10 facts about secondhand smoke and pets

10 facts about secondhand smoke and pets

April 11, 2016

Having secondhand smoke and pets in the same space is harmful

We are publishing this article today, April 11th, because it is National Pet Day.

While the effects of secondhand smoke on humans is widely documented, secondhand smoke and pets can be equally dangerous.

1.  Your furry friends have lungs and respiratory systems too.

There are 4,000 chemicals in secondhand smoke, and over 50 are known to cause cancer.

Dogs that inhale secondhand smoke are three times more likely to develop cancer than dogs living in smoke-free homes.

2.  Secondhand smoke gets trapped in the fur of pets.

Humans wash their hands and bathe frequently which washes away the toxins on their skin.

How often is the secondhand smoke on pets washed away?

3.  Cats are more likely to get Feline Lymphoma in a smoker’s home.

Cats constantly lick themselves while grooming taking all the toxins into their mouths.

A survey at  Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine found that cats who lived with a smoker had between two and four times the chances of developing cancer.

 4.  Your pets live on the floor where third hand smoke is located.

Third hand smoke consists of the tobacco residue that is left behind after smoking and builds up on surfaces and furnishings.

Because cats and dogs are lower in height they are closer to the carpets and furniture that smoke becomes trapped in.

5.  The ASPCA says secondhand smoke and pets is no joke.

Any symptoms affecting your dog’s ability to breathe comfortably require veterinary diagnosis.

Avoid smoking around your pet and save money on your vet bills.

6.  Secondhand smoke can cause Canine Lung Cancer.

Because dogs have a shorter lifespan, a few years of exposure can equal half of their life.

Small dogs have small lung capacity and are more sensitive to smoke than their owners.

Some smokers avoid smoking around others without considering secondhand smoke and pets.

7. More medical concerns about secondhand smoke and pets

Secondhand smoke causes respiratory difficulties and breathing problems in pets such as asthma.

Nicotine from secondhand smoke can affect the nervous systems of cats and dogs.

8.  It is no surprise that the same smoke that is bad for you is bad for your pets.

Your pets share some common physiology with you, so things that are toxic to you are toxic to them.

In most households your dogs and cats can’t get away from the toxic air, it is the only air available to them.

9.  Ventilate your home to dilute the second hand smoke.

Ventilation is used to remove or dilute pollutants, improve Indoor Air Quality and control the humidity in buildings.

The E-Z Breathe Ventilation System is a maintenance free cost effective way to ventilate your home.

10. If you love animals and smoke around your pets, rethink what you are doing.

The best way to limit the danger of secondhand smoke and pets is to quit smoking now. Free help for quitting is here.

Designate a separate room in the house for smoking and keep the pets out.

By smoking outside only, you can minimize secondhand smoke exposure for your pets and family.

You’re losing money by not using NJ basement waterproofing

“We got less than the asking price before the home inspector mentioned the basement…”

You lose money not using NJ basement waterproofing

Your Home’s Resale Value:  The resale value of your home could be lower. Buyers expect a dry & healthy basement with no mold. The market can sometimes penalize you up to 10% of the resale price of your home. NJ basement waterproofing  will ad value to the home.
Real Estate Laws:  You can be sued after the sale about undisclosed water problems. You can put your house up for sale so long as you tell about the water problem. But, yet, the market will penalize you if you take this course. Get NJ basement waterproofing from A-1Basements.com of Scotch Plains.  You will get a life of house guarantee and more value for your home.
Delayed Sale:  In real estate a delayed sale usually is a lost sale. Don’t wait until the last minute to address your leaky basement. Hire A-1 Basement Solutions before the house is placed on the market.

Not having NJ basement waterproofing will cost you $$DOLLARS$$

A-1Basements.com increases the value of your home

• if it leaked before…it will again

• having a wet basement worries buyers www.zillow.com/Wet-Basements

• you will have to have it fixed sooner or later

• A-1 Basement Solutions are NJ basement waterproofing experts.  

