1. Common Property Environmental Issues
For Real Estate Professionals
An Approved Continuing Education Class for Real Estate Licensees

2. Course Objective
1. Enhance your ability as an agent to work with buyers and sellers on transaction details and negotiations
2. Increase your knowledge and understanding of how environmental issues affect the property and its potential sale
3. Improve your ability to counsel buyers on making offers, taking into consideration the property conditions
4. Build your negotiation skills with an increase knowledge of common environmental issues related to the property

3. Property Inspections
Property inspectors provide visual, non-invasive inspections.
Visual findings of environmental conditions can only be confirmed with scientific testing.
Remediation should only be performed by licensed, qualified or certified specialists.
Common sense should prevail when deciding whether to remediate or how to remediate. Ask your property inspector for recommendations.

4. To be discussed… Radon Asbestos Lead-based Paint Mold
Underground Storage Tanks (USTs)
Chinese Drywall
Urea Formaldehyde (UFFI)
Topics to be covered in this presentation.

5. Radon

6. Radon Radon is an odorless, tasteless invisible gas.
It is the 2nd leading cause of lung cancer in the US and Canada, next to cigarette smoke.
Radon comes from the ground and can be found in the air and water.

7. Radon Radon is produced by a natural breakdown in soil and rock.
It can be found in any home, school, office or public building.
Radon comes from the ground and can be found in the air and water.
People are at highest risk of long term exposure when radon is present in a home, as it is where people spend the most time.

8. Radon
The amount of radon present in the air is measured in picocuries per liter or “pCi/L”
There are two types of short-term testing methods:
Active
Passive
Review EPA zoning map. Red is highest concentration. Yellow is 2.0 or below
Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency

9. Radon Active Testing Method
Active devices are electric powered with continuous radon monitoring and continuous working-level monitoring. They:
Require operation by trained testers.
Provide a continuous report of present radon levels.
Reveal unusual or abnormal swings in radon levels during each test period.
Cost more than passive testing, but ensure a more reliable short- term test result.

10. Radon
This unit have built “tamper” sensors to detect if they were moved, etc.
These continuous monitors offer instant results that are available at the push of a button following the test period.

11. Radon Passive Testing Method
Passive devices do not require electric power. They could be:
Charcoal canisters
Alpha-track detectors
Charcoal liquid scintillation
Electret Ion Chambers (EIC)

12. Radon
The base of these units hold and electrical charge. This charge is measured before and after a test. The more the charge dropped during the test, the more radon in the air.
Canisters have E-perm results that can be calculated immediately upon the device’s retrieval following the test period. E-perm utilizes EIC technology.

13. Radon Testing Guidelines
The testing device should be placed at the lowest living area of the home.
The test period should be a minimum of 48 hours.
Ensure that the test is approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or your state’s requirements.

14. Radon
What level of radon is unsafe? When should you mitigate the radon level in a house?
The EPA Guidelines state:
With active (continuous monitoring) testing, at a level of 4.0 pCi/L or higher the EPA recommends installing a radon mitigation system
With passive (canisters) testing, average the results of two canisters or average results from back-to-back tests for accuracy, then mitigate if the results are 4.0 pCi/L or higher.
Discuss costs for mitigation systems. “Sub-slab” ventilation is the most common and easiest to install.

15. Radon
To choose a mitigation system, you and your radon mitigation contractor should consider many things:
How high your home’s radon level is in the key living areas
The cost of system installation
System operation costs
Your house size and its type of foundation
In most cases, a system with a vent pipe and fan is used to reduce radon.

16. Asbestos

17. Asbestos
Asbestos is a mineral that appears as a long, thin fiber in its environment.
Some careers with high asbestos- exposure rates are those that involve factory work, demolition insulation, shipbuilding, carpentry, installation of vehicle brake linings and more.
Mesothelioma is cancer of the lung’s linings, a major consequence of exposure to asbestos.
Asbestos refers to a naturally occurring family of minerals. “Chrysotile” is the biggest culprit. Discuss cancer related issues with asbestos. The only positive way to determine the presence of “Chrysotile” is by sending a sample to a lab.

18. Asbestos
Asbestos has been found in residential building products and components:
Insulation
Floor coverings
HVAC ductwork
Boiler piping
Ceiling tiles
Popcorn ceiling texture
Exterior siding & roof coverings
Discuss bullet points where asbestos-based products can be found in a residence.

