As a home inspector you would like to think you are helping people who are making arguably one of the biggest purchases and investments in their life. Unfortunately you cannot protect people from themselves.
Case and point; A little while ago I was called by an Real Estate agent that I had never dealt with before to inspect a home for her clients. I went to the home, which was a sold below market value in my opinion, and met the purchaser and then started the inspection.
The basement bathroom had mould everywhere and the floor was a mess. The basement windows at the front of the house had 2 inches of water standing inside the thermal unit, and the upstairs walls were punky from previous water or moisture damage. There was no evidence of moisture in the upstairs walls even though they were punky when probed.
The home had a brand new roof, was a rental unit and the tenants had moved out and the owner apparently had listed the house without seeing it, as the story goes.
I verbally informed the client of the visible mould, water in the windows which I concluded had run down the walls from old roof, punky walls upstairs with some small visible traces of mould, plus walked with him and pointed out all these items.
Unfortunately the purchaser, without waiting or bothering to pick up report for two days, went ahead with the purchase. Report made note of mould in house four different times, pictures of mould, and recommendation to bring in a mould specialist to check upstairs walls for mould.
Results: Received call from purchasers wife, who was really upset, telling me that they had called in a ?cleaning company?, who pulled their walls apart and found mould, which they then had to bring in a ?mould removal company?, all this while they lived in a motel with their kids.
Talked to purchaser and he told me the Real Estate told him to contact the ?Home Inspector?, that there was nothing they could do for him. I offered to refund his fee as I offer a money-back guarantee, but he refused, saying, ? I was just a blue collar worker, like him and he wanted to go after the big companies.?
Below is another story from homeowners printed in Edmonton, Alberta.
Homeless Homeowners
Global Edmonton
Tuesday, August 01, 2006 Steve and Norma Dima shelled out $264,000 for their new home, but now they have nowhere to live. The Stony Plain couple is facing a fierce battle - taking on a toxic mould they discovered soon after they moved into their new home. Norma Dima says, "We've lost everything. We have nothing." The Dimas have now been forced to live under a tarp over a picnic table. Across the yard is the empty house they recently purchased. "It's the house of horrors." And they want to warn other home buyers, saying it pays to have a home inspected before moving in. "When Steve comes home with the van, we sleep in the back. We're trying to cope... we're trying to keep going." The Dimas didn't get a home inspection before buying the home. They moved in on the May long weekend. But soon after, the family started getting sick. That's when Capital Health found mould, and lots of it. Norma says they were told to "better get a home inspection, so we did that. That's when we found out we had 99.9% moisture in the house." Everything, even the dishes had to be left inside. Norma spends her days looking for a way out of this mess, and is trying to get their money back. Denis Noel, a real estate lawyer, says, "About the only remedy purchasers in a case like that would have is to sue the vendor." But that's only if they can prove the seller knew about the mould. Legally, any home health risk must be revealed to a buyer. It's a case of buyer beware, and Noel says about half of home buyers, still don't bother getting an inspection. "I think most people are not experts in house construction, and do not know what to look for. An expert inspector will certainly catch the most obvious things." That's why the Dimas are speaking out. They don't want any other family to have no place to go. Norma says, "Oh boy - be smarter than us. Be a lot smarter and get this home inspection. I don't care what the house is or where it is, but spend the $300, $400, or $500 and get this. That's the only safeguard you've got." Steve and Norma are now looking for an apartment to rent. They have two sons who are staying with a family member. Norma is also waiting to hear from her doctor, to find out if she's facing any long term health problems from the mould. Moral of the Story, you can protect people from some things, but you can't protect them from themselves.
There are researchers that have elaborated on the diseases caused by the chemical components of cosmetics and skin care products. Baillie- Hamilton an environmental health specialist at Sterling University in Scotland details how the toxins can cause problems as serious as immune system diseases, neurological disorders, hormonal imbalances, digestive disorders, hypersensitivity, cancer, obesity, child health problems and musculoskeletal disorders etc.
Pesticides are specifically identified as a cause of immune suppression across the world. Neurotoxins also contained in these products are a root cause of increased incidence of brain disease. Make up and body care products can even cause birth defect allergic reactions and cancer. It is owing to the fact that our body absorbs a significant amount of what we put on our skin. However what is dangerous is that there is no government regulation on this $35 million industry which regularly launches products that are potentially risky to the human body.
Following are some of the products that are known to have repercussions which can be fatal.
Skin Lightening Products- These products cropped up in the market owing to the popular belief that lighter and paler skin tones signify beauty. Melanin produced by melanocytes is scattered within the basal layer of the skin. This factor determines how dark a persons skin is, if the amount of melanin produced is more then it means that person will be of darker skin tone. It has another important function for the skin that is to protect it from the harmful ultra violet rays of the sun.
Working of the skin lightening product- Its contents- mercury or hydroquinone it works to reduce the production of melanin in the body thereby making the person appear fare.
The long term harm that these products cause is what is important to us. The melanin that is now produced in limiting quantities makes the skin vulnerable to skin cancer as the natural protection against UV rays is gone.
The next case that we will consider is of the side effects of acne cure products.
Acne is a very old problem and combating it has resulted in a struggle between the face and the products claiming to cure it available in the market. Acne is caused due to over production of oil in the glands of the body and the trapped bacteria are root causes of acne.
If we want to believe it or not most acne cure products have a lot of side effects. There is definitely a temporary cure of acne but the troubles that start after it range from diseases of liver, eyes and intestines. The chief cause is the drug accutane that although highly effective but can cause adverse effects on remission. So this problem although pertinent in adolescents should be handled with care. There are natural substitutes for these off the shelf solutions which could cause lasting damage.
According to a Cancer coalition press release in June 2000, typical cosmetics and individual sanitation products pose the maximum danger to cancer. As opposed to the companys claims of all natural ingredients a closer examination puts forward an altogether different scheme.
This is very harmful as discussed above as the body absorbs a significant amount of what is applied on the skin so when artificial ingredients are ingested, the body has to spend immense amount of essential energies in fighting off them to eradicate them from the body. It is the liver that takes the maximum brunt of disposing these toxins from the body. The liver is a very important part of the body and if it is damages then the body becomes weak and diseases of all kinds plague it. So it is best to be very attentive when you choose skin care products and its always beneficial to find a natural solution as opposed to a cosmetic one.
Both Inspector & Marcia Cox are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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