Mold testing instead of mold inspections to determine if a home in Naples, Marco Island, Bonita
Springs, or North Naples has a "mold problem" should be avoided.
February 2008 Newsletter (below)
| Has your buyer walked because of a Home Inspectors "elevated
mold" test report? |
EPA
Considering Bioaerosol Sampling
http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldcourse/chapter7/lesson2.html
"remember
that a negative sampling report must not be used in place of a visual survey. Factors such as barometric
pressure, inside and outside temperatures, activity levels, and humidity may dramatically reduce or increase the spore levels
within a building. Air sampling for mold provides information on what was in the air only for the moment when the sampling
occurred. It is important, therefore, that sampling not replace visual inspection." |
Can your home inspector interpret your
lab results?
http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldcourse/chapter3/lesson3.html
"Sampling for mold should be conducted by professionals who have specific
experience in designing mold sampling protocols, sampling methods, and interpreting the results." EPA
"Experience in interpretation of results
is essential.” EPA
WallRadon Testing, Inc.
Radon & Mold Professionals
AmIAQC Board Certified Indoor Environmentalists (CIE)
Office: (239) 498-4619 - (800) 881-3837 -
(239) 596-0774
Fax: (239) 949-5948
Mailing address:
195 5th Street
Bonita Springs, FL 34134
Serving Florida since 1999 |
| Is The NABOR Contract Wrong?
Homes should not be labeled as having a "mold problem"
based on air samples only.
Doug Wall, CIE, CRMI John Cosgrove, CIE, CRMI
Radon & Mold Professionals
February 2008 Newsletter
| |
|
|
|
Is the NABOR contract "Defective
Inspection Items", Standard D.2.b promoting an outdated if not misleading method for determining
if a home has a mold problem?
""the presence of toxic or pathogenic molds is actionable under the contract if such molds test at levels within the
interior of the dwelling exceeding the levels of the same molds existing on the exterior of the dwelling." page 10,
NABOR News Magazine
Governor Crist sign a new mold law for Florida in 2007 regulating mold inspectors; one of reasons for this law
is that homes are being mislabeled as having or not having a mold problem by unqualified inspectors.
Effective 2010
Mold Assessment Professionals nation wide believe:
Mold testing
alone should not be used to determine if a home has a mold problem. (see just some of data supporting
this below)
The New Florida mold law defines mold assessment: "inspection to formulate an initial hypothesis about the origin, identity, location, and extent of
amplification of mold."
Mold inspection
reports should identify sources and extent of mold problem and recommendations for corrections based on nationally accepted
industry standards.
Only Home Inspectors promote
the idea you can decide if a home has a mold problem based on air samples only.
The new Florida law will license Mold Inspectors separately from Home
Inspectors in 2010.
New Florida law:
3 to 4 years to be a Mold Inspector,
3 to 4 weeks to be a Home Inspector.
A qualified Mold Inspector, not a lab, should decide if a home has a mold problem,
based on visual inspection and lab analysis.
A qualified Mold inspector will include source identification and recommendations for corrections
based on nationally accepted industry standards in a mold inspection report.
Mold air samples can easily be false positive or false negitive
for many reasons.
Professional mold inspectors should already carry the $1million
insurance required by new Florida law in 2010.
All Professional Mold Inspectors should have an inspection agreement,
a requirement of the new Florida Law in 2010.
Moisture investigation is a vital part of any mold inspection. Mold
needs moisture to grow. (source identification)
Infrared Thermal Imager Cameras are invaluable tool for all moisture
and mold inspections; yet few home inspectors have them.
NABOR should not
wait until the new law is enforced to require mold inspectors to have the $1million in insurance, a signed agreement
for mold assessment, and a report that identifies the mold sources, extent and recommendations for corrections based
on nationally accepted industry standards.
|
| |
Realty Times:
Should Unlicensed Inspectors Be Allowed To Do Mold Inspections?
by Blanche Evans
http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20030924_inspectors.htm
"The buyer requested a mold test of the home inspector, which he performed by sampling the air. The test
showed mold, and the buyer walked."
