Safe Cookware
Friday, 22 November 2013
Does Stainless Steel Leach Chemicals? There is a lot of information in the blogosphere about health and safety in cookware, but when a client asked whether stainless steel leached dangerous chemicals, I was unable to find a quick answer to her question. I decided to look into the issue of safe cookware myself. In one 2013
- Published in Environmental Testing, Green Building Consulting
What is in that New Car Smell?
Friday, 15 November 2013
Testing a new car for VOC’s and Formaldehyde Healthy Building Science recently leased a brand new 2013 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Clean Diesel for use by the inspection department. While the car is very nice, low emissions and great mileage, it definitely has that New Car Smell. Being the science geeks we are at HBS, I
- Published in Environmental Testing
Not All LED’s are the Same (Addendum)
Friday, 08 November 2013
Dirty Electricity Concerns? In the recent blog of September 10th, 2013, EMI and LEDs – Not all LEDs are the same! we described dirty electricity and examined several brands of CFLs and LEDs. This blog tests several more brands of LEDs to determine which produces the least amount of LED dirty electricity . It has
- Published in Environmental Testing, Green Building Consulting
Magnetic Fields – EMF Consulting
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
When performing EMF surveys many “EMF consultants” only evaluate low-frequency magnetic fields. When folks call and say they “have an EMF meter” and are measuring “high emf,” they generally have a Gauss meter and are measuring magnetic field field strength or magnetic flux. Most Building Biologists focus on Alternating Current (AC) electromagnetic fields, and in addition
- Published in Environmental Testing, Green Building Consulting
Radiation Exposure – How much is too much?
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Radiation Exposure How Much Is “Too Much” Alex Stadtner, president of Healthy Building Science, wrote a blog in April 2012 entitled “Radioactive Granite and Quartzite – Risks from Radon” about discovering high levels of radiation in Quartzite and Granite used in residential building for items such as countertops, flooring, and bath and shower enclosures. While
- Published in Environmental Testing, Healthy Building Inspections & Testing
Smog and Particulates
Tuesday, 01 October 2013
Smog and Particulates How Fine Particulates Affect Exterior and Interior Air Quality No matter how well our “Green and Healthy” homes are designed and built, our interior air quality can only be as good as our exterior air quality (our “source air”), unless we add active air filtration into our building design. But how do
- Published in Environmental Testing, Healthy Building Inspections & Testing
EMI and LEDs – Not all LEDs are the same!
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
EMI and LEDs – Not all LEDs are the same! Electromagnetic Interference (EMI, aka: “Dirty Electricity,” or “High Voltage Transients”) is a term coined for quick transient pulses, harmonics, spikes and dips in the electrical power in a home’s wiring that deviates from a purely 60Hz sine wave. These often occur due to computers, other
How to Clean Up Mold?
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Most of this blog on how to clean up mold is from the “Help Yourself to a Healthy Home” guide from HUD. We generally suggest hiring an established remediation company with professionals certified by the IICRC… but many cannot afford to pay for that service or don’t feel it’s necessary. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for
- Published in Environmental Testing, Healthy Building Inspections & Testing
EMF from LED Lights – Magnetic Fields and Recessed LED Lights
Monday, 25 March 2013
EMF from LED Lights and Recessed LED lights Is there significant amounts of EMF from LED Lights? A designer client of mine had a job she was working on, where her client, a homeowner, was concerned about the magnetic fields in her home. She was designing a remodel, which included the kitchen, and the designer had