Re: mold remediation in Tampa Florida

[Guest guest]

,

Welcome to the group.

What I did when I wanted to hire a mold guy, since I didn't know anything about

it, was to call everyone in the phone book and ask a lot of questions about

what, how, how much and so on. After I talked to several people I started to

get an idea of what to expect, how they did it and what I wanted. First I

learned that a mold inspector comes and then says what remediation you need done

and then someone else comes to do the actual remediation. Then the original

inspector can come back to make sure they job was done properly and no mold is

left. They do it this way because ethically a remediator can't inspect his own

work.

What I wanted most of all was someone who was reasonable and who would care

about my concerns and I found someone like that. He felt for me that I was sick

because of mold and wanted to help. He took the time to answer my questions and

address my needs. He even asked me a lot of questions when he inspected to find

out my beliefs about mold so he knew best what to do for me.

It was worth all the time and trouble to call so many companies. Keep talking

and asking questions until you hear the right things and get the right price.

Since you already know there is mold in the house you do not want any air

sampling done, that would be a waste of money. They can see with visual

inspection that there is mold. Ask if they use infra red to find mold and there

are even some companies that use dogs to find it. Ask about that too.

The remediator should use all the usual precautions for removing mold,

containing the area with plastic sheeting, using negative air pressure to

prevent spores from spreading through the house, and so on.

All the best and hope this helps.

anita

[] mold remediation in Tampa Florida

Date: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 8:11 AM



Hi there,

I just joined the group.

I have a health condition that may be made worse by mold, and a few things with

my house that make me sure I want someone to seriously look at the house

thoroughly for what should be done to fix it up if needed:

- lots of black on the shower, including caulking in a corner came loose and

probably water gone back there

- water stain on a ceiling, evidence of a leak through roof at some point

- water flood over several rooms with rugs due to washing machine malfunction,

had someone come in to dry it in a day or so, but still something to look at

I am looking for suggestions on where to go / how to choose a company or two to

come in and give recommendations to thoroughly test and get any repairs done

safely and correctly.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks.

[Guest guest]

Call an industrial hygienist, he'll come out inspect the property conduct a few

tests, write out a report and he's done. Your next step is to call and get

estimates from different mold remediators on the work that needs to be done,

make sure you have air samples taken before and after the remediation.

If you hire a mold remediator to come out and give you an estimate on the work

he think needs to be done is a conflict of interest and could lead to more

problems down the road

--- In , Pfalzer <michaelpfalzer@...>

wrote:

>

> Hi there,

>

> I just joined the group.

>

> I have a health condition that may be made worse by mold, and a few things

with my house that make me sure I want someone to seriously look at the house

thoroughly for what should be done to fix it up if needed:

> - lots of black on the shower, including caulking in a corner came loose and

probably water gone back there

> - water stain on a ceiling, evidence of a leak through roof at some point

> - water flood over several rooms with rugs due to washing machine malfunction,

had someone come in to dry it in a day or so, but still something to look at

>

> I am looking for suggestions on where to go / how to choose a company or two

to come in and give recommendations to thoroughly test and get any repairs done

safely and correctly.

>

> Anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

Anita and Tug gave you some good advice. I'd add that there are

some agency guidance and industry consensus standards which

the consultants and remediators should be referencing and

complying with. NYC and California have mold guidelines which

are free and can be found from a search. EPA has " Mold

Remediation for Schools and Commercial Buildings " for free at:

http://www.epa.gov/mold/index.html The same site also has an

excellent video tutorial.

ANSI accredited standards stand head and shoulders above all

others in terms of industry consensus developed my a broad,

transparent accredited process. Specifically, ANSI-IICRC S500

" Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage

Restoration. "

If water or dampness isn't resolved according to that standard

then another standard addresses the subsequent mold growth

issues: ANSI-IICRC S520 " Standard and Reference Guide for

Professional Mold Remediation. "

There is as yet no ANSI accredited standard for mold

assessment or writing a scope of work. The Indoor

Environmental Standards Organization (IESO), a subsidiary of

the educational non-profit Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) is

developing a mold assessment standard under the ANSI

process. But I don't expect it to be accredited and available until

the end of this year, at the earliest.

As already stated, it is best to have the assessment and

determination of the scope of work made by someone

independent of who will do the work. Competitive bidding from

the same scope (instructions) should give similar costs. Without

that control you are left to the mercy of the contractors, each of

whom has their own idea on how best to make money. The

differences in costs typically vary by as much 3-4 times the low

bid. Which, BTW, is almost never the best bid. Too low and they

will make up for it by " change orders " after the work starts and

you become reluctant to fire them.

