August « 2010 « Know what is in your environment

August 31, 2010

Renovation, Repair & Painting (RRP) Rule and how Essco Safety Check can help with all your RRP lead inspection requirements.

Filed under: About the business, viewpoint — Tags: contractors, EPA, Essco - Safety Check, lead inspector, lead-based paint inspections, Renovation Repair & Painting, risk assessor, RRP, X-Ray Fluorescence, XRF — Seth Goldberg @ 12:22 pm

FACT: Did you know that Essco Safety Check can help contractors, homeowners, childcare facility operators, schools and businesses with all their Renovation, Repair & Painting (RRP) Rule lead inspection requirements.

FACT: Are you aware that Essco Safety Check is certified to provide lead-based paint inspections. Certified lead professionals will come to your location (in Washington State) and using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Analyzers will inspect for lead-based paint.

FACT: The services Essco Safety Check provide contractors and homeowners, will save you time & money when complying with the new RRP ruling and lead-based paint inspections. Consider the fact that documents must be retained for three years following the completion of a renovation; we will store all your testing data for free.

FACT: Currently, EPA approved LeadCheck Kits can determine that regulated lead-based paint is not present on all surfaces except plaster and drywall.

QUESTION: What is a contractor suppose to do to determine if lead-based paint is present?

FACT: Homeowners, apartment owners, government-assisted or public housing, schools and childcare facilities that are older than 1978 that have a contractor disturb a painted surface do to renovation, repair or painting must have the contractor:
A. Assume the property contains lead-based paint and follow lead-safe work practices, or
B. You or your contractor may also test for lead using a lead test kit. These kits must be EPA-approved (please refer to above FACT about LeadCheck Kits), or
C. Hire a certified professional to check for lead-based paint. These professionals are certified risk assessors or inspectors and can determine if your home has lead or lead hazards.

FACT: If you are going to have your property inspected for lead-based paint or lead hazards, Essco Safety Check can:

• Save you time & money with hassle-free lead inspection services
• Provide non-destructive XRF testing by a certified lead inspector or risk assessor
• Assist with your data storage and EPA testing compliance issues

QUESTION: How do I contact Essco Safety Check about my RRP lead testing needs?

FACT: Visit http://www.essco-safetycheck.com/services/re.htm for more information or call Seth at 425-749-4136.

FACT: Essco Safety Check is offering a 20% discount off current prices for companies who call and book an RRP inspection by November 1st, 2010. Good for first inspection for new customers only.

Environmental Services & Solutions Corporation
d.b.a. Essco Safety Check
15906 NE 83rd Street
Redmond, WA 98052
www.essco-safetycheck.com

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August 18, 2010

Lead is found in bounce homes children play in.

Filed under: Health, News, Regulation — Tags: bounce homes, CEH, children, Essco - Safety Check, lead, pvc, Toxic toys, X-Ray Fluorescence, XRF — Seth Goldberg @ 10:08 am

For several years, Essco Safety Check has been providing X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) testing services to moms and dads, businesses, industries and government. We have first-hand knowledge to where lead and other potentially harmful heavy metals are found from our XRF testing. Recently, the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) did an investigation, environmental testing, of bounce homes that children play in.

Their investigation found lead; in one bounce home that was more than 70 times greater than the legal limit of lead in a child’s product. They found a lead from a range of 5000 parts per million (PPM) to 29,000 PPM. The legal limit for lead in children’s products is 90 PPM for painted surfaces and 300 PPM for all other parts of the product.

With all the testing that Essco Safety Check has done, we have tested bounce homes in the past and our findings are very similar to that of CEHs. The issue with bounce homes is the material that the home is made of. It is typically made of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and PVC is a substrate that we have found to contain lead more than other typical substrates that children play with. When PVC is manufactured, a stabilizer is added in production to prevent Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) from forming, unfortunately the manufacturers tend to use lead as a stabilizer. This stabilizer does not bind well to the PVC molecule and can readily leach from the PVC material.

