You never know what kinds of environmental hazards may be lurking in your home or office. If you’re unsure whether toxic substances are posing a threat to your family or employees’ health, Benchmark Environmental Testing offers comprehensive air, water, and soil testing in San Jose, CA.
Common Environmental Hazards
- Outdated Building Materials
- Mold, Bacteria, and Viruses
- Air Pollutants
- Water & Soil Contamination
Outdated Building Materials
Older buildings (especially those built before the 1970s) often contain hazardous materials, such as asbestos insulation and lead paint. In fact, according to the EPA, 87% of houses built before the 1940s and 24% of houses built before 1978 contain lead.
Airborne asbestos fibers increase your risk of developing lung, laryngeal, and ovarian cancer, and prolonged exposure to lead has been associated with severe neurological damage in children. If the walls and paint in your home or office look old or the building was built before the 1980s, you may want to consider testing for lead and asbestos particles. We can also test your paint for other contaminants, including copper and volatile compounds.
Mold, Bacteria, and Viruses
If you are running a place of business, it is vital to maintain a clean environment for employees and customers. Exposure to pathogens can result in costly medical bills and harm your business, so if you suspect that mold, bacteria, or viruses may be growing in your business or home, please consider testing for them.
At Benchmark Environmental Engineering, we can collect water samples to determine if your home or business has bacterial or fecal pollution. We can also test indoor surfaces for COVID-19 after they’ve been sanitized to determine how effective your cleaning procedures are.
Air Pollutants
Allergens, pollutants, and even mold spores can invisibly contaminate the air around you. If you find yourself having the sniffles, it may be time to test for indoor allergens and mold. If you live near a place that releases air pollutants, such as a quarry or factory, consider regularly testing for air pollutants so that you can gauge the safety of your home or business. Many household and office cleaners can release harmful compounds into the air, some of which aggregate in small spaces and are odorless, so you may not know if a room is safe to dwell in without testing for VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, first.
Signs It’s Time To Test Your Air Quality
- You often experience headaches, dizziness, nausea, rashes, fatigue, or respiratory issues.
- Your allergies or asthma are flaring up, despite spending most of your time indoors.
- You live near a factory or quarry, and you’ve noticed frequent indoor dust buildup.
Inexplicable odors linger in certain rooms.
Water & Soil Contaminants
If your property is built on land that was previously subjected to a mudslide, flood, or another natural disaster, you may be at an increased risk of exposure to high concentrations of hazardous substances. Runoff from storms and floods can expose your home and even your drinking water to any pollutants that are lying around in the street.
Moreover, if your backyard has underground gas tanks or other sources of pollution, you should consider testing the soil before planting a garden or orchard. The experienced inspectors at Benchmark Environmental Engineering can come directly to your house to conduct extensive soil and water testing.
Environmental Testing Services In San Jose
At Benchmark Environmental Engineering, our certified inspectors can travel directly to your home or office and examine the air, water, soil, and building structure for a wide variety of toxic substances. We will then test the samples in our lab and provide accurate results to help you make an informed decision. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.