As for qualified people to do the assessment and the

remediation, go to the HUD Web site hhcontractors.org for a

listing of certifications which meet the stringent criteria of HUD.

You will be most interested in the CIEC, CMS and similar by

ACAC plus the HHS by NEHA. More information is at

www.acac.org and www.neha.org.

This is just a start and has no guarantee of ethics or field

capabilitites. Get references and some sort of verification they

know of and comply with the above documents as you would for

a doctor, dentist, attorney, or car mechanic.

Per the EPA document on page 26 item 5 " " People should be

able to occupy or re-occupy the space without health complaints

or physical symptoms. "

That is the criteria for a job completed. Anything less is not

sufficient. The way the insurance industry states it, although they

rarely follow, is to return the property to its pre-loss condition. You

should make clear that before the events of the loss the house

was habitable without complaint so you won't sign off until the

EPA citation above is met.

In writing.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

,

Welcome to the group.

What I did when I wanted to hire a mold guy, since I didn't know

anything about it, was to call everyone in the phone book and ask a lot of

questions about what, how, how much and so on. After I talked to several

people I started to get an idea of what to expect, how they did it and what

I wanted. First I learned that a mold inspector comes and then says what

remediation you need done and then someone else comes to do the

actual remediation. Then the original inspector can come back to make

sure they job was done properly and no mold is left. They do it this way

because ethically a remediator can't inspect his own work.

What I wanted most of all was someone who was reasonable and who

would care about my concerns and I found someone like that. He felt for

me that I was sick because of mold and wanted to help. He took the time

to answer my questions and address my needs. He even asked me a lot of

questions when he inspected to find out my beliefs about mold so he

knew best what to do for me.

It was worth all the time and trouble to call so many companies. Keep

talking and asking questions until you hear the right things and get the

right price. Since you already know there is mold in the house you do not

want any air sampling done, that would be a waste of money. They can

see with visual inspection that there is mold. Ask if they use infra red to

find mold and there are even some companies that use dogs to find it.

Ask about that too.

The remediator should use all the usual precautions for removing mold,

containing the area with plastic sheeting, using negative air pressure to

prevent spores from spreading through the house, and so on.

All the best and hope this helps.

anita

[] mold remediation in Tampa Florida

Date: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 8:11 AM

Hi there,educational

I just joined the group.

I have a health condition that may be made worse by mold, and a few

things with my house that make me sure I want someone to seriously

look at the house thoroughly for what should be done to fix it up if

needed:

- lots of black on the shower, including caulking in a corner came loose

and probably water gone back there

- water stain on a ceiling, evidence of a leak through roof at some point

- water flood over several rooms with rugs due to washing machine

malfunction, had someone come in to dry it in a day or so, but still

something to look at

I am looking for suggestions on where to go / how to choose a company

or two to come in and give recommendations to thoroughly test and get

any repairs done safely and correctly.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks.

[Guest guest]

,

Tugs advice to have an independent third party inspect the property and write a

report is excellent. However, I would caution against restricting your search

to consultants that label themselves as " industrial hygienists " . I know many

industrial hygienists (some with CIH accreditation) who are very competent in

performing mold assessments and preparation of mold remediation scopes.

However, having the title of industrial hygienists or certified industrial

hygienists does not guarantee that the consultant has competence and experience

in mold assessments.

In searching for a competent mold consultant, I recommend that you ask a

prospective consultant to describe the assessment process. Some items that I

believe should be included are:

1. The investigator should ask why you are interested in an inspection (known

water damage, litigation, sick occupants, odors, etc).

2. A detailed visual inspection is the most important part of a mold

investigation and should include both visible mold and areas of likely hidden

mold

3. Measurements of temperature and relative humidity both outdoors and indoors

at various areas of the home, with an explanation as to how this data will be

interpreted.

4. Surface moisture measurements in suspect areas, such as under windows, under

plumbing sources, etc.

5. The use of an infra red camera might also be useful if the investigator

understands that the camera measures temperature differentials that might or

might not be associated with water damage. Suspect areas should be verified

with a moisture meter.

6. Where feasible, outdoor inspection should be conducted to check for flashing,

cracks, grade, areas of potential water intrusion etc.

7. Unless you are limiting the areas to be inspected, all areas of the house

should be included, attic, basement, living spaces.

8. Testing should only be conducted to answer a question(s), and an

individualized testing plan should be developed. If the inspector recommends

testing, ask why, how, and what kind of information the results will provide.

