Mold Inspection near Los Angeles, California

Historical Air Quality Data for Los Angeles, California

Data type	Trend sites	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	All sites active in 2009	2009 using all sites
AQI > 100 PM2.5*	8	41	57	47	35	30	22	11	25	8	7	25	14
AQI > 100†	51	119	131	110	120	106	65	63	60	68	54	165	101
CO	11	5.8	4.3	4.1	3.9	3.3	3.0	2.9	2.5	2.3	2.2
O3	12	.084	.080	.083	.091	.084	.079	.085	.081	.084	.081
PM2.5	8	20.1	21.3	20.6	18.7	17.1	15.7	14.4	14.8	13.6	13.0
PM10	4	83.5	83.3	68.3	75.3	70.3	68.3	63.8	75.4	62.5	64.8
SO2	4	.0019	.0021	.0023	.0021	.0031	.0020	.0017	.0017	.0015	.0012
* Number of days with Air Quality Index values greater than 100 at trend sites: PM2.5 only † Number of days with Air Quality Index values greater than 100 at trend sites

State of California - Department of Consumer Affairs

Conditions that make a rental unit legally uninhabitable:

There are many kinds of defects that could make a rental unit unlivable. the implied warranty of habitability requires landlords to maintain their rental units in a condition fit for the “occupation of human beings.”

In addition, the rental unit must “substantially comply” with building and housing code standards that materially affect tenants’ health and safety.

A rental unit may be considered uninhabitable (unlivable) if it contains a lead hazard that endangers the occupants or the public, or is a substandard building because, for example, a structural hazard, inadequate sanitation, or a nuisance endangers the health, life, safety, property, or welfare of the occupants or the public.

…

The implied warranty of habitability is not violated merely because the rental unit is not in perfect, aesthetically pleasing condition. Nor is the implied warranty of habitability violated if  there are minor housing code violations, which, standing alone, do not affect habitability.

While it is the landlord’s responsibility to install and maintain the inside wiring for  fixtures properly. (examples of improper use one telephone jack, it is unclear whether the landlord’s failure to do so is a breach of the implied warranty of habitability.  An authoritative reference book suggests two additional ways in which the implied warranty of habitability may be violated. The first is the presence of mold conditions in the rental unit that affect the livability of the unit or the health and safety of tenants

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CALIFORNIA CODE OF REGULATIONS

TITLE 8:  Chapter 4, Subchapter 7, Article 9, Section 3362

of the General Industry Safety Orders

General Sanitation Requirements for Mold

SUMMARY

This proposal was developed by the Division of Occupational Safety and Health staff (Division) in response to a recommendation made by the Hazard Evaluation System and Information Service (HESIS).  HESIS is a state program sponsored jointly by the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and the Department of Health Services (DHS) with the mandate of evaluating occupational health issues and providing information and assistance to both Departments.  The proposal amends the general requirements of the standard to establish unequivocally that mold and mold-infested materials are an unsanitary workplace condition that the employer must clean or remove.  In some instances, these conditions may have been allowed to persist because of a lack of awareness of the potential hazards, and inconsistent interpretation of the standard.  This proposal will enhance the Division’s ability to require employers to correct these unsanitary workplace conditions.

The existing California standard has a Federal equivalent, 29 CFR 1910.141(a)(4)(ii).  Neither the California nor the Federal standard currently contains a specific reference to mold or fungus. 

Mold is a generic term for the types of fungus that can grow on structural surfaces or within organic materials generally in the presence of moisture, and includes mildew.  Molds can present two types of problems in the working environment.  First, employees exposed to airborne mold spores or mycotoxins may suffer a variety of adverse health effects of increasing severity ranging from relatively mild allergic reactions similar to hay fever, aggravation of asthma, and in rare cases, hypersensitivity reactions or an invasive infection by some mold species.  The likelihood of lost work time for employees increases with the degree of infestation of the work environment by molds.  Secondly, if mold colonization is not curtailed by cleaning in its early stages, heavy infestations can physically damage the substrates they infest such as carpeting, walls, and other structural components of a building.  This damage would entail not only material replacement costs, but could require remediation procedures which are conducted in a manner similar to lead or asbestos removal and are more costly than standard construction procedures.  It is anticipated that an employer who removes mold as part of the building maintenance procedures will minimize the occurrence of these types of problems.

