Environmental Testing near you

Which tests make sense depends on the age of the house, how it's heated, where its water comes from and what you plan to do with it. Some are specialized enough to have their own page here.

Before you open walls, pull up old flooring or replace attic insulation in an older home, find out whether the materials contain asbestos. Health Canada says asbestos-containing materials that are undisturbed and in good condition pose no significant health risk, and it recommends having a professional test before renovating or remodelling. Loose, pebbly vermiculite in an attic or wall cavity is a frequent find, and Health Canada notes that it may contain asbestos.

Only laboratory analysis confirms asbestos, and taking a sample means breaking into the material, so this isn't a do-it-yourself job. A tester should sample each distinct material, seal each sampling point and hand you results tied to specific locations, which any contractor will need to scope the work. If removal turns out to be necessary, our asbestos removal page covers it.

According to Health Canada, lead-based paint is probably present in homes built before 1960, and houses built from 1960 to 1990 may have it on exterior surfaces. The danger lies in dust and fumes: Health Canada advises against sanding, heat guns and torches on lead-based paint, and lead dust is especially harmful to infants and young children. Testing tells you whether ordinary painting precautions are enough or whether the job calls for lead-safe methods.

Many older houses were once heated with oil, and the tank may still sit in the basement, beside the house or underground, sometimes long after a switch to gas or a heat pump. In Ontario, fuel oil tanks fall under the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA). TSSA states that Ontario regulations require an unused underground storage tank to be removed, that only a TSSA-registered petroleum contractor may remove an underground or buried fuel oil tank, and that owners of underground tanks are responsible for maintaining, upgrading and removing them and for cleaning up contamination. A tank can be left in the ground only if TSSA grants a variance, which requires an environmental assessment report.

For aboveground tanks, TSSA says there's no age at which an approved tank must be replaced as long as it isn't leaking. Insurers may take a stricter view: many ask about a tank's age, condition and location, and some set conditions before they'll cover the home, so call yours early in a purchase. An old fill or vent pipe on an exterior wall is a common clue to a forgotten tank, and an environmental consultant can search the property and sample the soil if a leak is suspected. Outside Ontario, ask your provincial fuel safety or environment authority.

Urea formaldehyde foam insulation was foamed into the wall cavities of existing houses as a retrofit, and NRCan notes that it was prohibited in Canada in 1980. It still turns up in some older homes, and a mention of it in an inspection report can raise questions during a sale.

A suspicion isn't proof. An assessor can confirm the material where walls are already open or at a small inspection point, and can measure formaldehyde in the air if occupants have concerns. Plan any new insulation work around the result, and keep the report with your house records, since documentation of what was found and done helps when you eventually sell.

A result is only as good as the way the sample was taken and the lab that analyzed it. A careful consultant plans the sampling around your question, collects samples with clean tools, labels each one with its location and sends them to a laboratory accredited for that type of analysis, with paperwork that tracks each sample from your house to the lab.

A home inspector looks at the whole house and can point out suspect materials, an oil fill pipe or a private well, but a visual inspection can't tell you what's in a material, the soil or the water. Environmental testing answers those narrower questions. The two work best together: the inspection finds the clues and targeted tests confirm them before your conditions expire. Our home inspectors page covers the general inspection.

Timing is the challenge. Laboratory results take time and a radon test runs for months, so book testing as soon as an offer is accepted and write conditions with enough room. Where a test can't fit, ask the seller for past reports, tank removal records or water results, and weigh the unknowns in your offer.