Technical Lab Procedures for Mold and other Indoor Air Quality IAQ Contaminants

Best Technical Procedures to Use When Testing for Mold and other Indoor Air Quality IAQ Contaminants
- Mold test lab procedures
- Mold cleanup or remediation procedures - testing for post mold remediation clearance
Questions & Answers about building mold testing & screening procedures
References

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Index to articles on mold testing & indoor air quality test procedures: technical guide to testing for mold contamination in buildings. This website answers most questions on what to do about mold, providing expert, un-biased information for owners, occupants, inspectors. How to recognize mold, how to test mold, how to clean up or remove mold, how to prevent mold in buildings, and what mold related illnesses and symptoms have been reported are all discussed in depth.

MOLD LAB TECHNICAL PROCEDURES - Forensic Particle Analysis Technical & Laboratory Procedures

Readers should also see MOLD TEST PROCEDURES

Good Laboratory and Microscope Procedures are critical in making sense of environmental test field samples just as good and thorough field investigations produce more useful results than a quick "air test for mold" or "culture test for mold" performed with no building inspection and no client history collection.

Competent, trained, experienced aerobiologists, mycologists, and microbiologists can identify mold or other particle sample contents with good accuracy. Depending on the experience of the laboratory, it is also possible to interpret the meaning of the sample for the building and its occupants. Laboratory professionals who have also performed the field inspection can make useful extrapolations from lab results. Hasty work by disinterested parties may be less than accurate or useful for building occupants and owners.

Air Sampler Specifications Required for Airborne Particle Calculations
Airborne Particle Concentration Calculations - Spores per Cubic Meter for airborne mold or other particles - Lab SOP and Examples
BASKETBALL MOLD SYNDROME - BBMS- sudden attention to old clues in buildings makes them seem brand new to some observers
Bibliography of Mold Identification, Aerobiology, Forensic Microscopy - References used in our Laboratory for Aerobiology, Mycology, Indoor Air Quality Investigations, Particle ID, Forensic Microscopy, etc.

Digital photography for microscopists - getting the image from the microscope slide to the computer to the database or printer
Light-microscope examination methods, education, references, suppliers
Museums & Restorations: Cultural Heritage and Aerobiology Mandrioli, Caneva, and Sabbioni (English version), museum artifact preservation from mold, acid gases etc. - book review in Pan American Aerobiology Association Newsletter
Slide preparation methods, formulas, suppliers
Slide Preparation - Permanent Slides, A Method For Preparing Cargille meltmount™ Permanent Microscope Slides for Rapid Field or Laboratory Use
Tape Sample Analysis for Mold - How to Report Mold Levels in Mold Test Samples of Surfaces in buildings

Here are the BASICS YOU NEED to FIND, TEST, REMOVE & PREVENT MOLD - what to do about mold in buildings

Mold Action Guide: follow this easy step by step outline of what to do
Mold Detection - Articles on Mold Identification Photos and Tips - How to Find and Recognize Mold in a Building - articles describing how to find problem mold
Mold Age Determination - how old is the mold in a building?
Mold Test Kits - How to Collect and Send Your Own Mold Sample to our mold testing lab
Mold Cleanup - How to Clean Up Mold or Remove Mold in buildings
MOLD RESISTANT CONSTRUCTION - How to Prevent Mold Growth in buildings
FAQs Frequently Asked Questions About Mold - this detailed list answers most questions about mold
Mold Action Guide after Flooding: How to Minimize Mold Damage After a Building Flood
Mold Odors, Musty Smells in buildings: what causes moldy smells in buildings?
Odors, Odor Detection, Smells, & Gases how to find and identify sources of noxious or toxic odors and gases
Renters and Tenants how can a tenant deal with a moldy rental apartment or rental home
Our Field Inspection & Testing Services
Our In-House Mold Testing Lab Service
Contact Us to arrange mold/IAQ Building on site mold or other IAQ inspection and testing.

HIRE AN EXPERT - Do you need to hire a mold expert, bring in a mold remediator, hire a handyman, or clean up for yourself?

