Another Atmospheric River Causes Widespread Flooding and Property Damage in California

LA Testing provides laboratory services, sampling supplies, test kits and building inspection tools to identify flood damage, mold and other indoor environmental quality concerns.

Huntington Beach, California, March 31, 2023 Yet another atmospheric river has inundated large parts of California that had already been repeatedly saturated this winter. Millions of Californians were under flood alerts this month as the 11th atmospheric river dumped a record amount of rain and mountain snow in areas of the Golden State. Once again, countless property owners, landlords, facility managers, and tenants have had to deal with homes, businesses, and schools damaged by floodwaters. As the process of cleaning up these.......[Read More] [All News]

EPA Reaches Settlements with Two California Companies for Alleged Lead-Based Paint Violations

LA Testing provides laboratory services, sampling supplies, test kits and personal protective equipment to identify and mitigate lead exposure risks to protect people and to help keep California companies in regulatory compliance.

Huntington Beach, California, March 30, 2023 Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it had finalized settlements with two California firms related to allegations that each violated federal laws that protect the public from lead-based paint hazards. The settlements, one with a construction firm and the other with a remodeling company, relate to renovation, repair and painting work at residential properties in Northern California. According to the announcement: In both cases, EPA claims that the firms.......[Read More] [All News]

Campus Building Temporarily Closed as SDSU Officials Investigate a Case of Legionnaires’ Disease

LA Testing offers PCR and traditional culturing methods to quickly and accurately identify the microbial pathogen that causes Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever from environmental samples.

Huntington Beach, California, March 28, 2023 Last month, officials from San Diego State University (SDSU) published a letter to students and staff announcing the temporary closure of the Exercise and Nutritional Sciences (ENS) building on campus. The closure was to allow SDSU’s Environmental and Safety staff to investigate a report of a campus community member who had been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease. According to the SDSU announcement: The campus community member is away from campus and recovering. At this time,.......[Read More] [All News]

World TB Day and Environmental Testing to Prevent New Cases of Tuberculosis in California

LA Testing offers laboratory services to identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis from environmental samples to help prevent new infections and support infection control programs.

Huntington Beach, California, March 23, 2023 The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reports there were 1,750 new cases of tuberculosis (TB) in the state as recently as 2021, a three percent increase compared to the year before. TB cases were recorded in 42 of California’s 61 local health jurisdictions and CDPH estimates that more than two million Californians have latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). TB is caused by a bacterium known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It typically attacks the lungs, but can also attack.......[Read More] [All News]

EPA Issues Emergency Order to Provide Safe Drinking Water at Mobile Home Park in California Due to High Arsenic Levels

LA Testing provides laboratory services to identify environmental exposure risks to arsenic and other hazards to protect the public and to help keep companies and utilities in regulatory compliance.

Huntington Beach, CA, March 20, 2023  Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an Emergency Administrative Order under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act to a mobile home park in California’s Coachella Valley. The mobile home park owners have been ordered to provide safe alternative drinking water to residents, address deficiencies with their arsenic reduction system and obtain a certified operator within one month.  The emergency order is part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to.......[Read More] [All News]

Lawsuit against Hotel Follows Outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease in Napa County

LA Testing offers PCR and traditional culturing methods to analyze environmental samples for the pathogen that causes Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever to help prevent infections.

Huntington Beach, CA, March 17, 2023  A lawsuit was recently filed against a hotel in Napa that was associated with an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in 2022 according to multiple media outlets. Last August, Napa County Public Health announced a sample taken from a cooling tower at the hotel preliminarily tested positive for high levels of Legionella, the bacteria the causes the disease. In that outbreak, at least twelve individuals were hospitalized and one tragically died.  Legionella is found naturally in the.......[Read More] [All News]

Changes to OSHA’s Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program and West Coast Testing Resources

LA Testing provides combustible dust testing services and air monitoring instruments to protect workers and communities, and to help keep companies in regulatory compliance.

Huntington Beach, CA, March 15, 2023  Back in 2007, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) initiated a Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program (NEP) after a number of combustible dust incidents that resulted in numerous fatalities and serious injuries. Since then, OSHA has conducted about 600 inspections annually under the Combustible Dust NEP.  In late January of this year, the agency issued a revised Combustible Dust NEP to continue OSHA inspections of facilities that generate or handle combustible dusts.......[Read More] [All News]

Multifamily Property Loan Applicants in California Learn of New Enhancements to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Radon Standards

LA Testing offers radon and other indoor environmental quality laboratory services, sampling supplies, test kits and monitoring instruments to identify potential exposure hazards in all types of properties.

Huntington Beach, CA, March 8, 2023  Earlier this year, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced enhancements to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) multifamily radon standards. The Enterprises’ aligned radon standards will require additional radon testing for multifamily properties with loan applications received after June 30, 2023.  According to FHFA, enhancements to radon standards will require testing at Enterprise-backed multifamily properties, regardless of where the property is located (subject.......[Read More] [All News]