Re: Inside the Business of Mold Inspecting

[Guest guest]

There were supposed to be TV stations in 10 other cities

conducting these " sting " operations on the same day. They were

similar to the one in LA and Phoenix several months ago that was

posted here. I haven't heard what happened in the others.

The difference here was there was no suspected visible mold

(actually eyeliner on the wall) like in LA and Phoenix. Here they

offered an obviously remodelled bathroom.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

> Mark Sayre, Investigative Reporter

> I-Team: Inside the Business of Mold Inspecting

> May 7, 2008

> KLAS-TV - Las Vegas,NV*

>

> http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=8281739 & nav=menu102_2

>

> Just hearing the word mold probably scares you. Can mold kill you?

> Will you get sick? What should you do if you have mold in your home?

>

> There are no government standards relating to mold exposure. Nor are

> there any government requirements in order to call yourself a mold

> inspector. You can take out an advertisement and call yourself one

> right now.

>

> But the fear of mold is big business, and big money.

>

> Read the EPA's Mold Guide

>

> The I-Team called three different companies that call themselves

> mold inspectors and asked them to take a look at this recently

> remodeled bathroom. But before the house calls, we put hidden

> cameras in the bathroom, including one in a plant and another in a

> child's toy. We also checked with Professor Stezenbach from

> UNLV. She's an expert in mold.

>

> " Well, mold are a type of fungi and they are filamentous -- they

> grow very well, " she said.

>

> In a dry climate, Stetzenbach says dangerous indoor mold is not

> usually a problem unless there is significant water damage, such as

> a burst pipe.

>

> " That mold may pose a health risk to you -- it might cause an

> allergic reaction, it might cause an irritant response, " she said.

>

> While the government does not set health standards governing mold

> exposure, the Environmental Protection Agency does recommend removal

> of indoor mold. But the EPA says you can often do it yourself.

>

> " You have to be a knowledgeable consumer, " said Stetzenbach.

>

> But that's a big challenge. With all of those competing ads in the

> Yellow Pages and the internet, who's going to give you the straight

> story on mold?

>

> Back inside our home, Tom Quid from SOS Environmental says he is a

> Senior Field Hygienist. Quid finds nothing using a moisture meter

> then suggests an expensive air sample.

>

> " One sample is $150, " he said.

>

> It took Quid just ten minutes to check out the bathroom, " It is

> still not showing anything so you should not have any problems. "

>

> Quid then collected his equipment and the agreed upon fee, " It will

> be $245 to SOS Environmental. "

>

> So what did we get for our money?

>

> Two hours after Quid left, a 13 page report arrived by e-mail. It

> had this drawing of the bathroom and a recommendation to reseal the

> toilet.

>

> Larry from Moldsniffers never did give us his last name. He also

> asked about air samples, " But it is $100 extra for each sample. "

>

> Larry then used a flashlight and a moisture meter to look around the

> bathroom. In just ten minutes, Larry also gives us the good news.

>

> " I scanned the walls, scanned your floor around and went around your

> toilet and everything else and there's nothing back there at all.

> It's dry, " he said.

>

> Larry seemed to apologize for collecting the agreed upon $195

> fee, " It may not seem like I did anything there. "

>

> He also told us how fortunate we were.

>

> " There's nothing at all going on with your bathroom, so you're safe

> as can be, " he said.

>

> Larry gave us the card of his boss, a man named Lundgaard, who

> says he is a Certified Microbial Investigator.

>

> Even though Lundgaard never visited the property, he signed a 9 page

> report which had some pictures of the bathroom and a comment that

> there was " no fungal growth observed. "

>

> Finally, we were visited by Murat Hodzic. His card says he is

> certified in mold inspection. It took him less than five minutes to

> give his conclusion, " Here you don't have any, any mold. "

>

> Hodzic suggested we buy a sealant, but never took any moisture

> readings at all, relying only on his observations.

>

> " I don't see any evidence and I don't see any reason that you have

> to do the testing, " he said.

>

> How much did it cost?

>

> " I told you on the phone $100 dollars, " he said.

>

> None of the men or the companies they work for agreed to on-camera

> interviews. When we went to their business addresses, we found two

> UPS Store mail drops and one private residence.

>

> By phone, the I-Team was told all the men who came to our house were

> all certified by various private industry groups, but with no

> government standards on certification, there's no way to know what

> you are actually getting.

>

> Email your comments to Investigative Reporter Mark Sayre

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

> FAIR USE NOTICE:

>

>

[Guest guest]

But actually testing with a moisture meter is a good start. That's how

bau-biologie found that Debra Dadd had a leak in her bathroom behind

the wall and mold growth you couldn't see.

I'm thinking if you periodically moisture test your home you will find

any moisture in the walls and head off a problem. However different

building materials require different moisture meters, I think.

