2000 Inspection Industry
Advisory
Report Archives
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Inspection Industry Updates
December 2000
GE Offers Repairs, Rebates For Faulty Dishwashers
In cooperation with the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), General Electric Appliances Co.,
of Louisville, Ky., is voluntarily offering a free repair option in the form
of a rewiring for its recalled GE and Hotpoint dishwashers.
Full
Story>>
Pesticide Phase-Out To Begin in March 2001
The EPA announced an agreement on
December 4, 2000 to phase-out diazinon, one of the most widely used
pesticides in the United States, for indoor uses, beginning in March 2001,
and for all lawn, garden and turf uses by December 2003.
Full
Story>>
$2 Billion?...They're Only Termites!!
With all of the havoc that fires,
storms and earthquakes wreak, it's the quiet, near-invisible termite that
causes more damage to homes than all these natural disasters combined. But
two-thirds of respondents to a recent survey don't even realize it.
Full
Story>>
Recessed Lights Recalled
In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Cooper Lighting, of Elk Grove Village,
Ill., is recalling about 34,000 recessed lights. The glass ring exterior
portion or trim of these lights can fall from the fixture, posing a risk of
lacerations and impact injuries.
Full
Story>>
Sink or Tub Drain Smell Like a Sewer?
With the holidays just around the
corner, you're likely to have company drop by your home, perhaps even a few
surprise guests. Will your friends and relatives be overcome with
offensive odors emanating from your sink or drain?
Full
Story>>
November 2000
Warning Issued on Gas Connectors
Be on the lookout for older gas
connectors that continue to compromise the safety of consumers nationwide. U.S.
Inspect consultants have come across several homes that have uncoated, brass
gas connectors that potentially fit the description of the U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) warning issued in 1996.
Full
Story>>
Window Blinds Recalled to Help Protect Children
To
prevent the risk of strangulation to young children,
millions of window blinds are being recalled by the
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Window Covering
Safety Council. The recall involves millions of window blinds with pull
cords and inner cords that can form a loop and cause strangulation. About 85
million window blinds are sold each year.
Full Story>>
'Tis the Season for Furnace Inspections
As we enter the home heating season, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) urges
consumers to have a professional inspection of all fuel-burning appliances
including furnaces, stoves, fireplaces, clothes dryers and space heaters to
detect deadly carbon monoxide (CO) leaks.
Full
Story>>
What To Do About Spalling
Spalling. Most people have never
heard of it before. But there's a good chance that you've witnessed it on
your home or on someone else's home.
Full
Story>>
October 2000
Defective Furnaces Pose Fire Threat
As many as 30 fires and damage to homes have been attributed to
defective furnaces. The U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission (CPSC)
is warning consumers in California that certain gas-fired horizontal
forced-air furnaces present a substantial risk of fire.
Full Story
>>>
Builder Sued Over Stucco
One of the country's most reputable
builders has been found guilty of fraud against one family in Virginia for
coating their home with an EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish System) synthetic stucco rather than real
(conventional) stucco, as
planned. There are at least two dozen similar suits pending against
the builder.
Full Story
>>>
Termites Find New Bio-Pesticide Tough To
Swallow
Subterranean termites commonly found
in the southwestern United States may now soon have a new bio-pesticide to
fear, thanks to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Full Story
>>>
Are You Feeling Well Contaminated?
With reports of 95 percent of
America's rural residents relying on ground water for their drinking water
and farmstead needs, the importance placed on the condition of wells is
tremendous. Sure, we've all heard about well contamination. But
what exactly is it? And what's the solution?
Full Story
>>>
September 2000
Home Insulation Deemed a Serious Health Threat
Insulation commonly found in homes may pose a
serious health risk to millions of residents nationwide.
Full Story
>>>
Vent Pipe Recall Resurfaces
In case you've missed the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC)
recall of about 250,000 pipe systems in consumers' homes back in 1998, you
may want to read on. U.S. Inspect consultants continue to find the
recalled pipe systems in residential homes.
