Spore testing, ERMI and probability of inaccuracy increasing with age of building or past wetness

[Guest guest]

Carl and Jeff,

I have a question for you. Does this theory seem like it makes sense

to you? If not, why not?

With the recent debates over spore testing and more recently, ERMI, I

am kind of distressed because I am getting the feeling that all

current methods of mold testing have a lot of problems when used for

post-remediation situations.

Especially when the testing done is brief and hurried.

Perhaps this should be codified somehow, something like this? Could

some statement like this be put in your S520?

" the older a building is and/or the more time that that building has

spent with water in it, or if indicator molds like stachy have been

found, the more likely it is that ANY given kind of testing would

underestimate the degree of severity of the health problems there,

relative to the actual experience of the people who had been made sick

there "

(Perhaps some explicit guidelines that say the older the building is,

or the wetter the building has been, or if stachy has been found

there, the more testing NEEDS to be done)

(Its really simple math that proves this, simple probability theory. )

I think that unless this is put in writing, skillful people will find

ways to obscure this simple fact endlessly.