A  Conversation with

I used to be an engineer, an aerospace engineer at Motorola in Phoenix, Arizona. My mind is very analytical and well-suited for solving problems but I didn’t like the corporate environment or the heat in Phoenix. So after 10 years I moved to Prescott a few hours north. I had no idea what I was going to do for work there. I started to do simple repairs jobs for a local property management company which led to full-time work as a handyman. That was a very toxic job. I would do just about anything that was needed I would go into crawlspaces to repair plumbing leaks and see mold. I would go into attics and wonder about asbestos and fiberglass. I would come home covered with paint. It might seem obvious that this was not healthy. But most of us take our health for granted and don’t realize how harmful things can be. My partner at the time had done work with the famous Dr. Hilda Clark, who helps people heal from cancer. She would point out to me the significance of my exposure with tid-bits like, “did you know that the chemicals in paint are absorbed through your skin on contact?” I still wasn’t too worried but I started to do research on how I could use less toxic materials. I also stated studying how to test for various things and how to remediate things such as mold. During this time I had people who were clients of my handyman service that found my studies useful. For example when I was in the crawlspace fixing the pluming leak and found mold I knew what needed to be done to get rid of the mold. Then working as a handyman actually made me sick. I needed to do something else.

Why did you decide to write Top 10?

A lot of people know mold can make you sick. When people don’t feel good inside they think mold is to blame. Sometimes there is a mold problem. Too often there is no mold problem. Or there may be a little bit of mold but it’s not what’s making people sick or affecting their health. Many times I show up to do a mold inspection and instantly can smell or see other things that are responsible. What I assume to be common sense they simply have no idea. The book, Healthy Living Spaces, is an attempt to educate people about the other things that affect their health in a big way.