Contributed by Patrick Hartshorn
We have all heard those scarry words: “Black Mold”. Well, I have some interesting news for you, many molds are black or are mixed with dark enough colors you can’t tell the difference. There are many factors that go into the color of mold, you cannot determine the type, toxicity or any other useful information about mold based on its color alone!
Many years ago, the media industry coined the term black mold to reference a specific mold family called Stachybotrys while reporting on a famous mold case in Texas. Stachybotrys is only one of many molds that can establish growth in our homes and the interesting caveat is that Stachybotrys can be white, black, or any color in between.
Mold is impregnated within many man-made building materials and most porous construction materials already contain the necessary foods for mold to eat. Once moisture intrusion occurs the requirements for growth are already present. Once a mold growth is established, the presence of high humidity, about 60%, can sustain the growth.
Which brings us to the most-oft asked question, “Why is mold growing in my house and what is the correct way to deal with it?” Typically, the cause that starts a growth is always the same, moisture has been able to intrude our indoor space and allowed building materials to become wet enough for growth to start. The moisture source is the very first item that must be determined and corrected. Removing the mold is the second step and unfortunately, it is usually the most expensive and misunderstood part of the entire process. There are “snake oil” products and salesmen on every corner, but the correct process of mold remediation dates to biblical times and still stands true today, remove the mold! Last is the clearance process. Clearances are intended to confirm the remediation was done correctly and completely with visual documentation and analytical data. The intent of clearances is to remove litigation risk for the building owner, the remediation company, and any other parties of material interest.
This brings us to the point of this conversation, once you have indoor growth (referred to as “mold contamination” within industry standards) what is the proper approach and intended outcome. Well, just like most contractual obligations, best practices are to follow laws, regulation, codes, or industry standards. For the industry of Mold Remediation and Indoor Environmental Consulting there are no local laws, regulations, or codes, but there are American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved industry standards. Following these standards assures the process is done to the best-known methods available to-date and to a level sufficient of obtaining the necessary clearances. Failure to follow the standards leaves all parties involved at risk for that dreaded litigation, a pathway I can assure you is never a win for project owners, or any others involved.
The industry standard has entire sections dedicated to the proper removal of mold without the use of chemical products. The standard states, “Physically removing mold contamination is the primary means of remediation. Mold should be physically removed from the structure, systems, and contents to return them to Condition 1. Attempts to kill, encapsulate or inhibit mold instead of proper source removal generally are not adequate”. Many like to disagree with that statement or wordsmith their way around it, but there are 64 pages with 17 sections in the standard that are backed by science and peer reviewed credible documentation.
There is also a federal law forbidding the use of chemical products “in violation of their labeling”. The chemical products I have been introduced to for this industry typically state on their label “for use on non-porous solid surfaces only”! One very common over the counter product recently changed their label to say, “on hard surfaces”, tricky wordsmithing there! In short, they are solid surface cleaners, not remediation tools for porous construction materials. It is also worth noting they are registered pesticides, and that EPA Number on the bottle is not the “Mold Killer Registry” (there is no such thing), it is the “Pesticide Registry number”!
Science has proven that mold does not die, it goes into dormancy. Studies have shown that an active (growing) spore has the same allergenic and toxigenic characteristics as an inactive (dormant) spore.
With actions such as the application of chemical products, mold can go into a “defensive state of
dormancy” while the conditions are not favorable. Mold can then become viable (able to grow) once the conditions return to a favorable environment. Any sampling during the dormancy stage will provide a false result of “non-viable” (dormant) mold, leading service providers to claim the mold is “dead” and consumers to believe the problem is solved. I have personally witnessed chemical attempts at remediation that have cost innocent consumers thousands of dollars for legitimate remediation that was not their responsibility!
This is the start of a conversation that cannot be covered in one article, more on this subject next month.
Patrick Hartshorn IH, CRMI
Advance Look Building Inspections & Environmental Testing 907-232-1007 • info@advancelookak.com