"As the homeowners of this house,
we were shocked," says Fossler. "We have never had any intrusion of water or flood. I wanted to know where this mold was and
how to eradicate it. I began by hiring a certified environmentalist. Over a two-day
period and two inspectors inspecting the wall cavities, the attic, roof, bathrooms, HVAC (air-conditioning) system and collecting
pertinent data samples including air samples, relative humidity readings, and CO2 levels, the results showed no evidence of
mold in this house."
"Fossler continues, "The home inspector
did not collect any of this data -- only a minuscule amount of air sampling inside and outside the home."
|
| |
|
Hiring
a qualified mold inspector may be more important than you think.
http://www.ieconnections.com/archive/apr_05/apr_05.htm#article2 " The survey of 1,040 adults nationwide was conducted by telephone over four days in February
by Opinion Research Corporation, and results were released last month by CertainTeed Corporation, manufacturer of vinyl and
fiber products.
Among other findings of the survey was that
84 percent of respondents said
they would not buy an existing home that had a mold problem or buy from a builder who had a mold problem in the past. | |
New Florida Inspection / Mold Law:
effective: 2010
http://election.dos.state.fl.us/laws/07laws/ch_2007-235.pdf
Ch. 2007-235 LAWS OF FLORIDA Ch.
2007-235
10
468.8411 Definitions
(3) "Mold assessment" means
a process performed by a mold assessor
that includes the physical sampling and detailed evaluation of data obtained
from a building history and inspection to formulate an initial hypothesis
about the origin, identity, location, and extent of amplification of mold
468.8421 Insurance.-
(1) A
mold assessor shall maintain general liability and errors and omissions
insurance coverage in an amount of not less than $1,000,000.
468.8422 Contracts.-A contract to perform mold assessment or mold
remediation shall be in a document or electronic record, signed or otherwise authenticated by the parties. A mold assessment contract is not
required to provide estimates related
to the cost of repair of an assessed property.
|
| |
|
Why You should NOT use just Air Samples
to determine if a home has a mold problem. | |
EPA
Considering Bioaerosol Sampling
http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldcourse/chapter7/lesson2.html
"remember
that a negative sampling report must not be used in place of a visual survey. Factors such as barometric
pressure, inside and outside temperatures, activity levels, and humidity may dramatically reduce or increase the spore levels
within a building. Air sampling for mold provides information on what was in the air only for the moment when the sampling
occurred. It is important, therefore, that sampling not replace visual inspection." | |
|
MoldReport™
http://www.moldreport.com/mold_faq.html
"A professional
mold inspector does not rely only on air sampling results to decide whether or not a home has a mold problem. Carefully conducted sampling is combined with visual inspections and discussions with the homeowner.
In addition, many different factors affect the reliability of an air sampler. The professional mold inspector understands
these variables and accounts for them in the sampling plan." | |
|
H A R V A R D U N I V E R S I T Y
Environmental Health & Safety
Indoor Environmental Quality |
http://www.uos.harvard.edu/ehs/ih/mold_tips.pdf
"Sampling
results are of limited value because mold concentrations inside and outside vary considerably, methods of collection and analysis
are not standardized and no widely accepted exposure guidelines exist." | |
The book "Fungal Contamination" is considered one of
the best mold inspection resources documents in the country by professional mold assessors.
Fungal Contamination:
"A Manual For Investigation, Remediation And Control"
By: Hollace S. Bailey, PE, CIAQP, CIE, CMR
www.becifl.com
- "Anything can be toxic in high enough concentrations, even water! If
you drink too much water to quickly, your body fluids will become dilute. The result is tissue damage and death."
- "The overall visual observations made of the building must be considered in combination with the results
of any testing, to determine the overall condition of the building. Test results alone should
never be considered to give a definitive account of the building's condition."
-
"Testing is just another tool that provides us with information.
By itself, testing does not do anything, accomplish anything, or fix anything."
