ASTM I'ntl Conference On Mold Evaluation

[Guest guest]

PRESS RELEASE

Standardization of Mold Response Procedures is the subject of an ASTM

Conference to be held July 13-15, 2009 in Burlington, Vermont. The issue of

mold growth has been transformed from a minor concern to a major liability

despite lack of an objective measure for determining whether this

ubiquitously present substance actually presents a health hazard. Testing

procedures

in current use invariably detect mold spores without accepted criteria to

differentiate contamination from normal background. While the need for

water-damage control is generally accepted, justification for extraordinary

abatement methods remains unclear to many responsible for constructing,

managing or maintaining buildings. At the same time, many healthcare

professionals are uncertain about the significance of mold in their patients’

environment. Previous conferences dedicated to the discussion of mold have

focused on litigation and commercially available testing and remediation

services

without resolving fundamental questions.

The ASTM Conference will, for the first time, highlight practical,

science-based approaches for resolving building mold concerns. Presentations

will focus on the importance of understanding building moisture, diagnosing

occupant sensitivity , microbial testing (both use and misuse), selecting

effective response measures, verifying water-damage restoration and critiquing

current guidelines. ASTM Committee D22.08 hopes to follow-up the

Conference with the development of realistic standards and suggestions for

future

research.

The Conference will be of interest to investigators (including hygienists,

engineers, physicians, lab analysts and public health officials), as well

as stakeholders such as building managers, insurors and public interest

groups. Registration information is available by contacting ASTM

(_hsparks@..._ (mailto:hsparks@...) or 1-800-262-1373

END PRESS RELEASE

Preliminary Program – February 19, 2009

1

ASTM INTERNATIONAL JOHNSON CONFERENCE :

STANDARDIZATION OF MOLD RESPONSE PROCEDURES

Sponsored by ASTM Committee D22 on Air Quality and its

Subcommittee D22.08 on Sampling and Analysis for Mold

July 13–15, 2009

University of Vermont

Burlington, Vermont, USA

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

CONFERENCE CHAIRMEN Ed Light

Building Dynamics

Ashton, MD

Larry Pierce

Fiberquant Analytical Services, Inc.

Phoeniz, AZ

Eva M. Ewing

Compass Environmental, Inc.

Kennesaw, GA

PROGRAM COMMITTEE Suzanne Blevins

Aerobiology Associates

Richmond, VA

Caoimhin Connell

Forensic Applications Consulting

Technologies, Inc.

, CO

Haas

Morse Zehnter Associates

West Palm Beach, FL

Larry Lee

Pacific Industrial Hygiene, LLC

Kirkland, WA

Neville

Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.

Novi, MI

Morse

Morse Zehnter Associates

Troy, NY

Preliminary Program – February 19, 2009

2

ASTM Conference

TECHNICAL PROGRAM

MONDAY, JULY 13

7:45 – 8:30 a.m. Registration

MONDAY, JULY 13

8:30 a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks: Conference Chairs

8:45 a.m. Preventing Mold Related Problems in the Indoor Workplace

(Dorothy Dougherty and Caroline Freeman, Occupational Safety

and Health Administration)

Session I: Health

Monday Morning

Session Chair: Caoimhin Connell

9:15 a.m. Immunological Screening of Mold Complaints (Brock ,

University of Missouri and Children’s Mercy Hospital)

10:00 a.m. Break

10:15 a.m. Diagnosis of Mold Related Disease ( Holland, Glens Falls

Hospital’s Center for Occupational Health)

11:00 a.m. Medical Aspects of Mold Litigation (Ron Gots, International

Center

for Toxicology and Medicine)

11:45 a.m. Lunch

Monday Afternoon

12:45 p.m. Mold Risk Assessment ( , University of Colorado

Health Science Center and NewFields)

1:30 p.m. Coordination of Medical and Environmental Assessment (

Oliver, Occupational Health Initiatives, Inc.)

2:15 p.m. Audience and Panel Discussion on Health Issues

3:00 p.m. Break

Preliminary Program – February 19, 2009

3

ASTM Conference, Monday, July 13, Session II

Session II: Assessment

Monday Afternoon

Session Chair: Haas

3:15 p.m. Evaluation and Resolution of Common Moisture Issues (

Morse, Morse Zehnter Associates, Inc.)

