United States Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin is urging Americans to learn about the dangers of asbestos exposure during Asbestos Awareness Week 2013 (April 1-7). For us, every week is asbestos awareness week. Linda Reinstein, president of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), says  the United States continues to endanger public health by importing asbestos, a known carcinogen. Reinstein says, “I am especially concerned about workers exposed to asbestos during…

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There is a new documentary exploring the ethics of American companies manufacturing and selling harmful materials, such as lead paint, on the African continent. According to Occupational Knowledge International, as published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, more than 40 percent of house paints in Cameroon contain lead. Some of the paints contain up to 50 percent of their weight as lead. Lead paint was banned in the…

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Buyer beware: The Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors Standards and Practice doesn’t require home inspectors to disclose hazardous materials in homes–including asbestos, mold, and even harmful toxic drywall. Check out the story below (link): Law shows home inspectors not required to tell buyers about mold, asbestos on.wdsu.com/WICKV9 — wdsu (@wdsu) February 18, 2013 The reason the for this? Home inspectors are not accredited inspectors for asbestos, mold, and toxic…

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…But you might be sorrier if you don’t. I got a call last week to visit a project site where the Owner is renovating a gym built in the ’30s and turning it into a library. The Contractor has gutted the building, and as it turns out, there was felt paper and granular material beneath the hardwood floor (treated with creosote) that acted as a damp proofing layer for the gym floor….

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