19. Asbestos Friable Asbestos Loose and deteriorated
Can become airborne if disturbed
Considered highly unsafe in this condition and should be remediated immediately
Non-Friable Asbestos
Remains intact, sold and only becomes friable when continuously disturbed
Remediation is generally considered option in this condition

20. Asbestos In Insulation
Some vermiculite insulation may contain asbestos
Zonolite contains asbestos
In this example, the asbestos is friable if disturbed
Explain that not all vermiculite insulation contains asbestos. Samples must be submitted to a lab for results.

21. Asbestos In HVAC Ductwork
Installed on older “round” metal ductwork systems to help retain the heat and seal the seams
Has a white-ish, gray-ish color with a rough texture
Crysolite contains asbestos and is installed on furnace flue pipes

22. Asbestos In Boiler Piping Systems
Installed as an insulator to retain temperature
Friable in this example

23. Asbestos In Ceiling Tiles Some ceiling tiles may contain asbestos
Found in tiles placed up to the 1970s
Not friable in this condition unless removed or disturbed

24. Asbestos In Popcorn Ceiling Texture
Asbestos was used to create the clumpy, rough texture
Products were used through the 1970s
Not friable in this condition unless disturbed

25. Asbestos In Exterior Siding Often called slate-asbestos
Manufacture through the 1970s
12 inches wide, up to 4 feet long
4 x 8 foot sheets
Not friable in this condition as long as it’s not disturbed
May be sided over or must be removed when re-siding depending upon jurisdiction

26. Asbestos In Roof Coverings No longer being installed
If your property has a roof covering, it is likely very brittle
Inspectors cannot physically walk them during inspections
Jurisdictions vary for removal or covering over

27. Asbestos
Asbestos can be an issue inside OR outside the home, especially if it’s in friable condition.
It can be expensive to remediate.
It must be remediated by a certified professional.
Samples must be submitted to a certified lab for results of content.
Unprotected exposure can lead to health associated risks.

28. Lead-Based Paint

29. Lead-Based Paint
Most homes built before 1960 contain heavily leaded paint. Some homes built as recently as 1978 may also contain lead paint.
Used typically on baseboards and window trim but may also be on other surfaces.
Old lead-based paint is the most significant source of lead exposure in the US today.
Harmful exposures to lead can be created when lead-based paint is improperly removed from surfaces by dry scraping, sanding or open- flame burning.

30. Lead-Based Paint
Lead paint in good condition is usually not a problem except in places where painted surfaces rub against each other and create dust.
Leave lead-based paint undisturbed if it is in good condition; do not sand or burn off paint that may contain lead.

31. Lead-Based Paint
Individuals have been poisoned by scraping or sanding lead paint because these activities generate large amounts of lead dust.
Consult state health or housing department for suggestions on who can help test your home for lead paint.
Hire a professional with special training for lead-paint correcting.
Occupants should leave the building until all work is finished and the clean-up is complete.

32. Lead-Based Paint
Trained professionals use a range of methods when checking your home for lead-based paint, including:
Visual inspection of paint condition and its location
A portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF) machine
Lab tests of paint samples
Surface dust tests
Contact the National Lead Information Center (NLIC) for a list of contacts in your area.

33. Mold

34. Mold
Mold may begin growing indoors when mold spores land on surfaces that are wet or damp.
Mold can’t grow without water or moisture.
A lack of ventilation (air movement) can contribute to mold growth.
Molds have the potential to cause health problems.

35. Mold
To identify mold:
Sampling is unnecessary if visible mold is present, per the EPA.
There are no EPA or federal limits set for mold regulation so there is no way to check for compliance with federal standards.

36. Mold
When water leaks or spills, act quickly. If the wet components are dried hours after the leak or spill occurs, mold will not grow.
Mold can grow essentially anywhere. On the outside of a home it can grow on anything from lawn chairs to grass. It only takes water 48 hours for mold to grow.

37. Mold
Bathroom Tips:
Places often/always damp (such as bathrooms) can be hard to maintain completely free of mold.
Increasing ventilation (using an exhaust fan) and cleaning more frequently will usually prevent mold from recurring.

