Is air testing necessary to determine whether one has a mold problem or not?-Anonymous 

            The answer is of course no.  If one inspects a building and visibly detects mold growth on a building surface, a mold problem exists that in most cases will require some form of remediation.  This may vary from the very minor (i.e. a small dime-sized growth) to the widespread infestation of timbers in a crawlspace, basement, wall, or attic. The simple presence of a mold infested surface should be enough to trigger a remediation effort whose scale will depend on the scale of infestation.

            Why remediate mold?  Two reasons: (1) mold growth can cause structural damage, (2) a significant mold infestation can result in the release of spores and mold fragments that can cause respiratory health problems which include chronic allergic rhinitis, asthma, sinusitis, non-immunological inflammation of the respiratory system, lung infection in immune-compromised individuals, etc.

            Should not  airborne mold testing be conducted to determine whether occupants are exposed , the degree they may be exposed, and the organisms involved in the exposure?

            The best reason for conducting airborne mold testing is to establish the nature of exposure  that occupants are potentially subject to in a building environment.  This includes levels of potential exposures as well as the kinds of mold organisms present.  Such information is valuable when one or more occupants are experiencing respiratory health problems, particularly when the respiratory health concern is asthma or recurring sinusitis.  I use such air testing information in advising clients and in some cases their physicians. 

            Air testing for mold, of course, needs to be done right.  A single spore trap sample collected indoors with a second outdoors is not enough.  I typically conduct airborne mold sampling using both culturable and spore trap methods.  Each method has advantages and limitations. Collecting airborne mold samples using both methods allows one to better interpret test data and provide clients with advice that will allow for informed decision-making relative to health concerns and the need and nature of remediation efforts.

            Most (if not all) mold consultants conduct air testing.  Why?  The answer is that in most cases that is what the client wants and, of course, it is a service that the consultant normally provides.

            Air testing is absolutely essential should a “mold problem” be subject to litigation, particularly if personal injury is alleged.  In such cases, one has to show evidence that exposure is likely to have occurred as a result of the presence of infested materials/surfaces.  A digital image or a tape lift sample is evidence of mold growth.  It is not by itself sufficient to establish a causal link with alleged health effects.

            Since a consultant never knows whether a building investigation is going to result in a lawsuit, it is good practice to conduct all indoor mold investigations under the assumption that a legal action may be forthcoming.  That means one should in almost all cases conduct air testing for mold.

 

October 28, 2005