The presence of molds in California workplaces is generally reported as a subset of indoor air quality complaints by the public agencies that evaluate the problem and current estimates by the agencies that respond to such complaints.  Federal OSHA, in their 1994 Indoor Air Quality (IAQ); Proposed Rule, estimates that 30 percent of non-residential buildings have some type of indoor air quality problem.  The DHS, Environmental Health Investigations Branch, in their report, “Fungi & Indoor Air Quality,” cites an approximation that 40 percent of these indoor air problems are due to microorganisms.  This provides an estimate of 12% of workplaces in California to be affected.  The DHS report notes that IAQ assessments had focused primarily on the chemical composition of indoor air until there was more recognition by researchers that molds produce toxins in their spores that produce a variety of health effects.  The Division has responded to complaints from a variety of work environments, but the majority have been in public schools where administrators and staff are very aware of mold related problems.  The California Research Bureau, in a report assessing the effect of molds on indoor air quality for Assemblymember Alan Lowenthal, concludes that,

“All molds under proper conditions and concentrations are capable of adversely affecting human health.  Therefore, it is clear, that reduction and prevention of mold exposure is needed to decrease the risk of damage to human health.”

Currently, the use of the regulation to address the problems related to the presence of mold has had mixed results.  Some employers, especially in the case of public schools, already accept that mold is an unsanitary condition and have either taken corrective measures before the inspection was initiated or readily complied with abating the cited condition.  In other cases, the Division has had to enlist the assistance of DHS, and issue special orders to establish that an employer needed to clean surface mold and remove heavily infested materials.  The Division has concluded that this inconsistent ability to apply the standard should be rectified by this proposal.

 

SPECIFIC PURPOSE AND FACTUAL BASIS OF PROPOSED ACTION

This proposal is intended to establish that all employers must treat the presence of mold as an unsanitary condition and take corrective actions that will prevent or minimize the occurrence of adverse health effects and the collateral benefit of reducing damage to the structure and contents of the affected work site.

Amended subsection (a) is proposed to require an employer to clean (or have cleaned) mold from interior surfaces and building components or remove materials that are too heavily infested to clean.  The revision is necessary to clearly establish in the regulation that mold is one type of unsanitary condition.  This revision does not require the employer to conduct any sampling of the air or the mold itself to identify the type of mold that is present.  It is currently difficult and costly to conduct meaningful sampling to identify molds or the toxins that they produce.  This type of information would only be useful in the rare instance where an occupant of the site has been infected by a species of mold or is suffering from a hypersensitivity reaction and requires medical treatment.   

The proposal is necessary to clarify the existing intent of the regulation so that employers understand that visible mold or mold-infested building components are a type of unsanitary condition covered by the regulation.

U.S. EPA announces first results from air toxics monitoring at Southern California schools

Release date: 10/01/2009

Contact Information: Jim Vreeland, (415) 947-4298, vreeland.jim@epa.gov

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 announced today that the first set of results from recent air monitoring studies at three Southern California schools are now available and have been posted on the agency’s website. These schools were selected as part of the EPA's national Schools Air Toxics Initiative. The initiative, which is monitoring 63 schools in 22 states, is designed to help EPA and the states learn whether long-term exposure to toxics in the outdoor air poses health concerns for children and staff at the schools.

The three Southern California schools are: Felton Elementary School (Lennox); Santa Anita Christian Academy (El Monte); and Soto Street Elementary School (LA). EPA has been monitoring the air at these schools since early August for several air toxics, most of which are associated with mobile sources (cars, trucks, and airplanes). EPA has also been monitoring the air at Stevens Creek Elementary School (Cupertino) for hexavalent chromium, and has been releasing results for that location since early August. Data are posted at http://www.epa.gov/schoolair/. Additional information on the schools is available at http://www.epa.gov/region09/air/schools-monitor/.

Outdoor air at each of the schools will be monitored for 60 days, and air quality monitors will take a minimum of 10 daily samples during the sampling period. EPA will use the information gathered in this initial stage of the initiative to help determine next steps, which could include additional monitoring where appropriate.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RESULTS

The first results available for the three Southern California schools show that levels of air toxics are below levels of short-term concern. EPA scientists warn against drawing conclusions at this point as the study is designed to determine whether long-term, not short-term, exposure poses health risks to school children and staff. Once monitoring is complete, the full set of results from all of the schools will be analyzed to evaluate the potential for health concerns related to long-term exposure to these pollutants. EPA will post this analysis to the Web once it is complete. 