>

> Mark Sayre, Investigative Reporter

> I-Team: Inside the Business of Mold Inspecting

> May 7, 2008

> KLAS-TV - Las Vegas,NV*

>

> http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=8281739 & nav=menu102_2

>

> Just hearing the word mold probably scares you. Can mold kill you?

> Will you get sick? What should you do if you have mold in your home?

>

> There are no government standards relating to mold exposure. Nor are

> there any government requirements in order to call yourself a mold

> inspector. You can take out an advertisement and call yourself one

> right now.

>

> But the fear of mold is big business, and big money.

>

> Read the EPA's Mold Guide

>

> The I-Team called three different companies that call themselves

> mold inspectors and asked them to take a look at this recently

> remodeled bathroom. But before the house calls, we put hidden

> cameras in the bathroom, including one in a plant and another in a

> child's toy. We also checked with Professor Stezenbach from

> UNLV. She's an expert in mold.

>

> " Well, mold are a type of fungi and they are filamentous -- they

> grow very well, " she said.

>

> In a dry climate, Stetzenbach says dangerous indoor mold is not

> usually a problem unless there is significant water damage, such as

> a burst pipe.

>

> " That mold may pose a health risk to you -- it might cause an

> allergic reaction, it might cause an irritant response, " she said.

>

> While the government does not set health standards governing mold

> exposure, the Environmental Protection Agency does recommend removal

> of indoor mold. But the EPA says you can often do it yourself.

>

> " You have to be a knowledgeable consumer, " said Stetzenbach.

>

> But that's a big challenge. With all of those competing ads in the

> Yellow Pages and the internet, who's going to give you the straight

> story on mold?

>

> Back inside our home, Tom Quid from SOS Environmental says he is a

> Senior Field Hygienist. Quid finds nothing using a moisture meter

> then suggests an expensive air sample.

>

> " One sample is $150, " he said.

>

> It took Quid just ten minutes to check out the bathroom, " It is

> still not showing anything so you should not have any problems. "

>

> Quid then collected his equipment and the agreed upon fee, " It will

> be $245 to SOS Environmental. "

>

> So what did we get for our money?

>

> Two hours after Quid left, a 13 page report arrived by e-mail. It

> had this drawing of the bathroom and a recommendation to reseal the

> toilet.

>

> Larry from Moldsniffers never did give us his last name. He also

> asked about air samples, " But it is $100 extra for each sample. "

>

> Larry then used a flashlight and a moisture meter to look around the

> bathroom. In just ten minutes, Larry also gives us the good news.

>

> " I scanned the walls, scanned your floor around and went around your

> toilet and everything else and there's nothing back there at all.

> It's dry, " he said.

>

> Larry seemed to apologize for collecting the agreed upon $195

> fee, " It may not seem like I did anything there. "

>

> He also told us how fortunate we were.

>

> " There's nothing at all going on with your bathroom, so you're safe

> as can be, " he said.

>

> Larry gave us the card of his boss, a man named Lundgaard, who

> says he is a Certified Microbial Investigator.

>

> Even though Lundgaard never visited the property, he signed a 9 page

> report which had some pictures of the bathroom and a comment that

> there was " no fungal growth observed. "

>

> Finally, we were visited by Murat Hodzic. His card says he is

> certified in mold inspection. It took him less than five minutes to

> give his conclusion, " Here you don't have any, any mold. "

>

> Hodzic suggested we buy a sealant, but never took any moisture

> readings at all, relying only on his observations.

>

> " I don't see any evidence and I don't see any reason that you have

> to do the testing, " he said.

>

> How much did it cost?

>

> " I told you on the phone $100 dollars, " he said.

>

> None of the men or the companies they work for agreed to on-camera

> interviews. When we went to their business addresses, we found two

> UPS Store mail drops and one private residence.

>

> By phone, the I-Team was told all the men who came to our house were

> all certified by various private industry groups, but with no

> government standards on certification, there's no way to know what

> you are actually getting.

>

> Email your comments to Investigative Reporter Mark Sayre

>

[Guest guest]

Carl, I think another good point that people should understand, is that these

meters when not detecting in some cases, moisture ie water intrusion, if the

leak has been fixed, and things have dried out. In some cases, the mold is

still in the walls even though moisture was not detected by a meter because the

leak was fixed and the mold was left there. So to my conclusion, you still have

the mold. Good example: Leak on an upper floor of a building, water leaked

down to lower floors. Walls were busted open on different floors to find where

the leak was coming. Leak was found on the higher floor, leak was fixed. Walls

were left open for days, showing inside mold and moldy insulation (but no expert

was called in to test, and maintenance men told no one of the mold). So now you

have water intrusion on many floors inside walls, not dried out properly within

the time period it should have been take care of. All the walls inside on these

many floors, have mold in the

wall, and the moldy insulation was put back in the wall is the insulation was

taken out. So now what: We have an extensive amount of mold, that a meter

won't pick up if the walls inside have dried out on the different floors, and

thus the meter won't pick up the moisture, and therefore they say you don't

have mold in your walls because the expert doesn't detect the moisture when her

comes to the building to do testing. Darlene

" Carl E. Grimes " <grimes@...> wrote: There

were supposed to be TV stations in 10 other cities

conducting these " sting " operations on the same day. They were

similar to the one in LA and Phoenix several months ago that was

posted here. I haven't heard what happened in the others.