Full Story
>>>
Homes Tested For Mercury Contamination
Approximately 200,000 homes in Chicago, Illinois will be tested for
Mercury contamination. Mercury may have been spilled or leaked inside
residential homes when old regulators were removed from gas meters.
Full Story
>>>
What's the Hype About EMF?
Over the past 20 years, much attention has been given to the possibility
of adverse effects resulting from exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF)
arising from electric distribution lines and electronic devices. In
particular, homeowners and home buyers have raised concern with the
extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields arising from power
lines.
Full Story
>>>
August 2000
Study Emphasizes Home Radon Hazard
People exposed to radon in their homes are at a greater risk of
developing lung cancer than earlier research predicted, reported a
University of Iowa study.
Full Story
>>>
Decaying Septic Systems Pose Serious Health Threat
Nearly 70 percent of the septic systems in some Indiana counties have
decayed to the point of failure, posing a serious health concern to
thousands of residents. Septic system decay is a problem not unique to
Indiana, but is commonly encountered in many regions throughout the United
States.
Full Story
>>>
Protect Your Home From Fire and Flood
Fire season has barely begun and firefighters have already engaged
hundreds of fires across the West, in what may become one of the worst fire
seasons in history. And with flood season around the corner, you may
want to take note of some tips to keep your home safe from Mother Nature.
Full Story
>>>
July 2000
Class Action Siding Settlement Proposed
Weyerhaeuser Company has agreed to take an after-tax charge of $82
million to cover the cost of a nationwide hardboard siding class action
lawsuit and related claims. The settlement is subject to court
approval and other conditions in the agreement.
Full Story
>>>
EIFS Lawsuits Continue to Climb
Litigation continues to mount against the leading EIFS (Exterior
Insulation and Finish Systems) manufacturers, only this time commercial
giant McDonald's Corporation is stepping forward.
Full Story
>>>
New Safety Standards Save Lives
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced new safety
standards for window guards that will help protect children from falling out
of windows. Industry standards ensure that guards are strong enough to
prevent falls and that those for single family homes and the lower floors of
apartment buildings can be opened easily for escape in the event of a fire.
Full Story
>>>
June 2000
Smoke Alarms Recalled
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
and Universal Security Instruments, Inc. are voluntarily recalling about
34,000 smoke alarms that can fail to alarm when smoke or fire is present. A
capacitor in the alarm can burn out, releasing smoke and melting the cover.
Full Story
>>>
Barrier EIFS Banned in Chicago
Chicago is the first major city to officially
place a ban on artificial stucco. The ban was placed on barrier-type EIFS
(Exterior Insulating and Finishing System), which is an exterior cladding
found on many residential homes.
Full Story
>>>
Pesticide Banned by EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
has banned most home uses of chlorpyrifos, commonly referred to as Dursban,
Lorsban and other trade names. Chlorpyrifos is one of the United States'
most widely-used insecticides in and around the home.
Full Story
>>>
Arsenic Levels in Drinking Water To Be Reduced
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
is proposing to reduce the current arsenic standard from 50 parts per
billion (ppb) to 5 ppb in drinking water. The proposal would provide
additional protection to at least 22.5 million Americans from cancer and
other health problems.
Full Story
>>>
May 2000
Home Sick Home
How's the air at home? If you're like most
people, your eyebrows raised and you find this to be an obscure question.
But you might just want to take a little time to learn more about the air
quality in your home. Besides, wouldn't you want to reduce the risk of
allergic reactions, chronic bronchitis, nausea, headaches, fatigue and
breathing problems, not to mention minimize the chance of slow or sudden
toxic gas poisoning?
Full Story
>>>
Underground Storage Tank Testing Fraud: Indictments
Handed Out
Ten individuals from seven states were
indicted on a charge of conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud in
connection with the testing of underground storage tanks (USTs).
Full Story
>>>
Drinking Water Well Contaminant To Be Phased Out
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
announced that it will phase out the use of gasoline additive methyl
tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) over the next three years. Reports indicate that
MTBE may have contaminated as many as 9,000 community wells in 31 states in
the U.S.
