Have you ever wondered if what your children are playing with is safe? Have you ever considered what consumer products are made of? I can honestly say that I never really gave much thought to those simple questions until the September of 2007. My brother asked me a question, would I be interested in helping people know what is in their environment, educating them on their surroundings and providing information.
When my brother first was introduced to the use of XRF analyzer technology, he was so impressed with the technology that he asked the demonstrator to come to his home to test his children’s toys and consumer products for potential toxins. Unfortunately, at the time, this individual representing an advocacy groups said he could not test his home, and when he was asked if there was a local company who could come to his home and provide this essential, non-destructive testing, this gentleman didn’t know of any such company.
I received a phone call from my brother a few hours later asking if I wanted to change my life and help people know what was in their environment.
We formed Environmental Services & Solutions Corporation within a few weeks and began to help people and businesses, know what is in their environment. This would be my first effort at a socially rewarding business. Within a month or two of this life changing decision and direction, there were all those toy recalls for lead (Mattel, Fisher Price, etc). And more immediately within my own family, my little nephew, who was not even one year old yet, tested positive for a small amount of lead in his blood.
By using the XRF analyzer, my brother was capable of identifying one specific item which his body came in direct contact with. The likely culprit to giving my nephew a little lead, was a Bumbo seat (a polyurethane seat a baby can sit in on the floor and wiggle around in but not get out of), specifically a yellow Bumbo seat. This one item contained approximately 2000 parts per million (PPM) of lead and my nephew would sit in it in a diaper and chew on the sides of the seat.
We simply started this company to help other families and businesses reduce their potential toxic exposure with the simple use of technology. Our belief, if we help reduce toxic exposure we are thus creating a healthier environment. If you live in a healthier environment, and one specifically with reduced lead exposure there are tremendous health and intellectual benefits (among others such as reduced criminal activity). If we have a society that is healthier and more intellectual, public dollars could be diverted from healthcare to other social issues. Thus, a snowball rolling downhill helping to create a positive wave and a better society, improving lives and creating jobs.