Readers should see WHEN TO HIRE A MOLD EXPERT for details about how to decide when hiring a mold expert is justified and appropriate. See MOLD INSPECTORS & MOLD TESTERS for a list of mold investigators whose work is familiar to us. Other mold investigators and test consultants may also be competent and qualified.

MOLD CLEANUP GUIDE- HOW TO GET RID OF MOLD gives basic advice for a do-it-yourself mold cleanup project, and detailed guidance about what to do about mold is provided at ACTION GUIDE - WHAT TO DO ABOUT INDOOR MOLD.

When to hire a professional to inspect, test, write a cleanup plan
Find a mold inspector A Directory of well qualified Mold/IAQ Service Providers
Associations Sick House, Sick Building, SBS - Air Quality, Government, Private Associations and Information Resources
Mold Clearance Inspections When & How to Perform a Mold Remediation Clearance Inspection
MOLD LEVEL REPORTS Reporting the Results of Mold and IAQ Investigations & Clearance Inspections: what should be included
Our Field Investigation Service our senior expert goes where no one else wanted to look, uses non-invasive tools and sophisticated testing equipment for mold, gases, moisture, air quality, contaminants, Building problem diagnosis.
Contact Us to arrange mold/IAQ Building on site inspection and testing.

MOLD TEST PROCEDURES - Valid and in-valid mold testing methods & protocols. Are some mold test kits junk science?

Please see Mold Sampling Methods in the Indoor Environment and in addition, the mold test critique articles listed just below.

How to Send A Mold Sample to Our Lab: 6 Easy Steps for a Mold Test: How to Collect Mold Samples Using Adhesive Tape and Plastic Bags - a low-cost high-quality and very easy method to send a mold sample to a mold laboratory for analysis Use this simple, economical mold test kit by following our instructions on how to collect and mail mold samples to a lab

Validity of Common Indoor Mold Sampling Techniques
Examining the Validity of Current Indoor Mold Sampling Techniques, Daniel Friedman, (Illustrated Power Point Presentation) 15th Annual North Carolina/South Carolina Environmental Association Technical Conference
Tape: Mold Testing by Tape of a Moldy Surface "bulk" or "tape" samples and their interpretation - a brief tutorial
Tape: How to Report Mold Levels in Tape Samples of Surfaces in buildings
Air: Mold Testing by Air Samples & their interpretation - a brief tutorial on indoor air sampling for mold - are spore counts per cubic meter of air accurate and valid? Using air sampling to determine if a mold problem is "present" or "absent" and the role of cultures for "viable spore sampling" are criticized. Air sampling used alone is an unreliable way to look for mold and is highly questionable as a means of characterizing a precise mold exposure level indoors.
BASKETBALL MOLD SYNDROME - BBMS- sudden attention to old clues in buildings makes them seem brand new to some observers
Carpet Mold Inspection how to look for mold in carpets
Carpet Mold Test Guide suggestions for alternative methods to test carpeting for mold
Culture: Mold Testing by Cultures & "Home Test Kits for Mold" - Validity of Settlement Plates or Swabs to test for toxic mold in buildings - a brief tutorial
Mold Sampling Methods in the Indoor Environment a critique of popular mold testing methods - Is your "expert" using valid methods? Is your mold test kit worth the bother? (Technical Paper.)
Toxic Mold Testing Methods Compared, also Toxic Gas Testing Methods and MVOC's - valid vs. invalid methods, recommendations compares air sampling for mold, surface or tape sampling for mold, culture or swab sampling for mold, and gas MVOC sampling methods for mold or other toxins, and organizes links to papers on each of these topics.
A Comparison of Some Indoor Air Sampling Devices - simultaneous application of popular sampling cassettes and slide samplers allows comparison of typical particle collection variation by device in actual field use. A field study in process by DJF, 2008 - 2005 (Technical Paper)
Burkard personal air sampler used by many residential investigators (we use multiple units simultaneously in some investigations). We also employ other residential building sampling equipment for surface, air, vacuum, and bulk sample collection methods as well as for gases.
Alternative, low-cost air sampling equipment and methods such as the mini-vacuum pump and Zefon Air-o-Cell or Allergenco-d cassettes or MCE filter cassettes for viable, non-viable or other forensic particle identification in buildings. A field study in process by DJF, 2005 - 2006 (Technical Paper)
Allergenco Mk-III time-lapse impaction air sampling equipment - study changes in particle dispersion under varying conditions (furnace on/off) A field study in process by DJF, 2004 - 2006 (Technical Paper)

