Repurposed Buildings in Puerto Rico and Potential Indoor Exposure Hazards

San Juan, founded by the Spanish 500 years ago, has a rich architectural history and is home to some buildings dating back hundreds of years. Many of these old colonial buildings have had a number of uses over time.
 
While the vast majority of homes and buildings across the islands were built much more recently, a number of them have also been repurposed over time. Indeed, renovating an existing building is often the most cost-effective way to provide for the changing needs of a community.
 
Unfortunately, some older properties also come with risks. For example, just last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the completion of cleanup activities at a former charter school on the mainland. The old school will be used as a community center, but this didn’t happen before the agency awarded the town a $200,000 EPA Brownfields grant. The grant was used to pay for the cleanup and removal of asbestos, lead-based paint, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mold from the building that was constructed in 1962.
 
“Every year across Puerto Rico, many buildings are given a new lease on life to be used for residential housing, businesses, government offices and other purposes,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. “It’s important that a comprehensive indoor environmental quality audit be conducted to identify exposure hazards so frequently found in older buildings. The process helps to protect construction workers performing renovation activities and even future building occupants. The information provided also allows the developer to better understand the challenges they will encounter and improve their understanding of the costs involved when dealing with regulated materials, such as asbestos, lead and PCBs.”
 
Helping with these efforts are the building science, industrial hygiene and IEQ professionals from Zimmetry Environmental. They provide testing, monitoring and consulting services for biological, chemical and radiological exposure risks. The expert staff at Zimmetry are also well-versed in Puerto Rico’s regulatory compliance requirements for handling hazardous materials.
 
To learn more about Zimmetry’s indoor air quality, building science, environmental and industrial hygiene testing, compliance and consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005 or email info@zimmetry.com .
 
About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals and Fortune 500 companies.  The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America.  The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs and general environmental consulting services.
 

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

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