Apartments and Swimming Pools

TUI UNIVERSITY

Richard A. Murray

Module 4 Case Assignment
BHE 314
ENVIRONMENTAL HEATLH AND SAFETY

Professor: Dr. Rudolph Bustos

Apartments and Swimming Pools

As an environmental health inspector investigating a local low-income and poorly maintained apartment complex. There is lead based paint peeling on the walls and mold growing on the walls. There are many health hazards associated with these health hazards.

The hazards of mold is the possibility of respiratory damage. This is caused by the breathing of small spores from the mold and getting into the tenant’s lungs. Once in the lungs is can cause health problems such as asthma and increase allergies to dust and pollen when prior to the mold inhalation there were no issues with these allergens. Mold can be found and grow on wet or damp paper, dirt, wood and soap scum. Lead poses an even great threat to tenants’ child than mold, lead paint chips are often eaten by children and this can cause damage to the brains, kidneys, nervous and circulatory systems of children if they consume lead paint chips. Lead was used in houses built before 1978 and one of the bases of house paint back then.

To control these two public health hazards is simple and can be done by the landlord or even the tenants. To get rid of mold you have to do one of two things. The tenant or landlord can have the mold removed by removing the areas effected with mold. The other is more cost effective for tenants is disinfecting the areas with a combination of bleach and water for at least 15 minutes. But they have to ensure to dry the areas just cleaned with flowing air or a dehumidifier. The lead paint treatment will be a little more costly, but removing all the lead based paint in the apartment. Normally a quick fix would be to paint over the lead base paint until more funds are available to remove the paint once the tenant moves out and prior to re-renting the apartment again.

Another goal of being an environmental health inspector is checking the health of recreational swimming pools. There are two ways in which local swimming pools are cleaned. Ozonation and chlorination are the two methods in which pools are cleaned.

Ozonation is destroys bacteria and other microorganisms through infusion of gas produced by subjecting oxygen molecules to high electric voltage. Chlorination is the use of adding chlorine to water to disinfect it for