• a house with a guaranteed dry & healthy basement is worth more nytimes.com/flooding-hurts-home-values

• with A-1 Basement Solutions you get a transferable Life-of-House Guarantee

• Attention NJ homeowners: get a free basement health inspection. call 908-322-1313

Mold effects on pets

The old lady, the cat and mold effects on pets

Fuzzy

Fuzzy the cat was sick. Fuzzy had been losing fur and was always scratching.  Then the vet decided to do allergy testing. Guess what happened next?

Why Mold Effects On Pets Should Be 1 of the 7 Deadly Sins

So once again I get a call to go to someone’s home to check for mold. As is my custom I like to sit down with the homeowner(s) first and have a conversation about their concerns. This was how I first started with one of the brightest and sweetest octogenarians I have ever known. I will call her Mary. Mary had no idea about mold effects on pets.
So, long story short, I was called because Fuzzy the cat was sick. The vet had prescribed medicines such as steroids but all to no avail. Fuzzy was allergic to mold.
Through a mutual acquaintance I was identified as the mold expert to call. So here are Mary and I sitting at the kitchen table talking with Fuzzy at my feet wanting to be petted. Mary explained that she had never been bothered by mold and didn’t understand why this was happening.

How Mold Effects On Pets are Like a School Bully

The mold effects on pets that Fuzzy felt was like he was being bullied and Mary didn’t know what was happening.
If your pet seems unhappy and scratching a lot it could be mold effects on pets. Have your  home tested for mold soon and your dog and/or cat might be on the mend.
When we went into the basement there was mold everywhere. Mary’s husband had died years earlier and her laundry was on the main floor so she ventured into the basement very infrequently. There was mold on the walls, floor, floor joists of the basement ceiling and on every single thing that was in the basement.
End of story: We fixed the water source which was causing the mold to grow, removed the entire contents of the basement, remediated the mold, and returned the cleaned items that were salvageable to the basement. Fuzzy is on the mend and Mary couldn’t be happier now that the mold effects on pets has been corrected.

3 causes of a Damp Basement in New Jersey

New Jersey damp basement  causes

  “Although we used a dehumidifier we kept getting mold in the basement. There was no sign of a leak or standing water.”

Number 1:     The basement is made of porous concrete

• A damp basement in New Jersey is most commonly caused by moisture migrating through a concrete foundation.
• The tar applied during construction has degraded and the foundation is no longer sealed.
• The un-sealed concrete starts to absorb the water.
• Another common cause is condensation on the cold concrete walls and floors during humid months.
• Water vapor molecules are smaller than water molecules.
• The water vapor comes right through the concrete and causes a damp basement.

Number 2:     A high water table causes a damp basement

• There may not be a sign of any leak or standing water, but the moisture evaporates, increasing indoor humidity.
  

  What causes a damp basement?
• The high water table is part of the earth and cannot be graded away.
• Because it rains over a wide area water table typically covers a wide area.
• High water tables are above the level of basement floors which cause a damp basement.
•  Some homes can bring as much as 20 gallons of water per week into the basement in the form of water vapor.

Number 3:     The basement is located below the frost line

• The frost line is the depth in the ground in which the water NEVER freezes.
• Because this seepage is constantly moving beneath the frost line, you should expect a damp basement year round.
• That means water can be present around the foundation in Winter.
• Dampness enters your basement through water vapor.
• Water vapor causes your basement to be  damp.

The damp basement causes unhealthy effects for your home

1. Dry-rot fungus
2. Pests
3. Mold
4. Rust
5. Poor Indoor Air Quality

5 Ways Basement Water Could Leave You Needing a Lawyer

“I bought a house 3 months ago. Since the first week I have had basement water leaking…

1. Lying about basement water on a seller’s disclosure form

Selling or buying a home in NJ? Learn about the NJ seller’s disclosure & basement water. These are normally made on a standard form listing types of possible physical or structural problems.