-
"Indoor
levels of fungal spores may also be elevated as a result of poor interior hygiene and housekeeping. This by itself, or in conjunction with inadequate air movement and filtration,
can easily result in elevated levels of spores both in the dust on surfaces (transitory) and in the air."
|
| |
|
http://www.inspect-ny.com/sickhouse/OutdoorMoldCounts.htm
"warm weather spore counts vary during the day as weather conditions (humidity, temperature, period after rainfall) affect
sporulation and spore movement.
Section 2.4.2.2 of The ACGIH Bioaerosols: Assessment and Remediation offers:
Investigators
should bear in mind that samples provide information about a site as it existed at the time tested. However, the findings
may not represent conditions at a time in the past or future, even the relatively recent past or near future. Changes in the
kinds, concentrations, and proportions of biological agents in the air can be rapid and substantial. -- thanks to S. Flappan for suggesting this citation.
"OPINION: There are severe
problems in the standard practice comparing indoor and outdoor spore counts to decide if a building has a mold problem." | |
Concentration Bursts of Mold Spores Cause
Variation in Indoor or Outdoor Mold Level Counts
ACGIH Bioaerosols: Assessment and Remediation states [section 1.2.3]:
Some organisms and
sources release aerosols as 'concentration bursts' which may only rarely be detected by limited grab sampling and may be masked
in measurements of long-term average concentrations. Nevertheless, such episodic bioaerosol releases may produce significant
health effects. -- thanks to S.
Flappan for suggesting this citation.
"Spores are not always
airborne during sampling: Mold spores may not be in interior air at the time of the sample but may be present
in high levels at other times." | |
Martin Yerfino, CIE
Many Mold inspection companies
only perform "Mold Testing". Mold testing should not be confused with a Mold Inspection.
Mold testing refers to collecting air or surface samples which are analyzed by a laboratory, this procedure will only determine
the mold spore count and spore identification. This process will not help determine what caused the problem, the source
or the solution to it; but is very helpful when performed in conjunction with a full inspection.
A mold inspection report should at least include:
·
Air and or surface sampling
· Findings of visual assessment
· Boroscope inspection
· Air Conditioning test and inspection
· Identification of water intrusion sources
· Relative
Humidity and condensation readings
· infrared thermal imaging inspection
· Particle counts
· Building pressure test
· Moisture detection
· Prevention and correction Recommendations
| |
|
University of Minnesota fungal experts
http://www.inspect-ny.com/sickhouse/OutdoorMoldCounts.htm
"The University of Minnesota
fungal experts observe that an outdoor-baseline comparison to indoor air is not valid when the outdoor sample was taken during
or immediately after precipitation (spore counts plummet outdoors in the rain and might soar right after it)," | |
|
http://www.inspect-ny.com/sickhouse/MoldTestNegatives.htm
Individual samples of particles in air show tremendous variation from minute to minute, making "ok" airborne mold spore
test results a thing to view with skepticism. Examples of factors which can cause an exponential difference in particle levels
in indoor residential air over short time intervals include: mechanical disturbance (walking across a carpet or moving a moldy
cardboard box), operation of hot air heating system or central air conditioning system, operation of other building fans,
particularly ceiling fans and vacuum cleaners, turning lights on and off, and opening or closing windows and doors
"Risk of false negative
mold tests: Experienced mold contamination investigators should have little confidence that a one-time low
or "ok" "toxic mold test spore count" is an assurance that problematic particles are not present." | |
|
Mold Bill Becomes Law July 1
Fort Myers The News-Press, July 5, 2007
By Joe Adams
jadams@becker-poliakoff.com
http://www.becker-poliakoff.com/pubs/articles/adams/adams_2007_07_05.pdf
"SB 2234 provides various
definitions. "Mold Assessment" is the process performed by a mold assessor that includes the physical sampling and detailed
evaluation of data obtained from a building history and inspection to formulate an initial hypothesis about the origin, identity, location and extent of amplification of mold"
Mr. Adams concentrates his practice
on the law of community association law, primarily representing condominium, cooperative, and homeowners' associations and
country clubs. Mr. Adams has represented more than 600 community associations and serves as managing shareholder of the Firm's
Naples and Ft. Myers offices.
