ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS

Environmental hazards such as Ammonia can cause headaches, irritation of the eyes & nose & throat, nausea, and can contribute to asthma & emphysema which can come from household cleaners, plant fertilizers and animal waste

Carbon Dioxide can cause headaches & drowsiness, which can come from polluted outdoor air & poor indoor ventilation. 

Carbon Monoxide can cause headaches & drowsiness, which can come from auto exhaust, dry cleaning, unvented space heaters, leaking furnaces & chimneys, woodstoves & fireplaces, gas stoves & water heaters.

Fine Respirable Dust (PM2.5) = fine inhalable particles, with diameters less than 2.5 micrometers) can cause headaches, irritation of the eyes & nose, irritation of the throat, sneezing, wheezing, asthma attacks & chest pain, COPD, which can come from fine floating particles found in diesel exhaust, wood & incinerator burning, wood stoves & fireplaces, mold spores, pet dander, insecticide dusts, soot & smoke from gas & kerosene burners, tobacco smoke. NOTE: PM10 is a measure of particles less than 10 microns.

Electromagnetic Radiation can cause problems for children (leukemia, nervous system, vision, diabetes) which can come from high-voltage power lines, and electrical appliances (e.g., kitchen microwave, TV, etc.)

Formaldehyde (a highly volatile type of Volatile Organic Compound) can cause eye & skin irritation, coughing, asthma & nausea, which can come from plastics (cups & foam), pressed wood containing urea-formaldehyde resin (particle board, paneling, fiberboard), poorly vented appliances (gas stoves, kerosene heaters), foam wall insulation, carpets, durable press draperies, furniture fabrics, paints & varnishes.

Mold Spores can cause headaches, eye & nose irritation, skin disorders which can come from leaks from roof & indoor pipes & HVAC systems, high humidity & humidifiers, that facilitate mold growth on walls, carpeting, cardboard boxes, shoes and furniture.

Nitrogen Dioxide can cause irritation of the throat and lungs, which can come from kitchen stoves that burn natural gas. 

Oxygen can cause, if too low, headaches, confusion & loss of muscle control, coughing & fast heartbeat, or if too high, headaches, vision & hearing changes, fatigue, twitching of the mouth and hands, shivering, vertigo & nausea.  Oxygen level loss can be caused by reactions with gas (e.g., natural gas flames) or with solids (e.g., burning wood or kerosene).  Oxygen levels that are too high can be caused by release of oxygen from storage tanks.

Radon can cause lung cancer, which can come from radioactive gas produced by natural uranium (found in the below-home rock & soil) found in indoor air, well water and indoor decorative rock surfaces.

Radiation (damaging high-energy exposure) can cause many types of cancer, which can come from radioactive elements in air, water and surfaces, medical treatments, building materials, and geological collections.

Total Volatile Organics can cause headaches, dizziness, & drowsiness, eye & lung irritation, which can come from auto cleansers, wood preservatives, perfumes, air fresheners, home cleansers, disinfectants, aerosol sprays, hair sprays, paints & paint strippers, dry-cleaned clothing, moth repellents, stored fuels & automotive products.

E. coli Bacteria can cause headaches, stomach cramps, respiratory infections, diarrhea, infections to the skin, eyes and wounds, which can come from contaminated faucet screens, contaminants seeping through cracks in the well casing or flooding at the wellhead.

Total Coliform Bacteria can cause homeowners to suspect that that the water may not be safe to drink, which can come from water containing soil contaminants.

Water Alkalinity can cause hand termors & muscle twitching, skin irritations, nausea & vomiting, lowering of natural stomach acidity, a "slippery feel" to the water & a "film" left after washing hands and hair, gray crust to form on faucets, which can come from excess amounts of dissolved carbonate & similar minerals.

Water Color ("true color" that is a measure of water clarity) can cause bacteria-like symptoms, which can come from dissolved organic components (decaying material from humus, peat, weeds, industrial waste) and inorganic components (mostly iron & manganese, but also aluminum & copper). 

Water Corrosivity can cause corrosion of copper and iron water pipes, and water with a metallic taste and red orange (iron) or blue green (copper) color, which can come from acidic water.

Water Hardness can cause gray crust to form on water faucets, inside water heaters & pipes, yellowing of fabrics, spots on washed glasses, difficulty in making soap dissolve which results in extra time spent rinsing hands and hair, skin infections (dry skin & hair), which can come from excess amounts of dissolved iron & other metals.