Full Story >>>
Read All About It: Pools, Hot Tubs, Energy
Conservation and More!
Everything you ever wanted to know about your
pool, hot tub and conserving energy in your home is just one click away--new
technical information has been added to the House Facts section of the U.S.
Inspect Web site.
Full Story >>>
April 2000
Lead Paint Companies Sued
California's Santa Clara County filed suit
against eight of the countries largest paint companies for intentionally
concealing the health hazards of lead paint.
Full Story
>>>
Termites Cause More Than $1 Billion in Damage
An estimated $1.17 billion in damage is caused
by termites each year, according to a Texas A&M University study.
Full Story
>>>
Wells Contaminated by MTBE Gas Additive
As many as one-third of the United States'
drinking water wells may be contaminated with the gasoline additive methyl
tertiary butyl ether (MTBE).
Full Story >>>
Read All About It: Air conditioning, Roofs and
More!
Everything you ever wanted to know about air
conditioning and roofs is just one click away--new technical information has
been added to the House Facts section of the U.S. Inspect Web site.
Full Story >>>
March 2000
Wet Basements Linked to Toxic Mold
Concerned about your wet basement? You ought
to be. A toxic mold has been attributed to nine infant deaths in Cleveland,
Ohio. The fungi Stachybotrys atra (S. atra), which are found in wet
buildings, have been identified as being responsible for these deaths and
serious health problems in other areas of the U.S.
Full Story
>>>
Ceiling Light Fixtures Recalled
Approximately 126,000 ceiling-mounted light
fixtures have been voluntarily recalled by TSI Prime, Inc. and the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The light fixtures can short
circuit and pose a fire hazard to consumers.
Full
Story >>>
Storm Doors Recalled
New Cole Sewell Corp. and the U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are recalling about 23,000 storm doors
nationwide. These doors have been manufactured without retaining pins in the
upper windows and, consequently, the windows could fall out and injure those
nearby.
Full Story
>>>
Read All About It: Home Interiors,
Garages, and More!
Everything you ever wanted to know about home
interiors and garages is just one click away--new technical information has
been added to the House Facts section of the U.S. Inspect Web site.
Full Story >>>
February 2000
Newly Constructed Homes To Require Fire Protection
Device
A new electrical safety device for homes,
called an arc fault circuit interrupter or AFCI, is expected to provide
enhanced protection from fires resulting from unsafe home wiring conditions.
Full Story >>>
New Home Sales Hit Record in 1999
Sales of new single-family homes reached a record high 904,000 units in 1999
as good weather conditions contributed to a year-end boost in December,
according to the Commerce Department's report on February 2, 2000.
Full
Story >>>
Property Values Dive As Noise Levels
Rise
A study on the effect that noise levels near
airports have on property values reveals that as noise levels increase,
property values tend to decrease.
Full Story >>>
Read All About It: Crawlspaces,
Exterior Grading and More!
Everything you ever wanted to know about
crawlspaces and exterior grading/water control is just one click away--new
technical information has been added to the House Facts section of the U.S.
Inspect Web site.
Full Story >>>
January 2000
Inspector Licenses Required in Massachusetts
Home inspectors in the state of Massachusetts
who wish to continue performing home inspections in the state must obtain
home inspection licenses by May 1, 2001.
Full Story
>>>
Roofing Class Action Settlement Reached
Weyerhaeuser Company Limited has settled on a
$105 million class action lawsuit that involves faulty roofing shakes
manufactured by its subsidiary, American Cemwood.
Full Story
>>>
Portable Generators May Be Recalled
Approximately 295,000 portable generators sold
in the United States are being investigated by the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission and DeVilbiss Air Power Company. Faulty gasoline tanks on
certain models of the DeVilbiss generators that were sold between February
1996 and June 1999 may pose a serious fire hazard to consumers.
Full Story
>>>
Read All About It: PB Plumbing, Smoke Detectors and
More!
Everything you ever wanted to know about
polybutylene (PB) plumbing and smoke detectors is just one click away--new
technical information has been added to the House Facts section of the U.S.
Inspect Web site.
Full Story >>>
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