ACROLEIN RESULTS NATIONWIDE

While monitoring is not complete at most schools, including these three Southern California schools, EPA is providing early information about acrolein, a widespread pollutant that can irritate the eyes, nose and throat. Acrolein primarily enters the air when things burn. There are many sources of acrolein, including fires; exhaust from cars, trucks, boats, planes, wood heating; and industrial boilers. Acrolein is also found in cigarette smoke and smoke from cooking animal fats. Preliminary results from the 40 schools that are monitoring for acrolein are similar to levels from airtoxics monitors in other areas of the country. EPA anticipates that long-term levels of acrolein are likely to be elevated at most of the schools. 
 
EPA has been regulating the emissions of acrolein from industrial facilities and vehicles since 1990. The agency already has seen reductions in acrolein emissions and expects to see more reductions in the future as rules such as the mobile source air toxics and heavy duty highway vehicle rules are phased in.

EPA plans to continue monitoring for acrolein at various locations across the country. This information will help us as we look for other ways to reduce acrolein emissions.

More information on acrolein and the School Monitoring Initiative is available on EPA’s website athttp://www.epa.gov/schoolair/.

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Four California Schools Named EPA Priority for Monitoring Toxic Outdoor Air Pollution / 62 schools in 28 states selected in national initiative

Release date: 03/31/2009

Contact Information: Margot Perez-Sullivan, 415.947.4149 

SAN FRANCISCO – In an unprecedented effort to help protect children from toxic air pollution around schools, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced that four California schools will be among the schools that will undergo outdoor air monitoring.
The four Calif. schools are Felton Elementary in Lennox, Santa Anita Christian Academy in El Monte, Soto Street Elementary in Los Angeles and Stevens Creek Elementary in Cupertino. 

“As a mother, I understand that concerned parents deserve this information as quickly as we can gather and analyze it,” said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. “EPA, state, and local officials are mobilizing to determine where elevated levels of toxics pose a threat, so that we can take swift action to protect our children at their schools.” 

EPA, state and local agencies will work together to monitor air toxics around 62 schools in 22 states that are located near large industrial facilities or in urban areas. EPA identified these schools for monitoring based on information that raised questions about air quality. That information included the best data available to EPA scientists about air pollution in the vicinity of schools, results of a computer modeling analysis, results from a recent newspaper analysis, and information from state and local air agencies. 

Depending on the availability of staff and equipment, monitoring at some schools on the list will begin almost immediately; other schools will begin monitoring over the next 60 to 90 days. State and local air agencies will install and operate the monitors, while EPA will purchase the monitors and pay for laboratory analysis. 

State and local agencies will take periodic samples of the air around the schools for a 60 day period. EPA will analyze the results of the monitoring and share the information with the schools and the public. EPA will use the information gathered in this initiative to determine how best to move forward which could require additional monitoring or enforcement action where appropriate. 

EPA and states will work with school communities to ensure they understand the monitoring results. In addition to monitoring the outdoor air quality, EPA also will help interested schools improve the quality of their indoor air. 

More information on the monitoring initiative: http://www.epa.gov/schoolair

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U.S. EPA settles with So Cal oil company for $30,000 for air violations

Release date: 01/16/2007

Contact Information: Francisco Arcaute, (213) 244-1815, Cell: (213) 798-1404

(01/16/07) LOS ANGELES - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has settled with Long Beach, Calif.-based Edgington Oil Company, LLC for $30,000 for its alleged failure to monitor and report excess emissions at its petroleum refinery in Long Beach, as required by the Clean Air Act.

Located at 2400 E. Artesia Boulevard in Long Beach, Edgington produces fuels, paving asphalt, and other petroleum-based products.
 
“We trust that Edgington Oil Company, LLC, will follow EPA regulations and comply with the Clean Air Act,” said Deborah Jordan, Director of the Air Division of EPA, Region 9. “The EPA is a firm believer in protecting clean air without sacrificing jobs and economic productivity.” 

Edgington allegedly failed to operate a continuous monitoring device for sulfur dioxide or hydrogen sulfide for a fuel gas combustion device at its Long Beach refinery between October 2001 and February 2004, and also failed to submit semi-annual excess emission reports for the same device to the EPA from January 2002 through January 2005.

High levels of hydrogen sulfide gas can cause death. Longer-term exposure at lower levels can cause eye irritation, headache, and fatigue. Exposure to high levels of sulfur dioxide can be life threatening; symptoms include burning of the nose and throat and respiratory difficulties.

Edgington has since received an EPA approval for an alternate monitoring system for hydrogen sulfide for the fuel gas combustion device and has filed the required excess emission reports since January 2005. 

For more information on the Clear Air Act, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region09/air/aboutus.html