Ask where the samples will be sent, and research the qualifications of the

laboratory.

9. Testing is frequently not necessary to design a structural remediation scope

when visible mold is present. But if cross-contamination is of concern, testing

might be useful.

10. If testing is requested for medical or litigation purposes, ask for

references from clients, doctors, or lawyers. I have seen people spend lots of

money on testing, and later discover that the individual testing was deemed to

be unqualified.

11. Make sure that the inspection and/or testing report will include

recommendations if problems are found.

This list is by no means all-inclusive, but should be a good start.

Connie Morbach, M.S., CHMM, CIE

Sanit-Air, Inc.

> >

> > Hi there,

> >

> > I just joined the group.

> >

> > I have a health condition that may be made worse by mold, and a few things

with my house that make me sure I want someone to seriously look at the house

thoroughly for what should be done to fix it up if needed:

> > - lots of black on the shower, including caulking in a corner came loose and

probably water gone back there

> > - water stain on a ceiling, evidence of a leak through roof at some point

> > - water flood over several rooms with rugs due to washing machine

malfunction, had someone come in to dry it in a day or so, but still something

to look at

> >

> > I am looking for suggestions on where to go / how to choose a company or two

to come in and give recommendations to thoroughly test and get any repairs done

safely and correctly.

> >

> > Anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks.

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Connie: you forgot to mention that air spore are unreliable indicators of

contamination. The most reliable method is PCR according to the research out of

Vesper's lab.

[] Re: mold remediation in Tampa Florida

,

Tugs advice to have an independent third party inspect the property and write

a report is excellent. However, I would caution against restricting your search

to consultants that label themselves as " industrial hygienists " . I know many

industrial hygienists (some with CIH accreditation) who are very competent in

performing mold assessments and preparation of mold remediation scopes.

However, having the title of industrial hygienists or certified industrial

hygienists does not guarantee that the consultant has competence and experience

in mold assessments.

In searching for a competent mold consultant, I recommend that you ask a

prospective consultant to describe the assessment process. Some items that I

believe should be included are:

1. The investigator should ask why you are interested in an inspection (known

water damage, litigation, sick occupants, odors, etc).

2. A detailed visual inspection is the most important part of a mold

investigation and should include both visible mold and areas of likely hidden

mold

3. Measurements of temperature and relative humidity both outdoors and indoors

at various areas of the home, with an explanation as to how this data will be

interpreted.

4. Surface moisture measurements in suspect areas, such as under windows,

under plumbing sources, etc.

5. The use of an infra red camera might also be useful if the investigator

understands that the camera measures temperature differentials that might or

might not be associated with water damage. Suspect areas should be verified with

a moisture meter.

6. Where feasible, outdoor inspection should be conducted to check for

flashing, cracks, grade, areas of potential water intrusion etc.

7. Unless you are limiting the areas to be inspected, all areas of the house

should be included, attic, basement, living spaces.

8. Testing should only be conducted to answer a question(s), and an

individualized testing plan should be developed. If the inspector recommends

testing, ask why, how, and what kind of information the results will provide.

Ask where the samples will be sent, and research the qualifications of the

laboratory.

9. Testing is frequently not necessary to design a structural remediation

scope when visible mold is present. But if cross-contamination is of concern,

testing might be useful.

10. If testing is requested for medical or litigation purposes, ask for

references from clients, doctors, or lawyers. I have seen people spend lots of

money on testing, and later discover that the individual testing was deemed to

be unqualified.

11. Make sure that the inspection and/or testing report will include

recommendations if problems are found.

This list is by no means all-inclusive, but should be a good start.

Connie Morbach, M.S., CHMM, CIE

Sanit-Air, Inc.

[Guest guest]

i'm sure i will embarrass myself but what is PCR?

________________________________

From: " Jack Thrasher, Ph.D. " <toxicologist1@...>

Sent: Thu, January 20, 2011 1:41:59 PM

Subject: Re: [] Re: mold remediation in Tampa Florida

Connie: you forgot to mention that air spore are unreliable indicators of

contamination. The most reliable method is PCR according to the research out of

Vesper's lab.

[Guest guest]

No need to. It is Polymerase Chain Reaction which identifies DNA. It is used

in forensic science to convict rapist as an example. I is used in microbiology

to determine species of mold and bacteria. I is also used in water damaged

buildings to identity species of mold and bacteria.

Re: [] Re: mold remediation in Tampa Florida

Connie: you forgot to mention that air spore are unreliable indicators of

contamination. The most reliable method is PCR according to the research out

of

Vesper's lab.