Do It Yourself Home Mold Testing Kits

What are they good for?

If you feel that you have a mold problem, you can save money on a mold inspection by buying a mold testing kit from your local South Florida building supply store. The kit consists of a standard, plastic Petri dish containing a mold growth media, most likely MEA (Malt Extract Agar.) Simply open the kit and let mold spores fall in it from the ambient air above it. Within a few days, mold colonies will start to grow. Typically, you will see black, white, gray, brown, and green colonies. Colonies with both green and white are also very common. Most colonies will be fuzzy, and the mold types in the mold testing kit will usually be mostly penicillium/aspergillus-type molds, cladosporium, mucor, and a few others. It's very cheap, easy, fast, and quite interesting to see what is floating around in your air.

However the conclusion drawn from the results of this mold testing procedure is very limited. Because the kits do not draw in a given amount of air for a given amount of time, there is no way of knowing for sure if the number of spores that settle in the plate and grow into mold are just the normal expected levels of spores found in every house. Most clean houses without a serious mold problem should be expected to contain very roughly 200 to 500 mold spores per cubic meter of air. Anything over 1,000 is typically considered suspect by many mold inspectors. These numbers are just estimates and do not reflect the real world perfectly, however, similar numbers have been supported by several scientific mold studies over the years.

Since there is no control sample using outdoor mold spore testing, you will not know if the mold spores floated in from outside as is expected, or if the mold indoors is different in number and type from outdoor levels and types, which would indicate that the mold most likely grown indoors.

Also, because the mold testing was not conducted by a person trained and experienced in mold testing, you will most likely have no idea of from where the mold came, if it is likely growing inside the walls, why the mold is a problem if in fact it is a problem, or how to properly remove the mold and correct the problem that resulted in mold growth.

If you feel that you have a serious mold problem in your home or place of employment, you may want to purchase a test kit from your local building supply store. However, you will benefit much more by obtaining the services of an experienced, trained, and properly certified mold inspector, certified indoor environmentalist or certified industrial hygienist who is familiar with proper mold testing methods and:

1) Building construction and building forensics Because your mold problem is not in a Petri dish or lab it is in a building and is the result of building failure, mold testing should be done by someone who has knowledge of buildings, vapor barriers, roofing, etc.

2) Psychometrics. Psychometrics pertains to humidity, temperature, dew point and air, and a deep understanding of the interrelation of such factors is important. This is very important during Florida mold testing.

3) Biological sciences. Your mold testing professional should understand at least some basic biological and ecological science principles pertaining to microbiology or mycology (the study of mold).

4) HVAV systems. Your mold testing expert must be familiar with HVAC systems because probably 50% of mold problems are related to HVAC system malfunctions, leaks, or contamination.

5) Sampling reports. Your mold inspector should be properly trained and experienced in investigating and sampling mold, and they should know how to interpret the lab results.

6) Inspection reports. Your mold testing professional should give you a comprehensive mold inspection report documenting visual findings, environmental monitoring results, interpretation of lab results, inspector's conclusions, recommendations on how to control the mold problem and more. A report from the lab alone will only result in you hiring another inspector to get the interpretation of the results. Look to A Accredited for a qualified inspector who has a college degree in education for teaching biology and general science, has health inspection experience, has extensive home and building inspection experience, has earned not one but three mold inspection certifications and also who is a certified indoor environmentalist certified by The Indoor Air Quality Association.

Daryl Watters is president of A Accredited Mold Inspection Service, Inc. He provides home, mold, and indoor air quality investigations in South Florida. He is also the creator of MIR forms designed to aid inspectors in the production of computer generated indoor air quality and mold inspection reports. For more information visit http://www.floridamoldinspectors.us http://www.florida-mold-inspection.com

Mold Spores In Your Home

The below information was not provided as final and defenitive mold spore level specifications because health responses to mold spore exposures differ from person to person. Also, health responses to mold spores can be affected by the length of time you are exposed to spores, the size or type of spore you are exposed to, the levels of dust mite and roach allergens, individual sensitivity to allergens, emotional stress, general health, as well as other substances and factors that have not yet been discovered by mold inspectors. Thus, as a result mold spore levels alone at your property cannot always be relied on to always answer questions such as "Are molds in my environment making me sick."

