Tips For Choosing A Lead Inspector In San Diego

By Phyllis Schroeder


If you are buying a home, then it is recommended that you hire a home inspection company to test it for any hazardous material before you make the purchase. If the house was constructed before 1978, it could be dilapidated and needs testing. It is also required that buildings that are located new busy roads be tested because of potential pollution. Below are some tips to help you hire a reliable lead inspector in San Diego.

If you have young children around, you should be particularly cautious because they are very vulnerable heavy metal poisoning. If you are buying an old house, ensure that you ask about its year of construction because it could have been built when lead was still being used in paints and other building materials. This is very common in houses that were constructed in the 1970s or earlier.

If you visit the National Lead Information Center, you will find very informative information about requirements that houses should meet. Read these guidelines so that you should be an informed buyer or renter. The landlord or the homeowner should also let you know of anything that is worth your attention.

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.

However, things are changing as technology evolves and nowadays, it is common to find labs that use x-ray fluorescence. This method uses a hand-held device that instantly determines whether a surface is affected. However, this might sometimes show inconclusive results, in which case lab test is recommended.

Before you hire a company, ensure that you confirm whether it has a license for dealing with radioactive materials. This will confirm that they have property gears for dealing with these metals and use the required disposal mechanisms. Hence, their activities do not result in environmental hazards.

Let the inspector understand your needs. This will ensure that they carry out the test in a way that is tailored to meet your needs. Consequently, you will get a more elaborate report.




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