildingscience.com/2013/10/23/magnetic-fields-emf-consulting/) 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

6 things people should know about water quality: 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

Healthy Building Science is pleased to announce that we now have an XRF lead testing gun in house for detecting lead in painted wood and lead in plastic toys: the Heurosis pb200i. The XRF analyzer provides lead testing solutions for household painted wood or plastic items as well as toys marketed toward teenagers such as

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

Tension at the Materials and Human Health Summit? A report from Greenbuild 2013 This year 25,000 industry experts descended upon the Philadelphia Convention Center for a week of networking and education to discuss Building Materials and Human Health at Greenbuild 2013. I was fortunate enough to attend the Materials and Human Health Summit, an all-day

Curious about general best practices for minimizing EMF exposure? This post is an excerpt from the Healthy Home Standard, and it includes many great EMF rules of thumb. This is part of a series about the Healthy Home Standard, and there will be another post on additional EMF best practices. The following EMF rules of

Fluoride, Health, and Drinking Water The addition of fluoride to the drinking water supply began in the 1950s as a method to fight against tooth decay.  Currently, 11 countries in the world have more than 50% of their population drinking fluoridated water. These include Singapore (100%), Hong Kong (100%), Brunei (95%); Australia (80%), Malaysia (75%),