Guest guest Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 I think there have been some discussions about sampling. so, the following paragraphs are from the NIOSH Alert doc: Is Air Sampling for Mold Necessary? 31 32 NIOSH does not recommend routine air sampling for mold in damp building evaluations because air concentrations of molds or spores cannot be interpreted with regard to health risk and they are highly variable over time. . In certain conditions, air sampling may aid in the determination of hidden mold; this is discussed further in Chapter 6 and Chapter 10 of the AIHA publication " Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of Indoor Mold " [AIHA 2008]. Building consultants often recommend and perform " clearance " air sampling after remediation work has been completed in an attempt to demonstrate that the building is safe for occupants. However, NIOSH does not recommend this practice, as there is no scientific basis for the use of air sampling for this purpose. > > The principal contributors to this Alert were -Ganser, , Kathleen Kreiss, Kanwal, and Sahakian. > > I don't know any of these folks at NIOSH, but my hat is off to them. This is a really, really good IEQ guidance document -- one of the best ever, IMO. > > http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket/review/docket238/pdfs/05-IEQ-ALERT-3-30-11.pdf > > I received the link to it today on Barry Weissman's Regulatory Post Yahoo Groups listserv. > > Steve Temes > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 Hello All, I can’t help myself. Every NIOSH study I have read related to problem damp buildings has had fungal air sampling conducted.Folks need to remember that Government agencies are not working in the private sector and having to resolve problems quickly and cost effectively. Remember the air traffic control towers, the VA hospitals, the EPA building (just a few)? How much of our tax payer money is going into fixing damp government buildings due to the “the government way”? Typical “Clearance” air sampling isn’t really done to evaluate health issues. It is done to help verify that the microbial remediation work was done correctly (impacted area repaired and cleaned) and that microbial debris was not spread to other parts of the building. If you are working in medical facilities, considerable sampling may be done to help evaluate and reduce infection potential. Every project is different. Some clients just want to know if they are breathing Stachybotrys and others want to know if they have unusual bioaerosol of their house or work place. NIOSH needs to understand that these limited, simple, paragraphs get taken out of context and used for the wrong reason. Fungal air sampling and proper interpretation, like most things, should be done where it adds valve to the project. Just something to think about. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Bradley Harr MS, CHMM, CMC, HHS, RPIH Sr. Environmental ScientistBoise, Idahohttp://summitenviroinc.com From: iequality [mailto:iequality ] On Behalf Of Sent: Sunday, July 10, 2011 8:46 AMTo: iequality Subject: Re: Draft NIOSH IEQ ALERT I think there have been some discussions about sampling. so, the following paragraphs are from the NIOSH Alert doc:Is Air Sampling for Mold Necessary? 3132NIOSH does not recommend routine air sampling for mold in damp building evaluations because air concentrations of molds or spores cannot be interpreted with regard to health risk and they are highly variable over time. . In certain conditions, air sampling may aid in the determination of hidden mold; this is discussed further in Chapter 6 and Chapter 10 of the AIHA publication " Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of Indoor Mold " [AIHA 2008]. Building consultants often recommend and perform " clearance " air sampling after remediation work has been completed in an attempt to demonstrate that the building is safe for occupants. However, NIOSH does not recommend this practice, as there is no scientific basis for the use of air sampling for this purpose.>> The principal contributors to this Alert were -Ganser, , Kathleen Kreiss, Kanwal, and Sahakian.> > I don't know any of these folks at NIOSH, but my hat is off to them. This is a really, really good IEQ guidance document -- one of the best ever, IMO.> > http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket/review/docket238/pdfs/05-IEQ-ALERT-3-30-11.pdf> > I received the link to it today on Barry Weissman's Regulatory Post Yahoo Groups listserv.> > Steve Temes> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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