The Home Environmental Sourcebook: 50 Environmental Hazards to Avoid When Buying, Selling, or Maintaining a Home

by Andrew N. Davis, Ph.D., Esq. and Paul E. Schaffman, P.E.; pub-lished by Owl Books, Henry Holt and Company, New York. 1996, paperback, 372 pages, $19.95.

This is a brilliant and much-needed book. It addresses 50 potential environmental hazards found either on-site (lead paint, biological con- taminants, buried heating oil storage tanks, and so forth) or off-site (hazardous waste facilities, industrial manufacturing plants, salt storage areas, etc.). With each of these, a quick summary of health and financial risks is provided using symbols—one, two, or three circled crosses and dollar signs. These are followed by eight sections: Background; Health Risks; Financial Risks; Managing the Risks; Regulatory Outlook; What to Look For; Where to Find Help and Further Information; and The Bottom Line. In general, we found these to be well-written, clear, concise, technically accurate, and remarkably balanced. Most sections are five or six pages in length.

While we disagreed with some of the material (we would not have given radon three crosses—the highest health risk category, for example), we found ourselves agreeing with most of the information. The financial discussions are particularly valuable. Most of the 50 hazards described affect the value of a house—whether contaminated well water or a nearby nuclear power plant. The authors explain what this financial impact might be and—where remedies are possible—the expected costs. The authors’ extensive legal and regulatory knowledge is obvious and much appreciated.

While designers and builders are not the primary intended audience for this book, an understanding of the impacts of the way we design and build, the products we use in our buildings, and

where we build will be useful to many in the building trades. It will be particularly valuable to those involved with renovation of older buildings. This is a book that

EBN staff are sure to refer to regularly.