2.  Basement water often leads to unhealthy mold & mildew

• In October 2012 former Lakers coach Rudy Tomjanovich and his wife were ordered to pay $250,000 in punitive damages, on top of nearly $3 million in compensatory damages, to a money manager for selling him a Pacific Palisades home replete with water leaks and mold.
• This is a major dilemma that every homeowner faces when they find basement water and mold problems in the home they just bought.
• Basement water that causes mold is a problem especially when the seller may have misrepresented certain facts.

3.  Can I sue the previous homeowners for basement water leaking ?

• In most states, it’s illegal for a seller to fraudulently conceal a major or “material” physical defect in the property.
• Consult a local real estate attorney to review the specific facts.
• You may find this would be considered a latent defect and bring an action.
• But the big question here is, did the seller know about the leakage?

Determine if the sellers you purchased from received assistance from the neighbor to “deal” with the water issue and or if it was disclosed by the helpful neighbor to them that the prior owner had water issues.

4. Tenants can bring action for basement water damages

• When the tenant experiences basement water issues, it can end up in Landlord/Tenant , or possibly, Civil Court.
• Wanting to get out of lease because of basement water/mold issues the landlord is not addressing is common today.
• If mold is found the landlord is required to clean the mold and to also fix the condition that causes water to build up.

5. Basement water issues discovered during the sale of home

• When a house is under contract for sale, the buyer will usually retain the services of a home inspector.
• The home inspection is a comprehensive exam of the building from roof to basement and everything in between.
• Basement water issues that arise during home inspection usually result in a re-negotiation of the sale price.
• A delayed sale usually is a lost sale because buyers don’t want a house with basement water issues.

5 Things You Need to Know About Basement Flooding

If You Read One Article About Basement Flooding Read this One

“After the landscaper regraded our yard at a cost of over $5,000 we flooded again”

1. Basement flooding: is it caused by surface water or  by ground water?

The first thing you need to know is that it all starts with rain. Rain divides into to categories: surface water and ground water. Some rain lands on impermeable surfaces like roofs and driveways. Something that is impermeable does not allow water or liquid to pass through it and this is surface water. The rest of the rain lands on lawn or on the garden which are permeable and allow the water to pass though and become ground water.

2. A lot of ground water causes a high water table.

• 
• Most people know that the water table has something to do with ground water.
• The word table provides an image of a flat surface, like the surface of a tabletop.
• The water table is always there down below your basement and when it rises basement flooding occurs.
• After heavy rainfall or snow melt, and as the rainfall continues, the water table rises below your house and becomes a high water table.
• A high water table is common in areas where the soil is not well drained due to high levels of clay.

3. It doesn’t rain on your house alone.

• When the water table rises, it does not just rise at your house, because it did not rain on your house only.
• Because it rains over a wide area water table typically covers a wide area.
•  The rain usually falls over a wide area of many square miles so all this water goes into the earth at the same time.
• Water tables can become elevated and cause basement flooding when they receive more water than they drain off.
• This can be from unusually high amounts of rain, or excess water from higher elevations.

4.  You are powerless over the high water table.

• High water tables are often above the level of basement floors or crawlspaces.
•  When the water table rises up to the level of your basement there is nothing you can do to stop it.
• This almost always causes basement flooding in these areas.
• The next time you see a puddle in the yard after a 2 day soaking rain, remember the water table.
• It is very likely that the puddle is the top of the water table that has temporarily exceeded the grade of the yard.

5. Re-routing the surface water is good but it won’t stop the basement flooding water table.

• 
• Surface water can often be diverted away from your home by grading and extending out the leaders and downspouts.
• The ideal grading is a minimum 1″ per foot from the home for the first 10 feet and then a gradual decline of 1” per 10 feet is achieved.
• A few bags of topsoil  to pump up your flower beds and landscape beds adjacent to the house to make the slope as deep as possible.
• Properly cleaned &  maintained gutters and downspouts extending at least 10 feet from the home won’t prevent basement flooding, but it will help.