Indoor air quality in homes and offices are not always related to mold. Common problems in non-industrial structures other than mold include:

• Formaldehyde – new cabinets, furniture, carpeting, flooring etc

• Asbestos

• Sewer gas leaks

• Bacteria – legionella in air conditioners, bacteria growth in water damaged materials and sewage releases (commonly known as black water)

• General contaminants such as paint or floor sealant odors and other construction related air quality issues either in your space or encroaching from a neighbor

• Pesticide residue and odors

• Unknown odors – these result from unknown issues, leaking lead acid batteries, a dead animal in a wall cavity, bats or rodent infestations, bees, termites, and periodic odors stemming from a variety of sources infiltrating your building or portion of the building from a neighboring source.

• Fire damage – air borne issues and soot/char analysis

• Radon

• Clandestine Methamphetamine contamination

• Silica dust and nuisance dusts

• Black water Damage / Sewer leaks and overflows.  There are basically three types of black water issues that affect homes and businesses.

  • During hurricanes, heavy rains and floods sewage systems can overflow and mix with the other flood waters. When these waters enter a home  or business the black water although diluted still contaminates the structure bringing with it the increased risk of dangerous pathogens like hepatitis, cholera ,etc.

  • Occasionally, a municipal systems  will flood a home or an office building system will flood a public building either by a lift pump failure, pipe break or clogged line down stream of the affected structure allowing unknown pathogens to be released into the public spaces.

  • A toilet over flow or sewer pipe leak in a residence that contaminates some of the building materials in the residence but does not come from the public sewer system. These leaks when isolated to a private home typically do not contain any significant disease threat since the contaminant stems from the private homes immediate occupants with known to be healthy.