The difference here was there was no suspected visible mold

(actually eyeliner on the wall) like in LA and Phoenix. Here they

offered an obviously remodelled bathroom.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

> Mark Sayre, Investigative Reporter

> I-Team: Inside the Business of Mold Inspecting

> May 7, 2008

> KLAS-TV - Las Vegas,NV*

>

> http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=8281739 & nav=menu102_2

>

> Just hearing the word mold probably scares you. Can mold kill you?

> Will you get sick? What should you do if you have mold in your home?

>

> There are no government standards relating to mold exposure. Nor are

> there any government requirements in order to call yourself a mold

> inspector. You can take out an advertisement and call yourself one

> right now.

>

> But the fear of mold is big business, and big money.

>

> Read the EPA's Mold Guide

>

> The I-Team called three different companies that call themselves

> mold inspectors and asked them to take a look at this recently

> remodeled bathroom. But before the house calls, we put hidden

> cameras in the bathroom, including one in a plant and another in a

> child's toy. We also checked with Professor Stezenbach from

> UNLV. She's an expert in mold.

>

> " Well, mold are a type of fungi and they are filamentous -- they

> grow very well, " she said.

>

> In a dry climate, Stetzenbach says dangerous indoor mold is not

> usually a problem unless there is significant water damage, such as

> a burst pipe.

>

> " That mold may pose a health risk to you -- it might cause an

> allergic reaction, it might cause an irritant response, " she said.

>

> While the government does not set health standards governing mold

> exposure, the Environmental Protection Agency does recommend removal

> of indoor mold. But the EPA says you can often do it yourself.

>

> " You have to be a knowledgeable consumer, " said Stetzenbach.

>

> But that's a big challenge. With all of those competing ads in the

> Yellow Pages and the internet, who's going to give you the straight

> story on mold?

>

> Back inside our home, Tom Quid from SOS Environmental says he is a

> Senior Field Hygienist. Quid finds nothing using a moisture meter

> then suggests an expensive air sample.

>

> " One sample is $150, " he said.

>

> It took Quid just ten minutes to check out the bathroom, " It is

> still not showing anything so you should not have any problems. "

>

> Quid then collected his equipment and the agreed upon fee, " It will

> be $245 to SOS Environmental. "

>

> So what did we get for our money?

>

> Two hours after Quid left, a 13 page report arrived by e-mail. It

> had this drawing of the bathroom and a recommendation to reseal the

> toilet.

>

> Larry from Moldsniffers never did give us his last name. He also

> asked about air samples, " But it is $100 extra for each sample. "

>

> Larry then used a flashlight and a moisture meter to look around the

> bathroom. In just ten minutes, Larry also gives us the good news.

>

> " I scanned the walls, scanned your floor around and went around your

> toilet and everything else and there's nothing back there at all.

> It's dry, " he said.

>

> Larry seemed to apologize for collecting the agreed upon $195

> fee, " It may not seem like I did anything there. "

>

> He also told us how fortunate we were.

>

> " There's nothing at all going on with your bathroom, so you're safe

> as can be, " he said.

>

> Larry gave us the card of his boss, a man named Lundgaard, who

> says he is a Certified Microbial Investigator.

>

> Even though Lundgaard never visited the property, he signed a 9 page

> report which had some pictures of the bathroom and a comment that

> there was " no fungal growth observed. "

>

> Finally, we were visited by Murat Hodzic. His card says he is

> certified in mold inspection. It took him less than five minutes to

> give his conclusion, " Here you don't have any, any mold. "

>

> Hodzic suggested we buy a sealant, but never took any moisture

> readings at all, relying only on his observations.

>

> " I don't see any evidence and I don't see any reason that you have

> to do the testing, " he said.

>

> How much did it cost?

>

> " I told you on the phone $100 dollars, " he said.

>

> None of the men or the companies they work for agreed to on-camera

> interviews. When we went to their business addresses, we found two

> UPS Store mail drops and one private residence.

>

> By phone, the I-Team was told all the men who came to our house were

> all certified by various private industry groups, but with no

> government standards on certification, there's no way to know what

> you are actually getting.

>

> Email your comments to Investigative Reporter Mark Sayre

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

> FAIR USE NOTICE:

>

>