Industrial Hygiene Associates
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359 DRESHER ROAD HORSHAM, PA 19044 (215)672-6088 (215)443-0899 FAX kcrawford@eagleih.com |
Mold
Mold and Real Estate -What You Need to Know, Without getting into Science or Technical Questions.
Do I Have A Mold Problem?
The mold remediation business is relatively new and there are currently no regulations on mold removal. This has generated an influx of businesses that have jumped on the mold bandwagon. Eagle Industrial Hygiene is an (AIHA) American Industrial Hygiene Association member and has been in the mold business over 17 years. This influx of new mold companies has generated confusion and misinformation. The EPA recommends that you contact an AIHA company if you need the services of a mold expert. Do we need to go further. Who else does the EPA recommend lets look www.epa.gov/iaq.html.
Information your buyers need to know
Documentation of effective mold remediation.
These are 6 questions you should know the answers to when selling and buying real estate.
Questions
- What professional provides this documentation?
- Do you need this documentation? What does this documentation consist of?
- Why? Disclosure.
- How much does this documentation cost?
- Can a home inspector provide this service?
- Are there federal or state certifications required for mold inspectors and remediation companies and who certifies them?
Answers
- A Certified Industrial Hygienist.
- Yes to provide the new potential home-buyer, a written opinion by an environmental professional preferably by a Certified Industrial Hygienist, Registered Professional Engineer or Equivalent with supporting documentation consisting of laboratory analysis of existing conditions in the mold affected area, that the existing condition is within current guidelines or as an opinion acceptable conditions, and that the cause has reasonably been abated to be considered an acceptable mold remediation project.
- Disclosure for the new home-buyer as well as knowing the mold problem has effectively been addressed.
- These service are not cheap and run approximately $1,000.00 to $2,000.00.
- An AIHA Company, Certified Industrial Hygienist or Equivalent.
- No
- No
- Not currently. There are new organizations such as the Indoor Air Quality Council and The Indoor Air Quality Associations that have originated in the past 5 years that are currently providing courses that give you a certificate at the end of successful completion.
Now that you have had the mold short course here are the basic facts of mold.
Mold is everywhere. We cannot expect a sterile condition anywhere. That means there are acceptable and unacceptable levels of mold and unacceptable organisms. The current guidelines NYC Department of Health, American College of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, American Industrial Hygiene Association, EPA call for the removal of visible mold. They also addresses finding the cause of water issues that have caused the amplification of mold and the correction of the water infiltration to properly address the mold problem. Basic fact 1 The only thing that makes mold grow in a residence or anywhere is water, it has the other two properties it needs to amplify and they are spores and food i.e. drywall, wood, insulation. This is the only fact we need to concern our self with as a basic knowledge of mold.
Fact 1: Correct the water infiltration.
Four Causes of MOLD one illustrated in each picture in order as listed below.
1. Ground water infiltration
2. Roof or Exterior Siding Shell Leakage
3. Plumbing failure
4. Humidity
The Question of Mold Testing and Real Estate
- Air
- Surface
- How do I know what I should test?
Should I Test the air on a real estate transaction ? NO Why ?
The American College of Governmental Industrial Hygienist contains information on sampling, analysis. The following is a insert directly from this publication.
Air sampling should be initiated only after medical or clinical reports indicate the existence of workplace related illness, such as hypersensitivity and allergic disorders that are likely due to bioaerosols.
This same statement is also in the OSHA technical manual section III chapter 2 section III C environmental evaluation.
Find at : osha page 7 of 15
Reason being that a sick building syndrome investigation costs $2,000.00 to $3,000.00. And requires the collection of 20 to 30 samples.
A real estate transaction is not a sick building.
Should I test surfaces ? Yes of suspected mold amplification meaning active mold.
What should I Test ? Only surfaces not air.
Reason air sampling varies and only adds to confusions when trying to interpret. Many samples are required when trying to evaluate air quality. At $60 to $100 per sample who wants to pay for more than a couple samples.
Lets talk about the black mold
Stachybotrys sp.
This mold gets a lot of attention. Fact is
Acremonium sp.
Aspergillus flavus
Aspergillus fumigatus
Aspergillus nidulans
Aspergillus parasiticus
Aspergillus sp.
Aspergillus versicolor
Bipolaris sp.
Blastomyces sp.
Fusarium solani
Fusarium sp.
Histoplasma sp.
Penicillium sp.
Stachybotrys sp.
Trichothecium sp.
These organisms are human pathogens or produce mycotoxins that are very unhealthy. All these are red flags to Industrial Hygienists.
So the black Stachybotrys sp. mold is over rated.
The most widely used mold clean-up standards quoted are.
New York Department of Health
Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments
Currently there are only guidelines and no regulations. In my opinion there will never be any occupational exposure to mold regulations, because even the lowest level bother people with severe hypersensitivity.
In the environmental field the people who measure occupational exposures to chemicals, metals, or asbestos, are industrial hygienists. So why would you hire a home inspector or someone who is not an Industrial Hygienist.