Environmental Testing
IMPORTANT! Negative results to any of the following environmental testing does not necessary need to break your real estate deal! They can be remediated, or mitigated, or resolved by various methods. However, testing for them should be the first, important step.
The EPA's Position on Radon: Radon gas is considered a class A carcinogen by the American Medical Association. Prolonged exposure to high levels of Radon gas may cause lung cancer. Millions of homes and buildings contain high levels of radon gas. The EPA's efforts are directed at locating the homes with high levels and encouraging remediation. As a means of prevention, the EPA and the Office of the Surgeon General recommend that all homes below the third floor be tested for Radon. Because Radon is invisible and odorless, a simple test is the only way to determine if a home has high radon levels. There are a variety of Radon reduction techniques that will lower the Radon levels in one's home.
In brief, our Radon testing service consists of electronic measuring of the radon level, barometric pressure, temperature, movement, moisture, on an hourly basis for a minimum 48 hour exposure to yield the average levels in your home. White Glove is licensed by the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety to conduct radon testing.
Sources of Radon: Earth and rock beneath home; well water; building materials.
Health Effects From Exposure to Radon: No immediate symptoms. Radon is the second highest cause of lung cancer in the U.S., estimated to contribute to between 7,000 and 30,000 deaths each year. Smokers are at higher risk of developing Radon-induced lung cancer.
Radon Levels in Homes: Based on a national residential radon survey completed in 1991. The average indoor radon level is 1.3 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) in the United States. The average outdoor level is about 0.4 pCi/L. A reading of 4.0 or higher
Steps to Reduce Exposure to Radon: Test your home for radon — it's easy and inexpensive. Fix your home if your radon level is 4.9 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher. Radon levels less than 4.0 pCi/L still pose a risk, and in many cases may be reduced by sealing cracks and other openings in the basement, such as sump pumps and crawlspaces.
Homeowner requirements: Closed house conditions must be adhered to, required by the State of Illinois, to insure the results are "valid":
All external doors and windows must be kept closed. Doors may be used for normal entry and exit of the premises.
Recent medical studies show that mold is one of the most common causes of allergic symptoms, and certain types of mold can cause fatal disorders. The presence of mold, fungus and mildew can create a health hazard to your family. Homes should be tested to determine the type of mold growing and the level of toxicity. Mold often goes undetected because of its invisibility; most people spend as much as 90% of their time indoors and are not aware of the health hazards created by this insidious pollutant.
White Glove provides testing to determine concentrations of mold. The inspector cannot determine the extent or type of microbial contamination from the visual inspection alone. An appropriate number of samples must be collected before the presence or absence of mold can be quantified. Sampling may include air, swab, carpet, wall check or direct bulk sampling techniques. Our basic mold inspection fee includes 4 samples: 1 outdoors to determine indigenous mold, and 3 indoors to determine the type and amount of contamination (air and/or physical, as required). We may recommend more samples based on the visual inspection, at a small additional charge.
Mold plays a natural part in our outdoor environment by breaking down organic matter. It reproduces by means of microscopic spores invisible to the naked eye, they float through the indoor and outdoor air. Mold can begin to grow indoors when spores land on surfaces that are wet or damp. It will not grow without moisture; therefore, it is imperative to stop/fix the water problem to stop further mold growth.
White Glove is certified by Environments For Living to perform energy audits, also known as "Blower Door" and/or "Duct Blower" testing. Essentially these devices can determine how much air (heating and/or cooling) is being lost from a home. Steps can be taken to mitigate these losses to some degree — weather stripping around doors and/or windows, replacing insulation, covering duct returns for rooms not in use, to mention a few.
This service is most important for, and primarily used by, builders to insure new homes are tight enough to maintain desired temperatures. As a potential buyer, ask the builder if energy auditing has been done.
Home owners may be interested if energy bills are higher than expected, as well as to insure that new homes have been built to their exacting specifications. For older homes, a "before" test can be helpful to determine exactly what losses are occurring and the best mitigation steps to be taken. A second, "after," test should be conducted to determine if the steps have been beneficial.
Testing for Water, Asbestos and Lead Paint are referred to a third-party laboratory and are billed separately from White Glove's inspections and/or environmental tests. These agencies can better advise about dealing with such problems. Ask us, while booking your inspection, for information on these agencies; we can usually provide an estimate of their costs, as well.