The following information is just offered as some general helpful information and should not be relied on as any type of medical advise, see your doctor if you feel sick.

"Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments" published in 2000 by the New York City Department of Health."

The most widely accepted guideline by mold inspectors to help determine if indoor mold spore levels are indicative of a possible mold problem is the comparison of indoor and outdoor mold spore levels. Indoor mold spore levels should be similar to or lower than levels found outdoors, and the types of mold spores found indoors should be similar to types found outdoors. Most mold inspectors, certified indoor environmentalist, and industrial hygienists also will generally support the above mentioned comparison method and have determined that indoor mold spore levels should be similar in number and type to outdoor mold spore levels and types. The below listed organizations and governing bodies also support the above view.

ACGIH 1989, Canada M&H CO. 1991, ACGIH 1993, OSHA 1994, and Brazil 2000.

Burge 1990

If indoor microbial aerosols qualitatively differ from outdoor, and indoor levels are consistently more than double the outdoor levels and exceed 1000 cfu per cubic meter of air, investigate.

The following are additional helpful general guidelines all from well known and respected industry experts.

They show actual numbers of spores or coloney forming units per cubic meter of air.

Remember that> means greater than so

> 1,000 contamination means greater than 1,000 spores per cuic meter or air indicates indoor fungal contamination.

OSHA 1992 findings

> 1,000 Contamination

ACGIH 1993 Findings

> 1,000 High

American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists

(Air Sampling Instruments for Evaluation of Atmospheric Contaminants 1995)

100 cfu or less per cubic meter of air is low.

100 cfu to 1000 cfu per cubic meter of air is intermediate.

1000 or more cfu per cubic meter of air is high.

Much of the below information is from Worldwide Mold Exposure Standards for Mold and Bacteria, Robert C. Brandys, PhD, MPH, PE, CIH, CSP, CMR and Gail M. Brandys, MS, CSP, CMR:

Brazil Government Findings 2002

100-500 normal indoor mold spore levels per cubic meter of air, can be higher in summer.

Norway Government Findings
2,000 Health complaints.

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology/National Allergy Bureau findings 2002

1 - 6,499 Low- Only individuals extremely sensitive to these pollens and molds will experience symptoms.

6,500 - 12,999 Moderate - Many individuals sensitive to these pollens and molds will experience symptoms.

13,000-49,999 High Most individuals with any sensitivity to these pollens and molds will experience symptoms.

50,000 Very High - Almost all individuals with any sensitivity at all to these pollens and molds will experience symptoms.

Extremely sensitive people could have severe symptoms.

Please note that the above National Allergy Burear findings are not trying to indicate what are expected spore levels, but what levels may effect various populations if exposed to such levels outdoors. By no means should you try and use the above findings to determine what moderate indoor spore levels are. They they are not talking about indoor spore levels but outdoor spore levels. Your indoor levels should in most cases be several times lower than outdoor levels.

Caoimhin P. Connell

As a general rule, the normal indoor total fungal spore counts across the central portion of the U.S. (bounded by a latitude of, say, 35? north to 45? north), for healthy buildings (buildings not experiencing fungal problems) is usually less than 500 counts per cubic meter (counts/m3); with indoor concentrations exceeding 900 counts/m3 less than 15% of the time.4

According to my database, the viable fungi concentrations of non-symptomatic, healthy environments is not dissimilar; 383 colony forming units per cubic meter of air (CFU/m3), with a 95% probability that one sample in five (21%) samples will exceed 900 CFU/m3.

The above information is from Caoimh?n P. Connell. who is a Colorado area mold expert with over 20 years experience as an industrial hygienist, he is also a law enforcement officer specializing in the identification and processing of clandestine drug labs.