| |
|
Effects of Biological Sampling on Real Estate Value
Jeffrey Deuitch
Microbiologist
& Mycologist
Int'l Microbiology & Mold Group
Palmetto, Fla.
http://www.ieconnections.com/archive/jan_06/jan_06.htm#article6
"The lack of support from the investigator
resulted in a buyer with many questions and no answers. In the spirit of "playing it safe" the buyer exercised a release from
contractual obligations. The deal was broken, but that was not the end of the ordeal. My friend's real estate agent, believing
that the results of the mold testing constituted a defect in the property, felt ethically obligated to disclose the existence
of the mold to all subsequent prospects."
"My
conclusions after examining the lab results, and after the inspector was contacted to explain the protocols employed, was
that the house did not have any defects and that the inspector implemented flawed protocols. Unfortunately by that
time, the damage was done." | |
|
Mold
testing should be done following published nationally accepted industry sampling standards.
Indoor Environmental Standards Organization (IESO) has published testing standards approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). IESO standards tell you when to test, how to test and why to test.
Environmental
Solutions Association has similar sampling standards but they are not approved by ANSI, the accreditation process takes
years.
We
have home /mold inspectors collecting mold samples using their best guess instead of established science based protocols. |
| |
Line in the Sand
Megan Headley
Editor,
Moldmag
http://www.randrmagonline.com/RR/Home/Files/PDF/Mold2007_04_JulAug.pdf
"Is there any way to teach home inspectors enough about mold that they don't scare homebuyers with false alarms"
"As more than one person suggested, a home inspector can be compared to
a general practitioner (GP), while calling in the mold inspector is like visiting a specialist.
The GP may be able to get a sense that something is wrong with the patient, but it's up the specialist to perform tests to discover the real problem and its significance. The goal is to keep the GP from sending
the
patient running away in fear before the specialist can determine that those
headaches are really a result of minor dehydration, not of a massive tumor.
It's been said that a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous."
The Home Inspector mold "problem" is expected to disappear when the Florida Mold law becomes
effective. Texas passed a similar law a few years ago and eliminated the home inspector from mold assessment. |
|
Are Real Estate Agents and Home Inspectors Labeling Homes as having Mold Problems
based just on PRO LAB REPORTS?
(from PRO LAB website, Confidential Report page)
"PRO-LAB/SSPTM Inc. makes no express or implied warranties as
to such use or interpretation. "
"PRO-LAB/SSPTM Inc. is not able to make and does not make a determination as to the environmental
soundness, safety or health of a property from only the samples sent to their laboratory for analysis." |
New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
Bureau of Environmental & Occupational Disease
Epidemiology
Guidelines
on Assessment and Remediation
of Fungi in Indoor Environments
2.1 Visual Inspection
"A
visual inspection is the most important initial step in identifying a possible contamination problem."
|
| |
This air sampling cassette is from
PRO LAB and used by many home inspectors in our area.
The supplier clearly states that it is used to get preliminary information on whether FURTHER INVESTIGATION
IS NEEDED.
You do not call a mold remediator, you call a mold
inspector if you have elevated mold levels with a Z-5.
____________________________________________________
PRO LAB
advertisement for Z-5
http://www.reliablelab.com/store/index.html?lang=en-us&target=p32.html
5 liter x 5 minute air sampling cassette made by ZEFON exclusively for PRO-LAB.
The Z5 sampling
cassette is a cost effective, first-line mold screening tool that efficiently and reliably collects mold. It can be easily used by home inspectors to get
preliminary information on whether a mold problem may exist and further investigation is warranted.
