What`s an environmental inspection like? Not too unlike a physician paying an old-fashioned house call. On a recent morning, Lake Zurich inspector John W. Cox arrived at a pre-World War II Lincoln Park building to check the healthfulness of an apartment.
Casually dressed to poke around fireplaces, Cox toted his trusty Mary Poppins-style black bag from which he pulled tools to rival the best hardware store. Among them: a meter to check carbon monoxide levels, flexible mirror and flashlight to check the furnace for rust and cracks, a moisture meter to spot hidden water. Cox also looks for signs of water, molds and creepy-crawlies.
Little escaped his perusal. ”This is good,” he said, pointing to glasslike paint surfaces. ”A building this age used lead paint, but it`s well covered. The floors look fine. You can tell they`ve been refinished. If you had original dark varnish that bubbled, you might be concerned about exposed lead.”
Any asbestos or radon? the owners queried. ”I wouldn`t be concerned. Asbestos, if present, would be concealed inside walls. You wouldn`t test for radon since your apartment is above grade.”
A stroll through bathrooms proved satisfactory. Somewhat brown-looking water ran clean after a few seconds. ”That`s OK,” he said. ”It means there`s iron inside old pipes, but it won`t hurt you.”
”How often do you change filters?” Cox inquired after passing the return air vent. ”Dust can build and cut a system`s ability to filter air, which isn`t healthy.”
What about the growing number of kits to test a home`s health? the owners asked. Said Cox, ”Some are good to alert you to the need for further tests, some so-so and some poor indicators because they don`t give sufficient information.”
All in all, he gave the unit a thumbs up. ”The more someone cares about their house and views it as a home-not just four walls-the likelier it is that it will be a healthy place to live.”
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