Re: Air sample test results-Please help

[Guest guest]

Tug,

I need more information. The data is confusing because it gives

both CFU and CFU/M3. CFU is colony forming units and applies

only to cultured samples. CFU by itself is meaningless because it

needs a unit of measure of area or volume. Because it doesn't

have either I'd guess it was from a settling plate.

On the other hand the CFU/M3 is a unit of volume and not a

settling plate. For that I need to know what type of device was

used to collect the sample including the air flow rate and for how

long.

Without that information there is no comparison between CFU

and CFU/M3.

I have no idea what DL/M3 is. All I can tell is it is a volume of air.

And the percentages don't add up so I don't know what they refer

to.

Because it appears a collection device was used I would assume

someone other than yourself took the samples. In which case

they should interpret the data. If they didn't then I'm sorry but they

don't know what they are doing and it was a waste of time and

money.

ASSUMING - and that is a huge assumption! - the numbers have

any meaning and assuming this is a relatively benign location

with no water damage, I'd say these numbers are unusually low

with no types out of the ordinary for ambient air.

However, that has nothing to do with whether or not you may be

reacting to them. Once sensitized, as you have been, you can

react to extremely low levels so I can't rule that out.

As to whether you are reacting to chemicals I'd need much more

information about what types and possible sources are in your

living area.

Again, I hate to sound like a broken record but counting spores is

not a reliable method of determining presence or absence of

mold growth and rarely has anything to do with whether or not a

person is reacting to any of the other more prevalent components

of mold growth or the thousands of other possibilities.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

Are these air sample test results high enough to cause a concern?

Inside Levels

Non Sporulating Fungi

CFU*=1

CFU*/m3=12

DL/m3=12

%=50

Penicillium

CFU*=1

CFU*/m3=12

DL/m3=12

%=50

Aspergillus

CFU*=1

CFU*/M3=12

DL/M3=12

%=17

Cladisporium

CFU*=2

CFU*/m3=24

DL/M3=12

%=50

Yeasts

CFU*=2

CFU*/m3=24

DL/M3=12

%=33

Outside levels

Cladisporium

CFU*=1

CFU*/m3=12

DL/m3=12

%=33

The reason why Im asking is I need to know if these levels of mold are

high enough to make me react or if Im possibly reacting to chemicals in

the house

Thanks

----------

The following section of this message contains a file attachment

prepared for transmission using the Internet MIME message format.

If you are using Pegasus Mail, or any other MIME-compliant system,

you should be able to save it or view it from within your mailer.

If you cannot, please ask your system administrator for assistance.

---- File information -----------

File: DEFAULT.BMP

Date: 15 Jun 2009, 23:10

Size: 358 bytes.

Type: Unknown

[Guest guest]

What does it mean when the levels are in the WHO-defined categories of

intermediate and high, and the collection was done quickly--i.e., the canister

was opened, waved around a bit, and then closed? Is it more accurate if it was

collected over more tha a couple minutes or less?

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 17, 2011, at 9:40 AM, " Carl E. Grimes " <grimes@...> wrote:

Tug,

I need more information. The data is confusing because it gives

both CFU and CFU/M3. CFU is colony forming units and applies

only to cultured samples. CFU by itself is meaningless because it

needs a unit of measure of area or volume. Because it doesn't

have either I'd guess it was from a settling plate.

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much for answering me Carl I was praying that you would. These

tests were taken by Quest Environmental, a company that you've worked with on

several occasions. Would it be ok to email the document Bob W emailed me, that

should give you a better idea of what Im talking about.

Thanks again

>

> Tug,

>

> I need more information. The data is confusing because it gives

> both CFU and CFU/M3. CFU is colony forming units and applies

> only to cultured samples. CFU by itself is meaningless because it

> needs a unit of measure of area or volume. Because it doesn't

> have either I'd guess it was from a settling plate.

[Guest guest]

Certainly. The entire report is needed. Send it to my e-mail rather

than the group.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

Thank you so much for answering me Carl I was praying that you

would. These tests were taken by Quest Environmental, a

company that you've worked with on several occasions. Would it

be ok to email the document Bob W emailed me, that should give

you a better idea of what Im talking about.

Thanks again

>

> Tug,

>

> I need more information. The data is confusing because it gives

> both CFU and CFU/M3. CFU is colony forming units and applies

> only to cultured samples. CFU by itself is meaningless because it

> needs a unit of measure of area or volume. Because it doesn't

> have either I'd guess it was from a settling plate.

------------------------------------

FAIR USE NOTICE:

[Guest guest]

AN if I remember correctly the company that I hired to do the air sampling used

a vacuum type method to collect the air samples and was done over a period of 15

minutes for each room, at no time did the engineer take a petri dish and wave it

around in the air. At least for the money I paid him he better not have lol

There are at least two different types of testing viable and non-viable perhaps

Carl can give is an explanation of what the difference is and which is better.

The tests I had performed were viable.

>

> Tug,

>

> I need more information. The data is confusing because it gives

> both CFU and CFU/M3. CFU is colony forming units and applies

> only to cultured samples. CFU by itself is meaningless because it

> needs a unit of measure of area or volume. Because it doesn't

> have either I'd guess it was from a settling plate.

>