Monday, July 27, 2015

What To Consider When Looking For A Lead Inspector In San Diego

By Phyllis Schroeder


Your home should be the place to which you go to relax and get some fresh air after a log day of work. Therefore, it should be as hospitable can be. You need to make sure that it is safe to live in for both you and your children. That is why the EPA insists that you conduct home tests before you rent or buy a home. With the tips below, you will be able to find a qualified lead inspector in San Diego that can give you results you can rely on.

Young children are very vulnerable to lead poisoning. Therefore, if your house has paint chips or peelings, it might be time for you to hire a professional inspection company to test it for contamination. This is also advisable for homes that have backyards with bare soil that kids might play with. Before the 1970s, most homes were painted using lead-based paints; hence the need for testing.

The government outlines requirements for buying and renting properties. Among the key conditions is that you know the state of the building before renting or purchasing. This information can be found at the National Lead Information Center, which catalogs all data relating to such tests. This is meant to protect people from the hazardous effects of this metal.

The Environmental Protection Agency requires that people hire different companies for the abatement and the inspection. This is to avoid any conflict of interest. If you hire the same company for the two jobs, they may not give you reliable results. Therefore, inquire about this before you hire an inspector.

The inspecting company should use laboratories that have been approved by the government. Lead is one of the most dangerous radioactive metals that is readily available. As such, it should be handled with care and disposed of properly. When handled carelessly, it could cause devastating health impacts and destroy the environment by contaminating drinking water and destroying plant life.

There are different testing techniques, and each has its pros and cons. The most common test method involves during different areas to collect dust samples. These are then sent to a lab for further analysis. While this method takes time and is costly, it is the most reliable because it can identify even faint traces of the metal.

Use of x-ray is also becoming quite common. In this case, a hand-held x-ray fluorescence equipment is moved over the surface to detect any presence of lead. This gives instant results, but it has a downside: it is not often accurate. This means lab test may be required in certain cases.

Home inspection companies need to have radioactive materials licenses. This indicates that they have the experience and the expertise for handling radioactive material. As such, you do not have to worry about them causing harm to the environment.

It is advisable that you discuss with the inspector what you need to be done and the need to have the test. This will ensure that they use the most appropriate testing techniques. As such, you will get results that are more accurate.




About the Author:



No comments:

Popular Posts