Misery
Everyday, there are people frantically searching for answers to their questions about mold. The most commonly used tool for this task is an Internet search engine like Google or Yahoo. For example, if you enter the word “mold” into the Google search engine, there are over 23,000,000 articles. Does the phrase “information overload” mean anything to you? The mold industry has an evil reputation for being filled with swindlers and charlatans. Our government, on the federal, state and local levels, is so politicized and lobbied from affected industries, such as insurance, healthcare, and construction, that it has become stagnant and compromised.
People are suffering on various scales, but it all adds up to the same result…misery. There are those affected by post-hurricane mold that are getting the run-around from insurance companies. The semantics of their insurance policies will often dictate whether or not they receive any financial relief. Was the damage a direct result from the hurricane or flooding? Insurance companies have “empowered” the claimant to get the repairs done under an extremely limited budget and with an unqualified remediator. This empowerment has given the claimant “ownership” of the repairs and alleviated the “claim in progress” burden from the insurance companies. Even so, oftentimes the claimant will unknowingly conduct an “unauthorized” repair and suffer financial loss. How can the claimant filter through the shenanigans of unscrupulous mold remediators?
There are many ill people experiencing acute physiological reactions to mold. Generally speaking, they have a compromised immune system. This compromise can be acute or chronic. Even if the industry is slow to provide guidelines for aerosolized microbes, many of these people can be affected by even the lowest background levels. They have respiratory symptoms that are misdiagnosed because of lack of understanding of the mold variable within the medical community.
Groups of people who often quietly suffer are commercial building occupants. They can begin complaining from time to time, but for the most part are genuinely quiet and focused on their daily business endeavors. There are the annual cycles of sinusitis, head colds, sore throats, and itchy eyes. Sometimes, building occupants have had to “grin and bear it” as they work in a questionable “sick building” until such time as a professional, competent indoor environmental quality (IEQ) evaluation is performed.
Myths
1. “Mold is Gold”
“Mold is Gold” has been the battle cry for all of those who have suffered a severe financial loss due to mold issues. There is indeed a swell of interest in mold, and where there is a need, persons can fill that demand and achieve financial success. A reputable indoor environmental company can make an acceptable profit margin for providing invaluable services. Unfortunately, there are a great many unscrupulous persons endeavoring to “pull the wool” over people’s eyes. These persons can make a quick buck, but typically fail at keeping any long-term or repeat business. They cash in at the moment, and ride the “mold wave”, only to find that their sub-par practices and qualifications leave them back where they began.
2. “Killer Mold”
“Black mold can kill you!” is what some vile mold remediators (and the news media) will tell you. There are indeed several toxic and pathogenic species of mold that can have a severe acute or chronic affect on people, but the medical link has not been made to determine a toxic dosage relationship of “black mold.” Death has resulted from mold exposure in conjunction with other severe medical conditions, but it is typical in these situations that the mold merely exacerbated the original condition. The color of mold doesn’t necessarily qualify which species is present. There are several variables that affect the visible color of mold. The only way to determine the species of mold is to have a sample analyzed by an accredited environmental microbiology laboratory.
3. “Bleach”
“Just use some bleach!” is the time-honored old-fashioned way for mold removal. A 10% bleach solution is, in some cases, an effective means of cleaning up mold, but it is not the solution. The question should be asked, “Why is the mold here?” If you haven’t got the answer, then the mold will keep returning. Mold is not always in an easily accessible area and therefore “hidden.” One common area that is not easily accessible is the heating ventilation and air conditioning system. When was the last time you looked at your ductwork? Another “uncommon” area would be the interstitial wall cavities.
Misconceptions
1. Mold = Problem
The mere presence of mold indicates a “mold problem.” Mold is naturally occurring and ubiquitous/everywhere. Mold actually recycles our environment and is an important factor in the balance of nature. A recent study by EDLab (AIHA EMLAP) established baseline guidelines for “normal” mold and bacteria background levels in commercial facilities and residential homes. If a room exhibits higher than “normal” levels for mold, a red flag could be raised and further forensic evaluation should be established.