Mold Testing: Bulk or Tape Surface Samples and their interpretation - a quick tutorial A brief introduction to using adhesive tape to collect particle samples such as from mold-covered surfaces; scrapes onto microscope slide and other methods also used by do-it-yourselfers and by experts
Vacuum Samples of Building Cavities: Wall Check™ type vacuum pump and canister permits "sampling" of mold and allergens in wall, ceiling, and floor cavities but our direct field testing indicates that this method is highly unreliable. See Mold in Fiberglass Insulation for details of the occurrence of mold contamination in building insulation, and see Vacuuming building cavities as a screen for building mold as well as Vacuuming exposed insulation for finding mold-contaminated fiberglass.

Working with Louis Relle, a Louisiana mold remediation expert on a New Orleans Building which was to be demolished we collected wall-check samples from every suspect Building cavity.

When the building interior surfaces were demolished we then performed a visual inspection and collected bulk surface samples using tape. The wall check samples were completely unable to detect large and significant mold contamination in the cavities of this building.

We postulate that even with mechanical agitation (banging on the wall during wall check sampling) the flow rate of the sampling method does not move enough air to reliably pick up surface contamination unless the mold genera/species happens to be at a particularly high state of active sporulation. The tool remains in the professional's arsenal, to be used with discretion.
Vacuum samples of Soft Goods of carpeting, drapes, furniture, clothing permits testing for mold contamination. We use this method for screening of areas where mold is not visible, and in clearance testing.

Toxic gases, indoor exposure levels, testing, identification

Toxic Gas Testing: A Sampling Plan for Residential buildings lists some of the toxic indoor gases for which we test, depending on the Building complaint and Building conditions
Gas Exposure Hazard Levels: for Toxic Gas Exposure to Ammonia, Arsine, Arsenic, Bromine, Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Hydride, Ozone - allowable exposure levels and hazard levels
Carbon Dioxide Gas Toxicity hazard levels & testing
Carbon Monoxide Gas Toxicity hazard levels & testing
Formaldehyde: US EPA. UFFI (Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation) was previously considered a hazard (formaldehyde outgassing). Original source: epa.gov/iedweb00/formalde.html. Subsequent research virtually closed concern regarding this material; however formaldehyde appears to remain a health concern for sensitive individuals. Original source carsondunlop.com/OBS/pdf/uffi.pdf .
Ozone Warnings - Use of Ozone as a "mold" remedy is ineffective and may be dangerous.
Sampling for gases in air such as VOC's, MVOC's, toxic chemicals, and combustion products.

Unfortunately no single test or tool can detect all possible Building contaminants. We use methods and equipment which can test for common contaminants. If the identity of a specific contaminant is known in advance we can also test for a very large number of specific contaminant gases in buildings.

We use gas sampling equipment provided by the two most reliable companies in the world, Draeger-Safety's detector-tubes and Drager accuro� bellows pump, the Gastec� cylinder pump and detector-tube system produced by Gastec or Sensidyne, and we also use Sensidyne's Gilian air pump. For broad screening for combustibles and a number of other toxic gases and for leak tracing we also use Amprobe's Tif8850. All of these instruments, their applications, and sensitivities (minimum detectable limits) for specific gases are described in our Gas Sampling Plan online document.
Radon Gas U.S. EPA Radon level maps

Legionella sp. Health Concerns and advice, cleaning air conditioning systems, when to test for Legionella

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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Technical Reviewers & References

Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.

