Episode 658: Robert DeMalo, M. Sc. & Michael Menz, CIH, CHMM Unique Perspectives; Asbestos, COVID, Lead, Mold and More

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Show Discussion:

12:04:19 From Donald Weekes : What was the trivia question, Cliff?
12:04:54 From Jack Springston : looking to win another mug, don?
12:05:22 From Donald Weekes : Got quite a colleotion of mugs.
12:06:01 From cliff zlotnik : trivia: what do actors paul gleason and steve McQueen have in common?
12:06:14 From Jack Springston : mesothelioma
12:06:35 From cliff zlotnik : correct Jack !!!! please send your contact info
12:06:48 From Jack Springston : send it to don.
12:07:50 From Donald Weekes : Great job, Jack! Enjoy!
12:20:42 From John Long : they both died from mesothelioma cancer
12:21:29 From cliff zlotnik : answered at 12:06 by Jack Springston
12:21:30 From Donald Weekes : Should mention that John Tiffany, a colleague that many of us know, has mesothelioma as well. Please keep him in your thoughts.
12:23:09 From John Long : my Dad passed away from mesothelioma
12:33:51 From Donald Weekes : John Tiffany posted his condition on Facebook about a month ago. He thinks he was exposed prior to his consultancy. He may have been exposed in a factory in New Jersey when he was in his early twenties.
12:35:33 From Radio Joe : thanks don
12:45:25 From iPhone 12 pro max : My first project with mercury was in 2004 in Alaska
12:53:18 From Jack Springston : That's like letting the asbestos abatement company do their own clearance sampling!
12:53:57 From Donald Weekes : That NEVER happens, Jack!
12:55:15 From Jim Newman : One of the issues with schools is using portable units that can do more harm than good if theiy're not good ones or even if they are good ones thst hsve proper air cleaning technologies if they're put in the wrong places. The same problem is occurring in restaurants. It's all about proper, and enough, airflow.
12:58:47 From Jim Newman : LEED has some good points relative to IAQ but the WELL Standard goes far beyond LEED. It's a good one for people's health.
13:03:38 From Jim Newman : Lots of good info. Thanks

[CliffZ]

For those of you who do onsite sampling it is a great heads-up to know that the need for lead testing market is growing in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and elsewhere.

Along with our teacher, we played with mercury in grade school science class. I remember when I was a kid and went to the dentist to have a cavity filled, he gave me a little glass tube of mercury to take home and play with. My dentist used to mix the ingredients for silver fillings in his hand, he learned the method at University of Pittsburgh's dental school. He retired due to mercury poisoning. I was unaware of the mercury issue in rubber flooring and the depth and extent to which mercury vapor can penetrate.

Remember when CFL lightbulbs came out, and you would receive phone calls from panicked homeowners who had broken a bulb?

Very, very sorry to learn that John Tiffany has mesothelioma. John and Howard Baker were instructors at Sue Smith's Mid-Atlantic Environmental Hygiene Research Center in Philadelphia. Which was where I took my first Mold Course and met Phil Morey and many other luminaries. I was honored to be asked to be on the MEHRC faculty.

PCBs in burnt transformer and PCBs in window caulk. PCBs are the same and the risks are different. Risk and perceived risk.

Toss up question for you, very interested in your answers? How do you handle closed minded clients who make their own diagnosis as to what is causing their problem, its the chemicals?

Z-Man signing off

[RadioJoe]

Great to talk with Mike and Rob again. I met these gents over 10 years ago when they were both still at EMSL. Their knowledge of the IH and IEQ world brought some excellent tips to our audience. Asbestos and mold continue to be a large part of the IH and IEQ worlds income. It seems as though there may be some opportunities in the lead world I was not aware of. Regulatory driven work is always welcome and continues to be a big part of the industries future. The lead laws in Phil and now NJ could be a harbinger of things to come.

The mercury in rubber flooring issue still amazes me. Schools tend to get hammered with these types of costs and it has to eat into the funds needed to educate our children. Sometimes I just scratch my head and wonder where some of this stuff comes from.

Many thanks to Mike and Rob we were barely able to scratch the surface and look forward to continuing the conversation.