Carl Brahe
- A popular side line for home inspectors is testing for mold. I have taken several certification course from environmental labs for air testing for mold. I left each with the question: Who does this benefit besides the inspector and the lab? I saw no benefit for the client, only a useless added expense that solved no problems, nor supplied the solution for any problems. One lab representative called me asking me to perform this type of testing for them. When I pointed out that it provided no benefit for the client he agreed and asked, "So, do you want to do it." I declined.
- In some cases mold sampling is useful but not unless there is a special situation that occurs after visual inspection. A moisture meter to determine the moisture content of materials that molds feed on, or an infrared camera to identify moisture inside walls or other structures, or a boroscope to look into walls, are sometimes used for inspection before remediation, but no guidelines from EPA, or associations of appropriate testing scientists, or any other credible source recommends routine mold sampling.
- If mold growth, water damage or musty smells are present in your home or business quick action to fix the underlying problem is best. If problems persist after a proper inspection to identify moisture problems and remediation of the defects and mold growth, mold sampling may be indicated. Fear of hidden mold often causes people to pay for useless air sampling.
- Here is an article by Caoimhin Connell, our favorite industrial hygienist, that answers in detail theses questions:
- What do my samples really mean…?
- 1) Is sampling necessary?
- 2) What do the sample results mean?
- 3) Are my sample results high?
- 4) Are my sample results valid?
- These are some of the common questions we receive from home owners and facility managers regarding the results of mould (mold) testing. The short answers are:
- 1) Almost never.
- 2) Probably nothing.
- 3) The results are probably uninterpretable.
- 4) Generally, “No.”
- EPA guidelines for mold testing:"If environmental samples will be collected, a sampling plan should be developed that includes a
- clear purpose, sampling strategy, and addresses the interpretation of results. Many types of
- sampling can be performed (e.g. air, surface, dust, and bulk materials) on a variety of fungal
- components and metabolites, using diverse sampling methodologies. Sampling methods for
- fungi are not well standardized, however, and may yield highly variable results that can be
- difficult to interpret."
- The truth about mold testing is illustrated by this article
- Here's the straight story from Caoimhín P. Connell, Forensic Industrial Hygienist:
- Regarding the indoor mould (mold) issue, testing for moulds is typically only done by poorly trained individuals, or charlatans. The “testing” being performed is never valid, and cannot withstand the trier of fact if it ever should go to court.
- The State of Colorado says don’t perform such “testing;” the US Centers for Disease Control says don’t perform such “testing,” the US EPA says don’t perform such “testing,” and similarly so says the World Health Organization, the AIHA, the ACGIH, and virtually every other organization that has a position on the issue.
- Mould testing is virtually always invalid. Instead, there are nationally accepted Standard methods to performing indoor mould assessments that are used by legitimate experts in the field. For our structural assessment for moulds, FACTs conducts a standard structural assessment pursuant to state-of-knowledge, and state-of-the-art standard industry practices employing protocols described by the following:
- · Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environment; New York City Department of Health, Bureau of Environmental & Occupational Disease Epidemiology, 2000
- · Health Canada: Fungal Contamination in Public Buildings: Health Effects and Investigation Methods. Health Canada, Ottawa, ON (2004)
- · Canadian Construction Association; Mold Guidelines for the Canadian Construction Industry; CCA; Ottawa, ON; 2004
- · US Environmental Protection Agency, Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings, EPA 402-K-01-001 March 2001 (updated 6/25/01)
- · The CDC Mold Work Group, National Center for Environmental Health, National Center for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, October 2005
- · Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of Indoor Mold, Prezant E; Weekes, DM; Miller JD (Eds.) American Industrial Hygiene Association 2008
- · World Health Organization Guidelines For Indoor Air Quality Dampness And Mold (ISBN 798 92 890 4168 3) WHO Regional Office for Europe, Scherfigsvej 8, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark, July 2009
- · ASTM Standard D7338-10 Standard Guide for Assessment of Fungal Growth in Buildings
- · ASTM Standard E 2418-06 Standard Guide for Readily Observable Mold and Conditions Conducive to Mold in Commercial Buildings: Baseline Survey Process
- Similarly, mould “remediation” is essentially a scam involving a lot of smoke and mirrors for a job that can be safely and competently handled by “Joe the Handyman” in about 99.9% of all projects.
- You can read more about sampling here:
- http://forensic-applications.com/moulds/sampling.html
- and http://www.forensic-applications.com/moulds/screening.html
- and you can read more about mould remediation here:
- http://www.forensic-applications.com/moulds/remediation.html