U.K. article--Toxic Mould and Construction Defects Harming Public Health

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Here's a good article from the U.K.

Toxic Mould and Construction Defects Harming Public HealthJanuary 20, 2010 -

Press Dispensary - Building Forensics (www.buildingforensics.co.uk ) has been

inundated with requests to investigate sick or tight

building syndrome since a recent appearance on ITVs ‘Buildings From

Hell’. The programme highlighted the new and worrying – but previously

unrecognised – building defects which can be identified from modern

construction techniques and which create ideal conditions for toxic

mould … with consequent serious health concerns.

The quest for reduced carbon emissions from buildings – and

therefore a lower level of air changes – has in recent times created a

general increase in ‘building tightness’: new and restored buildings

fail to ‘breath’ properly, leading to a general moisture build-up which

in turn results in the health concerns of mould and rot or decay.

Typically, Building Forensics has found that the application of new

building tightness conditioning such as BREEAM, LEED and part L of the

Building Regulations, coupled to poor construction management, is

increasingly causing such building defects and health issues.

Jeff Charlton of Building Forensics states: “Building Forensics has

found increasing evidence that construction management is failing to

control quality standards or, indeed, even to comply with

manufacturers’ or architects’ design or installation requirements.

Worse still, we’ve found that few surveyors or inspectors have the

equipment or training to undertake non-intrusive investigation or to be

able identify hidden defects such as missing insulation, thermal

bridging and the presence of toxic chemicals.â€

He continues: “And Building Forensics is further finding that

facility managers are increasingly mis-diagnosing design and build

faults which cause condensation or pooling and mould. They wrongly

attribute these symptoms to presumed leaks which insurers then wrongly

pay to fix. And meanwhile the health problems continue to get worse.â€

The combination of high cellulose materials and misuse of vapour

barriers, thermal bridging from poor or missing insulation or failure

to seal the building envelope properly can result in the growth of

toxic mould such as Penicillium, Tricoderma and Stachybotrys.

While visible mould is a good indicator of the health risk, it

should be recognised that the moisture required for mould growth,

sometimes from leaks but usually from condensation, often occurs out of

sight in voids or behind plasterboard cavity walls.

The problems start with the building or renovation of buildings with no

regard to the historic knowledge that buildings need to breath and

remove moisture, especially in a cold wet climate.

And

as was shown in US timber frame construction 10 years ago, identifying

the problems generally requires more equipment than a standard two pin

wood moisture meter and current inspection techniques.

Jeff Charlton is available for comment and interview on the

findings of Building Forensics, and more information on typical health

concerns and construction defect can be found at

http://www.buildingforensics.co.uk/ .

http://www.pressdispensary.co.uk/releases/c992542/Toxic-Mould-and-Construction-D\

efects-Harming-Public-Health.php