Mold Spores In Your Home - How Much Is To Much

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Article Title:

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Mold Spores In Your Home - How Much Is To Much

Article Description:

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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. "

Additional Article Information:

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866 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2007-05-15 11:48:00

Written By: Daryl Watters

Copyright: 2007

Contact Email: mailto:daryl.watters@...

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Mold Spores In Your Home - How Much Is To Much

Copyright © 2007 Daryl Watters

A Accredited Mold Inspection Service, Inc.

http://www.floridamoldinspectors.us

The below information was not provided as final and definitive

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 colony forming units per

cubic meter of air. Remember that> means greater than.

so>1,000 contamination means greater than 1,000 spores per cubic

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, C. s, PhD, MPH, PE,

CIH, CSP, CMR and Gail M. s, 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

<750 acceptable.

Czech Republic 2000 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 Bureau 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.*

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 Caoimhín 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,

C. s, PhD, MPH, PE, CIH, CSP, CMR and Gail M. s, MS,

CSP, CMR

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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 inspection information visit

http://www.florida-mold-inspection.com

http://www.freemoldinspectionreporting.com