Water Acidity (pH less than 6.5) can cause a bitter metallic taste, green or red crust on water faucets, corroded copper & iron water pipes, tooth decay, child digestion problem, which can come from acidic groundwater & surface water containing atmospheric and organic carbon dioxide (common in the Appalachian Mountains, Rocky Mountains & other mountain systems).

Water Turbidity (sometimes called "apparent color") is a measure of water clarity (a measure of suspended solids) which if too high can cause digestive diseases from pathogens (organic matter & microscopic organisms) attached to suspended particles, which can come from water that is cloudy or muddy looking, containing very fine suspended particles.

Dissolved Arsenic can cause fatigue & numbness, blindness, skin thickening & discoloration, stomach pain & nausea, vomiting & diarrhea, and many types of cancer, which can come from property that was an orchard (insecticide used on fruit trees).

Dissolved Chlorine can cause stomachaches, vomiting, diarrhea and skin irritation, which can come from chlorine added as a disinfectant to water wells and swimming pools, and can come from disinfection byproducts that are combinations of dissolved chlorine and naturally occurring dissolved organic matter. People often get used to the taste of chlorine in drinking water. With chronic (daily) exposure, studies have noted causative relationships between these combination products and serious health problems, including asthma, eczema, heart disease and cancer. Low concentrations (less than US-EPA recommendations) of dissolved chlorine is not harmful to humans and other mammals. However, low levels of chlorine that are not harmful to humans are toxic to fish, amphibians and reptiles. 

Dissolved Copper can cause digestive problems, kidney & liver damage, and water with a metallic taste & blue-green stains, which can come from copper water pipes.

Dissolved Iron can cause red-brown stains on laundry & dishes & toilet tanks, reduced water pressure, reddish-brown particles in drinking water, a metallic taste and red-orange staining, which can come from iron & manganese water pipes.

Dissolved Lead can cause headaches, fatigue, nervous behavior, slowed reaction time & reduced attention, impaired kidney function, high blood pressure, joint pain & constipation, which can come from lead water pipes, lead solder.

Dissolved Manganese can cause brown-black stains on laundry & dishes & toilet tanks, reduced water pressure, and black particles in drinking water, which can come from dissolved natural manganese and iron/manganese pipes.

Dissolved Nitrate & Dissolved Nitrate can cause a reduced oxygen-carrying ability of red blood cells (shortness of breath and "blue baby syndrome"), which can come from cropland runoff, leaking septic tanks, landfills & wastewater disposal sites, parks & golf courses, lawns & gardens,          

Dissolved Sodium can cause increased blood pressure, nausea & vomiting & thirst, which can come from runoffs of road deicing chemicals, water softener treatment chemicals, encroachment of brackish water.

Asbestos from surfaces can be an indicator of asbestos fibers in the air, which can cause shortness of breath, coughing, cancer of the chest & abdomen (mesothelioma), which can come from attic insulation (vermiculite), pipe & furnace insulation, floor tiles, brake shoes & clutch abrasion.

Lead on surfaces (walls, door & window frames) when ingested or inhaled can cause headaches, nervous behavior, slowed reaction time, reduced attention & fatigue, impaired kidney function & high blood pressure which can come from lead-based paints & art supplies.

Home Heating Oil in Soil can cause problems with oil-burning furnaces and for potential home buyers which can happen when the home underground metal tank leaks (holes caused by rust let water into the oil and oil into the soil).  

Drug Residue Detection and Identification Tests (preemptive recognition):

Cannabis (marijuana, THC) residue on surfaces in rooms where cannabis was grown (or used)  can cause skin rashes & difficulty breathing which can come from organic compounds in cannabis that vaporize out of the plant and precipitate on surfaces.

Cocaine residue on surfaces in rooms where cocaine was produced (or used) can cause headaches, behavioral changes, disturbed sleep, eye irritation, nausea & vomiting which can come from an illicit in-home production (or use) of cocaine.

Methamphetamine (meth, ice, crystal meth) residue on surfaces in rooms where methamphetamine was produced (or used) can cause headaches, behavioral changes, disturbed sleep, eye irritation, nausea & vomiting which can come from an illicit in-home lab production (or use) of methamphetamine.

Residues Not Tested: production or use of, heroin, opium, and oxycodone.