Richmond Tenants Complain of Unhealthy Living Conditions

Last month, KQED published a report about living conditions in the Hacienda high-rise in Richmond, California.  Hacienda is part of the Richmond Housing Authority’s five public housing projects.  According to the article, tenants have repeatedly complained of a number of health and safety issues, including mold, sewage, cockroaches, rodents and bedbugs.

All of these items can create potential health concerns for the building’s occupants.  For example, potential human health effects of mold exposure are a major concern.  Allergic reactions to mold are common and can be immediate or delayed.  Allergic responses include hay fever-like symptoms such as headache, sneezing, runny nose, red eyes and skin rashes. Mold can even cause asthma attacks in people with asthma who are sensitive to its presence. Some types of mold are also known to cause infections in people with weakened immune systems.

Sewage can contain an array of chemical and microbial contaminants and pathogens.  These contaminants soak into porous building materials and can be an immediate health threat to building occupants.  Cockroaches and rodents can cause allergies and trigger an asthma attack in some people.  Bedbugs can be an annoyance because their presence may cause itching and loss of sleep and some people may even suffer from an allergic reaction.  Even itching can lead to excessive scratching that can increase the chance of a secondary skin infection.

“People with all of these things in their homes are being exposed to a number of health concerns,” said Jason Dobranic, Ph.D., Vice President of Microbiology and Life Sciences at LA Testing. “LA Testing offers a wide array of analytical services to help homeowners and renters identify these items in their homes.  Testing can provide evidence of an indoor environmental quality issue so that corrective actions can take place to remedy the situation.”

LA Testing recently sponsored an online video about common indoor air quality (IAQ) pollutants that can be seen at: http://youtu.be/MM14B6dzYYg. To learn more about testing for any of these contaminants or other IAQ and environmental issues, please visit www.LATesting.com, email info@LATesting.com or call (800) 755-1794. 
 
About LA Testing
LA Testing, is California’s leading laboratory for indoor air quality testing of asbestos, mold, lead, VOCs, formaldehyde, soot, char, ash and smoke damage, particulates and other chemicals.  In addition, LA Testing offers a full range of air sampling and investigative equipment to professionals and the general public. LA testing maintains an extensive list of accreditations including: AIHA LAP LLC., AIHA ELLAP, AIHA EMLAP and AIHA IHLAP, NVLAP, State of California, State of Hawaii Department of Health and other states.  LA Testing, along with the EMSL Analytical, Inc. network, has multiple laboratories throughout California including South Pasadena, Garden Grove, San Leandro and San Diego.

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