In some laboratory testing that Essco Safety Check has performed with several accredited laboratories in the Seattle, WA area, we have found that heat can play a factor in to the ability for lead to leach from PVC. The hotter the temperature that the PVC is exposed to the more likelihood that leaching can occur. The best thing for children to do after playing in a bounce home is to wash their hands and face, and avoid direct hands to mouth contact while playing in a bounce home. This is more critical for children under the age of 6, as they are more susceptible to the exposure of lead.

Lead is a neurotoxin that can cause many problems including; learning disabilities, anemia, hypertension, infertility and death among other problems. Children are more sensitive to lead exposure because of their size (mass) and greater absorption of lead. It is best to avoid lead exposure as there is no level of lead that is considered safe.

Know what is in your environment and mitigate harm.

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August 8, 2010

The Toxic Avenger takes aim at toxic toys and other toxic consumer products for families affected by autism.

Filed under: Events, Health, viewpoint — Tags: autism, Autism Day of Washington, autistic children, cadmiu, Essco - Safety Check, heavy metals, lead, Toxic toys, X-Ray Fluorescence, XRF, XRF Testing — Seth Goldberg @ 1:14 pm

Jubilee Farm - Autism Day of Washington 2010

The 10th Annual Autism Day of Washington was held on Saturday, August 7th, 2010 at the Jubilee Farm in Carnation Washington. Autism Day is an event designed for families touched by autism a chance to relax in a beautiful setting surrounded by people and businesses who understand. A variety of individuals and companies, service providers and organizations wishing to reach out to the autistic community participated in the event.

Essco Safety Check participated for the third year in a row by providing FREE X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) testing to look for heavy metals (lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury and others) in consumer products. As one mom explained to her autistic child, “they are looking for toxic toys.” We provided a display of products found in the typical home that have been tested and identified with lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury as well as information and publications from the EPA, HUD and Washington State Department of Health.

The rain could not stop hundreds of people from attending the event, going for hayrides, playing on the slip and slide or visiting all the vendor’s booths. Families brought toys, ceramics, jewelry and other consumer products by Essco Safety Check’s booth for XRF testing. Of all items that were tested, ceramics (coffee cups, plates and bowls) were found with the most amounts of lead and cadmium.

Hayrides and Spongebob during Autism Day of Washington 2010

By using technologies such as XRF Analyzers, we can help people and businesses gain knowledge about their environment. If you know what is in your environment, you can mitigate potential harm. Essco Safety Check has been providing in-home environmental testing services for almost three years. Autistic families appear to be more concerned about what is in their environment and have been contacting Essco Safety Check to know what is in their environment since January 2008.

As a service provider to families affected by autism, Essco Safety Check has found there to be a constant in each and every in-home inspection for an autistic family. You should know that these are just observations from our perspective of testing. Essco Safety Check inspectors are not doctors, but are certified lead inspectors and risk assessor.

Essco Safety Check's Booth at Autism Day of Washington 2010

In each and every case of providing testing services to autistic families, the parents of the autistic children tell us that their children have heavy metals in their blood. When they inform us what heavy metals are found in their child’s blood, when we provide XRF testing of the consumer products and objects and items these autistic children come in contact with, we find the same heavy metals in the products as is found in their blood.

I’m not suggesting that heavy metals are the cause of autism; however, I believe that a person with autism has a predisposition to not be able to process the heavy metals and chemicals we all come in contact with. Considering that we are all subjected to a variety of heavy metals in our daily life, until you remove the heavy metals that are affecting the autistic person, how can you effectively treat autism?

Essco Safety Check has developed a methodology of collecting and analyzing the personal environment using XRF Analyzers, photography and an environmental software platform. By understanding what is in your environment you can make educated decisions as to what you, your children, you customers or employees are exposed to.

Know what is in your environment and mitigate harm.

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