|
| |
|
http://www.inspect-ny.com/sickhouse/OutdoorMoldCounts.htm
Air samples may miss important particles
or may point to the "wrong" particles
High risk of false negative airborne mold test results: Indoor air samples are at high risk
of giving a "false negative result" - indicating no problem when a problem is present, either completely missing the presence
of the most problematic spores in a building or which indicating as "the problem" the wrong spores in a building simply because
they were dominant at the time sampled. Outdoor or indoor "Pen/Asp" spore counts are often compared erroneously in
cases where the indoor genera/species is quite different from the indoor genera/species. For example a "low" indoor count
that is all Aspergillus niger may indicate a problem, even though it's lower than the outside "Pen/Asp" count
if the outdoor count was actually Penicillium sp. or perhaps even basidiomycetes mistaken for Pen/Asp. | |
|
List of some of the factors that
can cause a False positive Mold Test:
"Conditions that Cause High Variation in Indoor Airborne Particle Levels"
http://www.inspect-ny.com/sickhouse/MoldTestVariables.htm
"A carpeted room with someone walking across the carpeting will produce a higher particle count than an un-carpeted room, other conditions
being equal."
"A room occupied by several people walking about or a bedroom with a child bouncing on a bed will produce higher airborne particle counts than the conditions
listed above."
"A room with windows open in a tall building will have considerably
more air movement (due to convection currents in the building)
and may have considerably higher airborne particle counts than when the window is shut."
"Outdoor mold counts are tricky to compare with
indoor mold spore counts because the same genera counted by a lab,
say Pen/Asp may both be the same genera (say Aspergillus but the species may be completely different,
making comparison of these two numbers meaningless."
After attending thousands of inspections, we have
noticed:
- Realtors love to open all the doors prior to an inspection. (NOT GOOD)
- Homeowners often vacuum their carpets just prior to a Real Estate
inspection, this really helps increase the airborne spores inside
the home. (NOT GOOD)
| |
|
Most Common Mistake For Outdoor Air Sample Collection.
Outdoor or base line air sample must be collected at least 10 feet from the structure according to the Indoor Environmental Standards Organization (IESO).
This is the only standard for mold testing approved by the American National Standards Institute.
Environmental Solutions Association
(ESA)
requires outdoor air sample to be taken at least 5 feet from the structure.
Common example of not following accepted industry standards:
Many Home / Mold Inspectors collect outdoor air samples on the
lanai or balcony (not to standard). This can possibly cross contaminate the outdoor sample,
resulting in a false spore count. |
| Highlights of New Florida Inspector / Mold Law
|
Florida State Licensed
Home
Inspector |
Florida
State Licensed
Mold
Inspector
(
Assessor) |
|
Minimum
time to become licensed
3 to 4 WEEKS |
Minimum
time to become licensed
3 to 4 YEARS |
|
Requirements:
- 120 hours of approved training
- Pass a state test
- NO experience
- $300,000 Liability
|
Requirements:
· Extensive approved training
· Pass a state test
· 4 years experience
· Minimum $1 million Liability &
E&O insurance
(1 year of experience with specific College degrees) |
|
Companies providing Home Inspection services must be certified by the
FL DBPR. |
Companies providing Mold Inspection services must be certified
by the FL Department of Business and Professional Regulation. |
|
Continuing Education Classes Required |
Continuing Education Classes Required | | |
|
Dr. Harriet Burge is director of aerobiology
at EMLab P&K and associate professor and director of the microbiology laboratory at Harvard School of Public Health. Widely
considered the leading expert in IAQ, Dr. Burge pioneered the field more than 30 years ago. She has served as a member of
three National Academy of Sciences committees for IAQ, including as vice chair of the Committee on the Health Effects of Indoor
Allergens.
http://www.ieconnections.com/archive/apr_05/apr_05.htm#article2
Harriet Burge, : "There are no simplistic answers
in this field. There is a place for visual observation followed by direct recommendations for remediation. There is
also a place for visual observation followed by strategic sampling before recommendations for remediation are made. I agree that much sampling that is done is wasted money. However, properly designed sampling strategies
that test specific hypotheses can be extremely valuable in environmental investigations." | |
| Agents and
Home Inspectors may want the Mold Inspection to be simple, quick and easy but in the real world it is not.
If Mold assessment were simple the new Florida law would not require 4 years experience
to get a license.
Having a
home inspector take air samples and then have a lab hundreds of miles away label a home based on "elevated mold condition exist" is considered wrong by most mold professionals.