He has served on three of the ASTM International Standards Committees: D22 (Indoor Air Quality), E30 (Forensic Sciences) and the E50 (Environmental Assessment, Risk Management and Corrective Action).

Recommended References Materials on Indoor Spore Levels For Mold Inspectors
*Worldwide Mold Exposure Standards for Mold and Bacteria, Robert C. Brandys, PhD, MPH, PE, CIH, CSP, CMR and Gail M. Brandys, MS, CSP, CMR

Daryl Watters is president of A Accredited Mold Inspection Service, Inc. He provides home, mold, and indoor air quality investigations in South Florida. He is also the creator of MIR forms designed to aid inspectors in the production of computer generated indoor air quality and mold inspection reports. For more information visit: http://www.florida-mold-inspection.com http://www.freemoldinspectionreporting.com

How To Identify Toxic Black Mold

Stachybotrys not always, but almost always exhibits a circular growth pattern forming round colonies of about 1 inch or less to about 1 foot across approximately. Sometimes the circles are complete.

Other times, the circles are incomplete and form semi circles or crescent moon shapes when one side of the colony grows but the other side does not grow well, possibly due to a lack of moisture or competition with other mold types on the weaker growing side of the colony. Also, the mold often forms concentric circles of one circle inside another circle. When this or most molds grows in areas where building materials have been very wet for an extended period of time, such as months as opposed to days or just a few weeks, then the colonies grow into each other this is referred to as confluent growth and the circles are not longer distinguishable and all you see is irregular black patches of mold growth on the wall.

Stachybotrys is an extremely dark black mold. It is often reported to be shiny or slimy in appearance, however, from personal experience, this is only true when the mold is wet. When it is dry, it can be very dark black and powdery. Please note that all the above descriptions will sound wrong to a mold lab tech because the above are descriptions of how the mold looks when it grows on walls. In a Petri dish the same mold probably does not grow in concentric circles and it looks more fuzzy and may start out whitish, and it turns black later as it produces spores. In Identifying Filamentous Fungi by Guy St-Germain and Richard Summerbell the mold growing in a petri dish can be white, pink, orange, or black on the surface; bottom of the colony can be pale, orange, pink or black.

Stachybotrys requires high-cellulose, low-nitrogen food source, such as drywall or cardboard and very soaking wet conditions for an extended period of time. It is a slow grower. I have seen thousands of Stachybotrys colonies and have never seen it growing on metal objects, air conditioning ducts, or clothes. Its most common habitats in homes appears to be on the underside of wet carpets, or the bottom of wet cardboard boxes or other papers, or on the surface of drywall materials. When it grows on drywall, it is actually growing on the thin paper that coats both surfaces of the drywall.

Daryl Watters has a bachelors degree in education for teaching biology and general science and is a certified mold inspector, certified home inspector, and certified indoor environmentalist providing building inspections in South Florida since 1993. For more information visit http://www.floridamoldinspectors.us http://www.florida-mold-inspection.com

Mold Biology And Mold Related Heath Issues

BASIC MOLD BIOLOGY:

Fungi share some basic similarities with plants and bacteria but are not plants nor are they bacteria. They are in their own kingdom, the Fungi Kingdom.

The terms mold and mildew are often used interchangeably by lay persons, but according to some more specific definitions, mildew is a powdery growth that attacks and grows on living plants while molds are often fuzzy and grow on all sorts of moist surfaces. Molds, mildews, and other fungi usually reproduce by forming and releasing spores into the air. Most indoor spores are just 3 to 15 microns across, some spores are a few hundred microns long but these are still just a few microns across. The human eye can at best see objects that are 10 or more microns across. Toxins known as mycotoxins and also allergens are found primarily in the spores of various molds. These substances can be found in live or dead spores.