38. Mold
It’s impossible to get rid of ALL indoor mold. Some mold spores will always be found floating through the air in house dust.
A more realistic goal would be to minimize it as much as possible.
Remember these key principals of mold:
Mold spores will only grow if moisture is present
The key to mold control is moisture control: reduce overall moisture and increase ventilation

39. Mold
If you have mold:
Act as quickly as you can, as mold can damage anything it contacts.
Remove the mold and remedy its source of moisture.
If the moldy area is less than 10 sq. ft., almost anyone can handle the job. If the area is larger, hire a professional and follow EPA recommendations on its clean-up.

40. Mold
Certain housing components are fairly absorbent or porous and may be difficult or impossible to clean:
Carpet, ceiling tiles, fabrics
Wood components such as the wall or roof framing, floor and ceiling joists
Plaster materials, whether it be the old style plaster and lathe or more commonly used drywall or gypsum board
A professional remediator may be needed to evaluate, clean or replace such components

41. Underground Oil Storage Tanks

42. USTs
Can be buried outside next to the house. Look for the vent and fill pipe.

43. Underground Oil Storage Tanks (USTs)
What is an “abandoned” UST?
Many USTs are no longer used, rendered obsolete by piped-in natural gas or electric baseboard heat.
A UST that is no longer in use is considered “abandoned.”

44. Underground Oil Storage Tanks (USTs)
What should be done with an abandoned UST?
The Department of Ecology and many local fire departments recommend permanent closure for abandoned USTs. The process of permanently closing a tank is referred to as “decommissioning.”
A tank may be decommissioned by capping, filling it with an inert material such as slurry or foam, or by removing it from the ground.
Decommissioning also involves removing heating oil and sludge from the tank.
Each jurisdictions may have different requirements

45. Underground Oil Storage Tanks (USTs)
Why decommission an abandoned UST?
Abandoned USTs are a potential source of contamination of the soil and ground water and may pose a fire explosion hazard under certain conditions.
USTs can corrode and deteriorate.
They should be decommissioned whenever they’re no longer in use or whenever there are questions regarding their structural integrity.
Under the Mold Toxics Control Act, a tank owner may be held liable for contamination caused by a leak.
Many times the dank doesn’t become an issue until the home owner decides to sell their home and a buyer’s inspection is performed.

46. Underground Oil Storage Tanks (USTs)
If a UST has leaked, what should be done?
Certain states have reporting requirements based on the extent of contamination found.
Minor leaks or spills from residential heating oil tanks do not have to be reported because they affect only the soil near the tank.

47. Chinese Drywall

48. Chinese Drywall
Distinguished by: or

49. Chinese Drywall
Chinese drywall was introduced in the United States in approximately and actively used until 2007.
It’s been found throughout the US and Canada.
It contains high amounts of sulfur, which has the tendency to emit a rotten egg smell and turns copper components like wiring, plumbing and internal HVAC equipment black. This leads to the components’ corrosion.

50. Chinese Drywall
Studies show that is some Chinese drywall is found in a home, it doesn’t mean all ceilings and walls are covered with it.
Any home containing Chinese drywall could lead to a very expensive repair.
A general home inspection may not identify all present Chinese drywall, as inspections are “visual non-invasive assessments of readily accessible components.”
Once the house is completed, it is difficult to see the stamping on the backside of it’s drywall.

51. Urea Formaldehyde

52. Urea Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is an important chemical used to manufacture building materials and numerous household products.
Sources of Formaldehyde:
Pressed wood products (hardwood plywood wall paneling, particleboard, fiberboard)
Urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI)
During the 1970s, many homeowners had UFFI installed in the wall cavities of their homes as an energy conservation measure. However, many of these homes were found to have relatively high indoor concentrations of formaldehyde soon after the UFFI installation.

53. UFFI looks similar to today’s spray foam type of insulation.
Urea Formaldehyde
UFFI looks similar to today’s spray foam type of insulation.

54. Urea Formaldehyde Potential Health Effects:
Can cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes and throat, nausea and difficulty breathing when exposed at elevated levels.
High concentrations may trigger attacks in people with asthma.
Some people may develop a sensitivity to formaldehyde. It has also been shown to cause cancer in animals and may lead to cancer in humans.

55. Property Inspections & Environmental issues
Property inspectors provide visual inspections.
Visual findings of concerning environmental conditions can only be confirmed with scientific testing.
Remediation should only be performed by licensed, qualified, professional specialists.
Ask your property inspector for recommendations.

56. Congratulations on completing the course.