Many local
home inspectors use a Florida lab, PRO-LAB for analysis, then the home inspector and the agents label the home as having a
mold problem based solely on air samples and then call a remediation company. Remember:
"PRO-LAB/SSPTM
Inc. is not able to make and does not make a determination as to the environmental soundness, safety or health of a property
from only the samples sent to their laboratory for analysis."
REMEDIATION COMPANIES CLEANUP MOLD, IT IS NOT THEIR JOB
TO FIND IT.
NEW FLORIDA LAW WILL MAKE IT ILLEGAL FOR A MOLD REMEDIATION COMPANY
TO DO ASSESSMENT AND REMEDIATION WORK ON THE SAME JOB WITHIN 12 MONTHS.
| |
WallRadon Testing, Inc
Radon & Mold Professionals
FL DOH certified Radon Business,
RB1938
FL DOH certified Radon Technicians,
R1751, R1867, R1778
AmIAQC board Certifed Indoor
Environmentalists (CIE)
AmIAQC board Certified
Residential Mold Inspectors (CRMI)
John Cosgrove, CIE, CRMI &
Doug Wall, CIE, CRMI
Office: (239) 498-4619 toll
free: (800) 881-3837
Serving Florida since 1999, we have performed
over 13,000
radon tests and over 5,500 mold inspections with
thousands of mold tests.
Best Service / Best Report
/ Best Test
Our insurance coverage has always exceeded the requirements
of the new Florida law requirement of $1 million .
Mold Inspections
/ Mold Testing / Radon Testing | |
|
Disclaimer
In no event
shall WallRadon Testing, Inc. be liable for any special, indirect or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting
from loss of any kind including profits, in any action arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of information
available from this newsletter. All advertisers or links in this email are for general information purposes only. It is the
sole responsibility of any person viewing these pages to verify by outside means the accuracy of the information prior to
taking any action based on the content of this email and any site connected to it via a hyperlink and you should consult your
personal realtor, attorney, accountant or respective professional before acting upon information contained herein. | | |
We are sending this email to try clarifying some unintended confusion in our newsletter.
Is the
NABOR contract "Defective Inspection Items", Standard D.2.b promoting an outdated if not misleading method for determining
if a home has a mold problem?
This is a question, intended to create discussion. We never intended to "claim" the NABOR
sales contracts are deficient. We thought we were making helpful recommendations.
"You
will note that the contract requires not just elevated indoor spore count, but also a determination that the elevated
mold by species is toxic or pathogenic. This is a significantly higher threshold often not met by
current inspector protocols or the lab reports they generate."
As we understand the NABOR contract requirements:
"if molds test at levels within the interior of the dwelling exceeding the levels of
the same molds existing on the exterior of the dwelling."
Also required:
"As in the previous contract, the molds still must be shown to be of a toxic or pathogenic
species to be the subject of a buyer's remediation request."
To identify the species of a mold:
1. Requires a viable sample (collected sample is grown in lab for several days).
or
2. Collected sample is analysed to determine the mold's species based on it's DNA.
To compare the inside species of a mold to the outdoors species of mold is certainly
possible for a Real Estate transaction using a viable sample collection. To determine if a mold species is toxic
may require a toxicity test. This type of testing (species identification) requires several days from start to finish.
It common for us to provide species identification of molds when our clients have health issues
concerning mold.
John Cosgrove performed over 800 mold inspections in 2007 with thousands
of mold samples collected, testing is only part of our mold inspection. 23% of our work was for Real Estate in
2007.
John has NEVER met the NABOR requirements for a mold
test.
We are not aware of any local inspector providing species identification for mold
both inside and outside in any Real Estate mold assessment as required by NABOR.
If an inspector has performed mold testing that meets the NABOR contract requirements
we would appreciate knowing more about the testing outcome.
(Has any of the 237 inspectors that recieve our newsletter
ever meet the NABOR requirements? Please let us know. Someone must be performing mold tests that meet the NABOR
requirements.)
We have been involved with hundreds, if not thousands
of Real Estate mold problems and have yet to see molds identified to the species level before remediation
companies are called.