TOXIC MOLDS

Mycotoxins are chemicals that are sometimes produced by various species of toxic mold. These toxins are real and are powerful weapons used by toxic molds in a sort of microbial warfare to help them compete against bacteria and other molds. Toxic molds are common in Florida, but mold spores in residential settings, even if they are potentially toxic producing types and at high levels, are not automatically at high enough levels to result in toxic effects on humans via inhalation. It takes a lot of inhaled spores to poison a person. Currently, disagreement exists as to if residential mold spore exposures levels are ever high enough to result in toxic effect on humans. Toxic effects of mold mycotoxins in humans and farm animals leading to serious illness and even death via accidental ingestion of toxic mold, etc. have been well documented in scientific literature. Effects of heavy exposure to mold toxins are many, but just two of the more common effects are immuno suppression and liver cancer. Mycotoxins are believed to result in headaches, sore throats, hair loss, flu symptoms, diarrhea, fatigue, dermatitis, general malaise (tiredness) and psychological depression." (Croft et al, 1986, Jarvis, 1995). "Other reported responses to mycotoxin exposure includes skin rashes, lesions of the skin and gastrointestinal tract, and interference with blood cell formation." (Sorenson 1993).

Human and horse exposure to Stachybotrys mold infested hay that caused toxic reactions in the Ukraine around the 1920's or the 1930's is well documented. Industrial level exposures of mycotoxins such as at peanut processing facilities, composting facilities, or farms has caused documented toxigenic and severe allergenic problems. Countless farm animals have died as a result of eating food contaminated with toxic molds, in one extreme example that occurred in the mid 1960's 100,000 turkeys died in England after consuming moldy food shipped from Brazil. The causative agent was aflotoxin from Aspergillus flavus mold. In several such cases of human and animal exposure mycotoxin poisoning is well documented by scientists and doctors. For more information on documented cases and on mycotoxocosis refer to The Fifth Kingdom, by Brice Kindrick or Bioaerosols from ACGIH by Harriett Burge.

It is very important to not panic but to keep in mind that to accomplish the above serious detrimental effects, toxic molds like Stachybotrys and others may have to be either:

1. consumed in mold contaminated foods,
2. physically handled so that excessive physical contact is made between human skin and the mold, or
3. the mycotoxins have to be exposed to living cells in the laboratory.

Various studies have shown that the levels of mycotoxins encountered by breathing mold spores in your home or office appear to be far too low to cause toxic reactions in humans. Of course future studies may or may not change this current opinion held by many researches. Synergistic effects of various indoor pollutants and different mycotoxins mixing together may be more powerful than individual mycotoxin exposures. Fortunately scientists are not in the business of performing full fledged toxicity studies on human subjects.

However, asthma attacks, allergies, and sinus infections from mold appear to be very common and can give you just as much trouble as if you were being poisoned.

INFECTIOUS MOLDS

According to a Mayo clinic study, sinusitis caused by growth of fungus fibers or balls of fungus fibers in the sinus cavities is not unusual. This is typically caused by common Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Curvularia species. Aspergillosis caused by the growth of aspergillus species in the lungs most commonly A.fumigatus, A. flavus, A. Niger and A. territus species typically occurs in persons with compromised immune systems or a history of lung disease that resulted in past lung damage. Common Candida albicans that causes yeast infections is a major cause of serious nosocomial (hospital acquired) fungal infections. Histoplasma capsulatium and Cryptococcus neoformans are very dangerous yeast like molds that should be assumed to be present in any bird droppings but are primarily a concern when spread to humans via inhalation of particles from accumulations of pigeon, starling, and bat droppings. Coccidioides immitis mold spores are spread from dusty soil in the southwestern United States, it sometimes causes valley fever but at other times the same fungus can be deadly. Nearly any fungi can cause infections in persons with severely compromised immune systems.

Detection of infectious fungi such as but not limited to the above listed ones and identification of fungi to determine the species is not part of most mold inspections.