2. Dilution is the Solution
Dilution or Outdoor Air introduced into the air conditioning system has been received as the solution to the indoor environmental woes. In the 1970’s, buildings were built with energy efficiency in mind and minimized ventilation to save on money. This created many indoor environmental problems. The ventilation rates have been adjusted upward ever since. Every few years, the ventilation rate numbers go up a little until someday a “balance” will be found. Dilution does help with gases such as with Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, and may even help with Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds (MVOC), but has limited impact on mold growth. In many cases, dilution can exacerbate or be the source of the mold problem when outside air is not properly conditioned/dehumidified and filtered.
3. Lab=Lab
All labs are the same. This cannot be farther from the truth. There are microbiologists that conduct microscopy in the hapless environment of their garages, dens or trunks. Many labs couldn’t identify
stachybotrys or
aspergillus at the genus level, much less speciate the sample. If a lab cannot identify what they’re looking at, how in the world are they going to report a level of contamination? The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) provides accreditation and certification through its Environmental Microbiology Laboratory Accreditation Program (EMLAP). When addressing mold problems, you are only as good as your lab, so it is important to use only competent accredited AIHA laboratories.
4. Certified Mold Assessor?
Another prevalent misconception is that the mold assessor is knowledgeable. There are “mold” dogs that are qualified! A dog can “sniff” the presence of mold, but what does the dog handler know? Many “mold assessors” buy a certification from the Internet for $25. Just because someone has initials after their name, do not assume that they understand and can properly assess a mold issue. Mold, and moreover, the subject of total indoor environmental quality (IEQ), are unique subject matters, and just like a general surgeon doesn’t perform brain surgery, a IEQ or Mold Assessor should not assess mold issues unless they have received credentialed, specialized training.
5. Qualifications of Mold Remediators
Once a mold issue is properly identified, level of contamination determined, and course of remedial action designated doesn’t ensure the success of a mold remediation project. A qualified mold remediation firm should be employed. Many contractors have “experience,” but due to the high cost of these types of projects, it is not worth the gamble.
If the source of the mold problem is not corrected and the mold not properly remediated, then the mold will reappear and in some cases cross contaminate other areas of a building. What constitutes a qualified remediation firm? This question, along with certification of mold assessors, is currently being hotly debated across the country. The legislative battles are being fought and the outcome is unsure. Instead of offering a suggested accreditation program, here are the questions that must be asked of mold remediators:
- Are the workers OSHA compliant? (OSHA trained Hazardous Communications, Electrical Safety, Lock out/Tag out, Respiratory Training)
- What licenses do they hold?
- If they take samples for Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC), is the laboratory accredited by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) EMLAP Program?
- Are their workers environmentally trained? (e.g. establishing and maintaining containments)
- What kind of experience do they have? Do they have experience with the Medical Community?
- What will they do if the levels of contamination rise?
- Does the remediation company carry not only $1 million general liability insurance or greater, but more importantly, do they carry a $1 million “mold” insurance policy?
- What kind of chemicals do they use? Are the chemicals registered with the EPA?
- Ask for commercial references.
- What is their goal of the remediation project? With no goal, you’ll get nowhere! (and end up paying a lot of money too!)
There are many more mold misery, myths, and misconceptions, enough to fill volumes of books. The keys to understanding and resolving mold issues are scientific observation and goal-based methodologies. Use properly qualified individuals and organizations to assist with mold issues (e.g. accredited laboratories, mold assessors, and mold remediators). It’s that simple. Throw in some common sense like “don’t believe everything you hear and only half of what you see” and you will greatly minimize the misery, myth and misconception factors associated with mold.
Pure Air Control Services (
http://www.pureaircontrols.com), a certified MBE 8(a) company and U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply schedule contractor (#GSA-10F-0488R), is an indoor environmental consulting firm with expertise in industrial hygiene, microbiology, public health, building science and mechanical engineering. The company has been serving its national indoor environmental quality clients for over 20 years. In addition, through it’s Building Remediation Services Division, the firm provides HVAC system cleaning and mold remediation services. The firm has over 500 million square feet of building/home diagnostics/remediation experience in over 10,000 buildings/homes and has analyzed over 100,000 environmental laboratory samples. In addition, the professional staff have served as expert witnesses in over 80 mold/IEQ-related cases.
Source:
Pure Air Control Services
Contact:
Ed Ziegler
Business Development Manager
Pure Air Control Services, Inc.
Environmental Diagnostic Laboratory (EDLab)
800-422-7873 x804
Eziegler@pureaircontrols.comwww.pureaircontrols.com
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Pure Air Control Services, Inc.
1-800-422-7873
