Re: Mold Test Kits-1

[Guest guest]

ryan,

Your post is exactly WHY caution must be exercised with ANY mold

testing, home kit or professional. Or believing any other evidence as

definitive. They are all pieces of the puzzle (see my other post to

barb123)

This week was a perfect example of WHY we can't jump to conclusions,

no matter how scary or how well presented. I was asked by their

medical professional to give them an independent opinion.

Middle aged male with 7 years of extreme fatigue and other intense

medical problems, many similar to mold exposure complaints. His

working life went from very-high-level executive to a warehouse

manager - even then he was limited to just enough days to keep his

job. It occurred within a 3 week period, concurrent with removing a

massive deer mouse infestation in the basement and crawlspace.

A previous inspection firm (actually they were remediators) found

visible black mold growth in two places. The pictures in their report

were startling to say the least. Settling plates (by a professional

company? That's a big red flag!). had counts less than 10. But in the

crawlspace it was over 30). They recommended over $11,000 of

remediation. (They were the remediator, remember). Plus a

comprehensive series of other action items that had nothing to do

with this situation. More of a generalized list of " must do " for

everyone rather than a customized list specific for that individual.

(High potential for more wasted money).

My inspection found the same two areas of black mold. One was about 5

square inches in the attic that was well seperated from the house.

The other was two places (not one) on a rim joist between two support

beams in the crawlspace. It was consistent with " lumberyard mold " and

was also well seperated from the living area. I could find no other

areas of visible mold growth and they could report no other areas or

even locations of leaks during an 11 year period.

BTW, " Lumberyard mold " is mold that grows before the wood is

installed which means it didn't grow in the house. That means the

house does not have environmental conditions that supports mold

growth. Changing the conditions that support mold growth is the first

and last step in any mold remediation. (EPA, CDC, OSHA, IAQA

training, IICRC training and standards, NYC guidelines, IOM report).

So nothing had to be done to change this house except remove the

mold. But was that even necessary?

Moisture content measurements showed everything dry shortly after a

rainy period - no leaks. Measurements of temp, relative humidity, dew

point and surface temperatures (psychrometrics) in all areas of the

house and within the context of the building (use, structure and

materials) and geographical location showed little chance of

condensation or others " causes. "

Did I solve their problem? No. But I prevented unnecessary expense

that could have put them in such a financial hole that they couldn't

afford options that will work. There is more to mold than the

presence of mold. You must be exposed to the mold. You must be

susceptible to the mold. The mold must have an environment where it

can survive and grow and reproduce. Accumulated and/or " left over "

mold may still need to be removed, however. The full, individual

situation must be assessed.

That said, I have clients that I would never suggest they live in

that same house - for other reasons based on the combination of

sources of exposure, individual susceptibility and level of impact

(Personal Impact Rating, PIR).

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

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> There are always mold spores in the outdoor environment and when you

> open your window mold spores enter your home. You will never be

> completely mold free. These test kits that homeowners use are a waste

> of money. I have done over 600 residential mold inspections....I have

> been hired by many a homeowner that bought a test kit, sent the

> samples to ProLab and were told they have a problem based on one

> sample they sent in....in many cases after throughly inspecting the

> house and taking more samples, I often find no problems. If you want

> I will look over your results.

>

>

>

>

> Lourdes Salvador <salvadorlourdes@...> wrote: Thanks for this

> information... to me ANY mold is not good and this test is a good

> place to start if looking at new homes or workspaces. Do you remember

> how much the test costs?

>

>

> I believe the mold test kits at Home Depot are from Pro Lab and I

> used them for my home. I got reports back stating the amount of

> colonies in each test and the name of the mold involved. It

> doesn't get down to *which type* of aspergillus but it was say it

> is aspergillus or cladosporum, etc and give a count. I found that

> they worked fine.

>

>