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10 Comments on Question: Why should I have mold sampling done?
Hello Gentlemen,
I felt compelled to respond to your "blog" regarding the need for mold sampling. As a home inspector who is a"trained" mold sampling provider, it has been my experience mold sampling is almost always unnecessary.
With respect to a particular mold species giving clues to the source of the growth, in my opinion that is completely false. In fact the species of mold has no real bearing on the reason for an excessive growth.
As you are aware conducive conditions must be present for mold to grow and flourish. These conditions are a food source, temperature and moisture. Our homes already have the first two conditions present, all you need is the water. Therefore when an excessive mold condition is found in a home, the reason is excessive moisture. This can be from any number of sources such as a roof leak or a venting problem. What we as home inspectors can do for our clients through our knowledge and experience is diagnose the probable source that spawned the mold growth.
What value does sampling mold provide to the client? I have asked myself this questions many times. My answer is none.
If there is a visible mold growth knowing the type is not as important as fixing the cause. Mold is a symptom of an excessive moisture condition. The source of the moisture must be corrected in order to eliminate the mold. The mold species will not tell us where or what is causing the excessive moisture, that would be the home inspectors job.
Thanks for the comment James, but wow! I could not disagree more.
At HABITEC we have helped many Clients solve their mold issues based on the overall mold evaluation. A complete mold evaluation will identify which species of mold is present, keeping in mind there may be more than one. In many instances we have identified or confirmed the source of the mold(s) after the mold samples were processed in the laboratory. I suspect our differences may be caused by the lab report you use. Our lab provides results using the MoldREPORT. This document is incredible in its ability to not only help identify the species and explain the species but also in its ability to identify the likely source of the mold and moisture. Once we know that we can much more easily point the Client and mitigator in the right direction to not only only eliminate the mold but also eliminate the moisture. Again, without stopping the moisture problem the likelihood of the mold reoccuring is high.
Let's use your example above which mentioned a roof leak or venting problem. A roof leak will not only let water into the home but that water may carry organic material with it such as leaf and other vegetation debris. This "mold soup" is a common source of stachybotrys. As you are hopefully aware stachy is a wet and sticky mold not usually dispersed by air. On the other hand, a venting problem, and I have to assume you are talking about the HVAC system here, commonly produces Penicillium/Aspergillus which is a dry spore type mold that is easily dispersed by air such as seen in HVAC. If you have mold-like material that you are sampling then seeing the texture of the material combined with the information from the mold report will help you identify the source of the mold and the source of the moisture. If you do not have visible mold-like material and you have to work off air samples alone, knowing which type mold you have will point you in the direction to look not only for the actual mold but also the source(s) of the mold and the moisture.
Ref the issue of "visible" mold. Granted it helps if the mold is visible but it is easy to be fooled by visible mold into thinking that the visible mold is the only source. Mold spores from visible mold can easily be dispersed to locations that are not visible. Mold testing can help identify where the other locations may be.
I hope this helps. Again I recommend you check in to the MoldREPORT to compare with the report system you are using now. I have seen other reports that do not come close to the information and clarity offered by MoldREPORT. You may be more inclined to support mold testing if you get better information from the mold report. Your Clients will appreciate that as well. Good luck in 08!
Richard,
I do use the Mold report and do agree with you that it by far superior to others. I do not wish to get into a long and drawn out debate about mold and your views concerning sampling providing road maps to moisture sources. I simply disagree based on my experiences as a mold sampler.
Determining the exact mold that is growing in your home, may or may not help determine where the source of water is coming from.
Testing the water/moisture itself can definitly help in that regard though.
Testing the mold to identify the mold species, can help with identifying health issues in the occupants of the home.
I would advise anyone living in a home with mold, to have it tested and to provide a copy of the test results to all health care providers for my family members.
Mary Ellen,
My advice is the same regarding your last comment about health care providers. I was just called into investigate a home that has issues with mold. I was not there to do sampling, someone else had already taken samples.
The "mold expert" had told my client to hire someone who could do an infrared scan on her home. He however never advised her to take the results to her family physician even though her two daughters have on going health issues that could be related to excessive mold. Which was my clients reason in hiring this "expert."
During our initial conversation I advised her to give the results to her family doctor or an allergist. She thought that was an excellent idea and I'm sure has contacted her physician.
She was a person who clearly would reap some benefit from mold sampling. However most be do not need mold sampling, but unfortunately they are convinced otherwise.
I also agree on the recommendation about contacting the health care provider, but hopefully not until all information is gathered. That is why sampling, processing the samples through the lab and forwarding the report with an explanation to the building occupant is so important. Knowledge truly is power in this process.
At HABITEC we advise Clients that mold issues may only be a part of their health issues. Other allergens such as pet hair and dander, mites, pest feces and building materials may be causing their health issues. Getting to the root cause of their health issues is a process of elimination.
I think we all agree that when the source is clearly identified it should be removed. If it is mold then the issue of who will remove it is another topic altogether. I think I hear another blog topic!?
Richard,
At HABITEC we advise Clients that mold issues may only be a part of their health issues. Other allergens such as pet hair and dander, mites, pest feces and building materials may be causing their health issues. Getting to the root cause of their health issues is a process of elimination.
Which is exactly why someone who is experiencing health issues needs an IAQ professional with the extensive training, knowledge and experience to fully sample and analyze the the building for all those potential allergens. Not a company that has taken a one to two day mold sampling course.
Hi Jim,
Well now I am really confused. Earlier you said you "did not want to get involved in a long and drawn out debate about mold" yet you have responded 4 times to this blog. You are opposed to mold testing yet you offer it as a service. You complain about 2 day mold sampling course yet I cannot see on your web site where you attended any training. Help me out here Jim, where you going with your comments?
Hi Richard,
Let me see if I can clear up your confusion.
I never said I was specifically opposed to mold testing. What I am opposed to are home inspection companies selling sampling to every home buyer as if it's a vitally necessary service. You or I are not in any way able to analyze sample results to make a determination on the indoor air quality of a home or building. Yet you speak about other indoor air quality issues other than mold.
I am the one who is confused.
Also I have taken training. I do not display the information because I no longer do business with that lab. I do not wish to promote them in any way.
As far as my offering mold sampling as a service. Yes I do with several strong disclaimers. Which is why I almost never do any sampling. I am very close to removing that service from my business.
I most often would rather differ someone to an IAQ professional. Especially as was the case recently when the client had health issues and required a full air quality determination.
As you know indoor air quality is complex, with mold being a part of the entire assessment. In my opinion it is a dis-service to conduct sampling for mold and not the total air quality of the home. That is leaving out important components of the air quality profile.