AIRBORNE PARTICLE ANALYSIS METHODS - Airborne Particle Calculations, How to calculate airborne particle concentrations for mold, IAQ, allergens, or other forensic particle studies - Mold Test Laboratory SOPs
MICROSCOPE SLIDE PREPARATION - Microscope slide preparation methods - mold pollen bioaerosols - for indoor air quality analysis - Mold Testing Laboratory SOP
LAB PROCEDURES MICROSCOPE TECHNIQUES - Microscope techniques and laboratory procedures for indoor air quality, toxic mold identification, & bioaerosol investigations
LAB & FIELD IAQ EQUIPMENT SOP - Forensic Microscopy, Particle Identification & IAQ Investigation Field Equipment Specifications, including physical properties (such as particle trace dimensions) and calibration data for air sampling and other test equipment
MICROSCOPE DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY - how to obtain sharp photographs of views through the microscope using a digital camera
TECHNICAL & LAB PROCEDURES - Technical Procedure Articles on Testing for Mold and other Indoor Air Quality IAQ Contaminants
For most-recent microscope optical measurements: field width data and calibration see: Olympus-CH-2.xls & Polam Optics.xls Calibration is repeated no less than when an objective is removed/replaced or other microscope optical or stage components are removed/replaced, or if a new technician is employed.
For most-recent calculations of % of trace represented by n cross-scans see: Particle Counts.xls
For automated calculations of particles or spores per cubic meter of air (spores/M³) from raw airborne particle counts see: @SporeCountWork.xls
For spore count worksheets see: sheet 2 of @SporeCountWork.xls

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.

The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.

Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.

Building inspection education & report writing systems from Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd

Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, have provided us with (and we recommend) Carson Dunlop Weldon & Associates' Technical Reference Guide to manufacturer's model and serial number information for heating and cooling equipment
Special Offer: Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Technical Reference Guide purchased as a single order. Just enter INSPECTATRG in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
Environmental Health & Investigation Bibliography - our technical library on indoor air quality inspection, testing, laboratory procedures, forensic microscopy, etc.
Adkins and Adkins Dictionary of Roman Religion discusses Robigus, the Roman god of crop protection and the legendary progenitor of wheat rust fungus.
Kansas State University, department of plant pathology, extension plant pathology web page on wheat rust fungus: see http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/path-ext/factSheets/Wheat/Wheat%20Leaf%20Rust.asp
"A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home", U.S. Environmental Protection Agency US EPA - includes basic advice for building owners, occupants, and mold cleanup operations. See http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.htm
US EPA - Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Building [Copy on file at /sickhouse/EPA_Mold_Remediation_in_Schools.pdf ] - US EPA
US EPA - Una Breva Guia a Moho - Hongo [Copy on file as /sickhouse/EPA_Moho_Guia_sp.pdf - en Espanol
"A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home", U.S. Environmental Protection Agency US EPA - includes basic advice for building owners, occupants, and mold cleanup operations. See http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.htm
"Disease Prevention Program for Certain Vegetable Crops," David B. Langston, Jr., Extension Plant Pathologist - Vegetables, University of Georgia (PDF document) original source: www.reeis.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/209797.html
"Disease Prevention in Home Vegetable Gardens," Patricia Donald, Department of Plant Microbiology and Pathology, Lewis Jett
Department of Horticulture, University of Missouri Extension - extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6202
"Management of Powdery Mildew, Leveillula taurica, in Greenhouse Peppers," Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, British Columbia - Original source: www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/peppermildew.htm
Fifth Kingdom, Bryce Kendrick, ISBN13: 9781585100224, is available from the InspectAPedia online bookstore - we recommend the CD-ROM version of this book. This 3rd/edition is a compact but comprehensive encyclopedia of all things mycological. Every aspect of the fungi, from aflatoxin to zppspores, with an accessible blend of verve and wit. The 24 chapters are filled with up-to-date information of classification, yeast, lichens, spore dispersal, allergies, ecology, genetics, plant pathology, predatory fungi, biological control, mutualistic symbioses with animals and plants, fungi as food, food spoilage and mycotoxins.
Fungi, Identifying Filamentous, A Clinical Laboratory Handbook, Guy St-
US EPA: Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Building [Copy on file at /sickhouse/EPA_Mold_Remediation_in_Schools.pdf ] - US EPA
Mycology, Fundamentals of Diagnostic, Fran Fisher, Norma B. Cook, W.B. Saunders Co. 1998, ISBN 0-7216-5006-6 (buy this book at Amazon)
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