3:40 p.m. Protection of Building Occupants (Sharon Kramer)

4:15 p.m. Insurance-Related Mold Assessment ( Dotson, Dotson Group,

LLC)

4:50 p.m. Comparison of Litigation Methodologies (Ed Light, Building

Sciences)

5:25 p.m. Aspergillosis Assessment (Larry Lee, Pacific Industrial Hygiene,

LLC)

6:00 p.m. Welcome Reception

8:00 p.m. Vermont Musical Extravaganza

TUESDAY, JULY 14

8:30 a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks: Conference Chairs

Session II: Assessment (continued)

Tuesday Morning

Session Chair: Haas

8:45 a.m. Condensation Damage to Gypsum Wallboard ( Kominsky,

Environmental Quality Management, Inc.)

9:20 a.m. Airborne Fungi Associated with Greenhouses, (Di Wei Li, The

Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Valley Laboratory)

9:55 a.m. Break

10:10 a.m. Audience and Panel Discussion on Assessment Issues

Preliminary Program – February 19, 2009

4

ASTM Conference, Tuesday, July 14, Session III

Session III: Sampling and Analytical Issues

Session Chair: Neville

10:45 a.m. Sampling Strategies and Data Interpretation: A Mycologist’s View

(Harriett Burge, EMLabPK)

11:20 a.m. Sampling Strategies and Data Interpretation: An Industrial

Hygienist’s View (Caoimhin Connell, Forensic Applications

Consulting Technologies, Inc.)

11:55 a.m. Lunch

1:00 p.m. How to Combine Mycology Principals, Testing Protocols and

Building Science into IAQ Investigations ( ,

Building Science Investigations)

1:35 p.m. Airborne Mold Detection Through Enzyme Measurement (Ragnar

Rylander, BioFact Environmental Health Research Center)

2:10 p.m. A Comparison of Thirteen Different Commercial Swabs used for

Microbial IEQ Investigations ( Neville, Bureau Veritas North

America, Inc.)

2:45 p.m. Break

3:00 p.m. Comparison of Two Bioaerosol Methods for Post Remediation

Verification and Initial Investigation: Fungal Enzyme and Spore

Trap ( , Mycometer, Inc.)

3:35 p.m. ASTM Sampling and Analytical Protocol Development: ASTM

Method for Inertial Impactor (Spore Trap) Analysis – Update

(Larry Pierce and Breu, Fiberquant Analytical Services,

Inc.)

4:15 p.m. Conference Adjourns for the Day

Volleyball Competition – Labs vs. Everyone Else!

Preliminary Program – February 19, 2009

5

ASTM Conference, Wednesday, July 15, Session III (continued)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15

8:30 a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks: Conference Chairs

Session III: Sampling and Analytical Issues (continued)

Wednesday Morning

Session Chair: Larry Pierce

8:45 a.m. Application of ASTM Standard Practice D6602 in the investigation

of Indoor Ghosting and Darkening Agents (Jim Millette, MVA

Consultants, Inc.)

9:20 a.m. Calculation of Partial Analysis of Circular Traces in Terms of

Microscopic Field of View (FOV) and Trace Diameter (

Tucker, ASAP Technical & Environmental)

9:55 a.m. Break

10:10 a.m. Validation of Visual Inspection, Air Testing and ERMI (Ed Light,

Building Dynamics)

10:45 a.m. Audience and Panel Discussion of Sampling and Analytical Issues

Session IV: Remediation

Session Chair: Larry Lee

11:20 a.m. Management of Moldy Buildings: Results of 2007 Survey (Anu

Dixit, St. Louis University)

11:55 a.m. Lunch

1:00 p.m. Options for Mold Remediation: A Contractor’s Perspective (Joe

Hennessy, TEG Services, Beltsville, MD)

1:35 p.m. Drying for Mold Prevention (Ernie Storer, Injectidry Systems,

Inc.)

2:10 p.m. Personal Protection of Mold Remediation Workers (

Oliver,

Occupational Health Initiatives, Inc.)

2:45 p.m. Break

Preliminary Program – February 19, 2009

6

ASTM Conference, Wednesday, July 15, Session IV (continued)

3:00 p.m. Is There a Role for Biocides in Mold Remediation? ( Rose,

Rose Environmental, Inc.)

3:35 p.m. Audience and Panel Discussion on Remediation Issues

4:10 p.m. General Discussion

4:45 p.m. Conference Adjourns

**************Dell Mini Netbooks: Great deals starting at $299 after

instant savings!

(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1221972443x1201442012/aol?redir=http:%2\

F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B214819441%3B36680237%3Bi)