ALLERGY ASTHMA AND HYPERSENSITIVITY DISEASES

An allergic reaction occurs when your body?s immune system mistakes harmless proteins in mold spores or other allergens as if these proteins were harmful microbes trying to infect your body. Your body?s immune system, feeling threatened releases histamines into the blood stream and these histamines are what actually causes coughing, sneeze, and watering of the eyes. Other person?s immune systems will not mistake proteins in mold spores as a microbial threat, and thus not develop allergic reactions. Asthma is a condition where the small air sack like structures in the lungs called alveoli can contract and exhale air, but cannot properly expand to bring in new air. Mold as well as other substances are common triggers of asthma. Mold-related allergenic and asthmatic conditions in homes are very common and very serious and should be addressed and not ignored. Many serious hypersensitivity diseases in humans, such as baker's lung, wood workers lung and others are the result of exposures to molds by persons working in industries that result in long term exposure to elevated spore levels. Hypersensitivity diseases have long been well documented in science and the medical field. According to Bioaerosols assessment and control hypersensitivity pneumonitis is a hypersensitivity disease that results from the long term repeated exposure to elevated mold spore levels or other antigens, this condition can occur at in industry or agriculture where spore levels are high, it may also occur in moldy offices or homes, it produces pneumonia like symptoms with fever, cough, tightness of chest, lung infiltrates, and difficulty breathing. Once sensitized, individuals may react to extremely low, often un measurable, concentrations of antigenic materials.

Organic dust toxic syndrome is a flu like illness that results from a short term exposure to very high levels of spores, such as the levels that may be encountered by workers doing large mold remediation jobs without wearing protective respirators. Symptoms show up several hours or a day or so after exposure and symptoms go away after a day or a few days.

Daryl Watters has a bachelors degree in education for teaching biology and general science and is a certified mold inspector, certified home inspector, and certified indoor environmentalist providing building inspections in South Florida since 1993. For more information visit http://www.floridamoldinspectors.us http://www.florida-mold-inspection.com

Deadly And Toxic Black Molds

When to talk on Molds, its removal and troubling aspects, the first thing we should know what is mold. Molds are neither animal nor plant. Molds, microscopic organisms of fungi kingdom produce the enzyme to digest organic part of the human body and spores to reproduce.

The studies show that Fungi like mildew have the well defined link with the ubiquitous airborne allergens and cause human disease especially in respiratory tracts. Stachybotrys are renowned as the black molds that are highly toxic and cause fatal pulmonary disorder. In addition to this there are some several health issues like allergies, sinus, asthma and deadly cancer are the courteous to molds.

Molds generally grow most common areas like papers, wooden surface, concrete stature, winter insulation and potted painted houses. In nature molds play an important part in decomposition in plant leaves, wood, food particles and other plant debris. Mildew is kind of a mold that is used to grow on the inaccessible areas of the houses or in commercial buildings.

Mildew are retained the presence with out any urge of food. Initially it is found that the mildew has become the visible threat when it comes in front of the eyes for the first time with tiny shape. After some time it turns itself into the bigger colonies.

There are some several ways to set steps for mold removal. They are the most renowned and easy steps to remove molds from the house or the commercial buildings.

Stop all water leaks first. Repair leaking roofs and plumbing fixtures. Move water away from concrete slabs and basement walls and allow then remain dry most of the time.

Increase air circulation within your home, especially along the inside of exterior walls, and ventilate with fresh air from outside.

Provide warm air to all areas of the home. Move large objects away from the inside of exterior wall just a few inches to provide good air circulation.

Install and use exhaust fans in bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms to make the air circulation uphold. Ventilate and insulate attic and crawl spaces. Cover earth floors in crawl spaces with heavy plastic.

Clean and dry water damaged carpets, clothing, bedding, and upholstered furniture within 24 to 48 hours, or consider removing and replacing damaged furnishings.

Vacuum and clean your home regularly.

To stay free from the molds and mildews the natural mold removal ingredients are of immense help. The natural mold cleaners contain no harsh fumes, chemicals and even no harmful acid and it also ensures the hygienic atmosphere in the premises.

Mold can take over a home or business. Find out which mold removal products can destroy before it spreads. Learn which mold cleaners can block mold from returning.