Most of our work comes from reputable remediation
companies that need us to identify the source of the problem and write recommendations for corrections.
- If so, why are the NABOR requirements of identifing the toxic and pathogenic molds to the species level being
ignored?
___________________________________________________________________________
We tried to list several reputable sources
that feel using mold air samples, (whether the mold is toxic or pathogenic), is not enough information to decide if home has
a problem. This was to stimulate discussion not effort to be critical.
Our statement:
"Homes should not be labeled as having a "mold problem" based on air samples only." is wrong
according to NABOR requirements.
____________________________________________________________
(These sources in the newsletter below, list problems with using just tests to decide if a home has a mold
problem)
1) EPA , Considering Bioaerosol Sampling
http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldcourse/chapter7/lesson2.h
2) Preventive Medicine/Industrial Hygiene Guide
http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/mold/TG278.pdf
4)American conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH)
Section 2.4.2.2 of The ACGIH Bioaerosols:
Assessment and Remediation http://www.inspect-ny.com/sickhouse/OutdoorMoldCounts.htm
ACGIH Bioaerosols: Assessment
and Remediation states [section 1.2.3]:
5) Fungal Contamination: "A Manual For Investigation, Remediation And Control" By: Hollace S. Bailey, PE, CIAQP, CIE, CMR www.becifl.com
6)University of Minnesota fungal experts http://www.inspect-ny.com/sickhouse/OutdoorMoldCounts.htm
Some people believe the reason for this, many "inspectors" would not qualify for a mold license today.
Texas passed a similar law a few years ago and went from about 600 mold inspectors to less than a 100 on the day the
law became effective.
- "Mold assessment" means a process performed by a mold assessor
that includes the physical sampling and detailed evaluation of data obtained
from a building history and inspection to formulate an initial hypothesis
about the origin, identity, location, and extent
of amplification of mold
growth of greater than ten square feet.
-
Many people believe if you have less 10 square feet of mold
producing mycotoxins you will not need a licensed mold inspector under the new law to assess the problem even after
2010. This will be a personal choice.
Mold needs moisture to grow. A moisture meter can scan a square inch at a time, an infrared camera can scan several square
feet at a time, even vaulted ceiling. Most professional mold inspections include finding a source of any suspected
mold problem, but mold inspections are done everyday without an infrared camera.
Our newsletter is an effort to urge concerned Florida residents to be proactive not reactive
to the new Florida mold law effective in 2010.
I apologize if anyone felt this was critical
of the NABOR contract.
We do not produce our newsletter
to create work for our business; our competitors also receive our newsletters all across Florida.
An inspector not having insurance,
performing work without an agreement and not identifying the source of any mold problem appears to be normal in our area. It would seem requiring these things would benefit everyone involved.
We have tried for years to be helpful to all, we often perform radon tests and mold inspections for/with
many of our inspection competitors.
Doug Wall, CIE
2-7-2008
just
my opinion:
" A truly
competent Mold Assessor ( not Inspector) first interviews the client to determine their concerns. They then perform a comprehensive
examination of the dwelling and property to determine a course of sample collection plane of action.
After an inspection
- If mold is found either by air sample of in the presence of growth - then absolutely - further sampling should be done.
But if you have no evidence of existing or previous damage to a home and air sample comes back low - your job is done!
In the absence of an ill client - and in the absence of evidence - further
testing is excessive and unjustifiable."
"If there
IS however evidence that further and more specialized testing is required - then - absolutely - it should also be
done."
"I do
not believe that Home Inspectors should do both inspections on the same house at the same time. I believe if you are going
to do the Full Home Inspection - you should ask another Inspector (or associate) to perform the mold assessment. Two entirely
different inspections for two entirely different reasons performed two entirely (but similar) ways."
Zoe Fackler
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Mold Inspections, not mold tests alone, are the nationally accepted way to determine if a home has a mold problem. Real
Estate agents in Naples, Marco Island, Bonita Springs and North Naples should understand that mold tests alone do not provide
enough information to properly determine if a home has a mold problem.
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