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InspectAPedia ® Home ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS - INSPECT, TEST, REMEDY AIR CLEANER PURIFIER TYPES AIR FILTER EFFICIENCY AIR FILTERS for HVAC SYSTEMS AIR HANDLER / BLOWER UNITS AIR LEAK DETECTION TOOLS AIR LEAK SEALING PROCEDURE AIR POLLUTANTS, COMMON INDOOR AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES AIR SEALING STRATEGIES ALLERGEN TESTS for BUILDINGS ALLERGY TESTS for PEOPLE ANIMAL ALLERGENS / PET DANDER ANIMAL ODORS IN BUILDINGS ASBESTOS-FREE INSULATION MATERIALS ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS ATTORNEYS and EXPERT WITNESSES BASEMENT MOLD BATHROOM MOLD BIBLIOGAPHY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, MOLD, IAQ BIOLOGICAL POLLUTANTS BLOWER DOORS & AIR INFILTRATION BLOWER FAN OPERATION & TESTING BOOKSTORE - ENVIRONMENTAL CAR MOLD CONTAMINATION CARPET DUST IDENTIFICATION CARPET MOLD CONTAMINATION CARPETING & INDOOR AIR QUALITY CAT DANDER in BUILDINGS CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR COMBUSTION GASES & PARTICLE HAZARDS CONDENSATION or SWEATING PIPES, TANKS CPSC Indoor Air Pollution Book Online Copy DUCT SYSTEM & DUCT DEFECTS EMF RF FIELD & FREQUENCY DEFINITIONS EMERGENCY RESPONSE, IAQ, GAS, MOLD EMF ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS & HUMAN EXPOSURE Fiberboard Insulation Sheathing Mold FIBERGLASS DUCT, RIGID CONSTRUCTION FIBERGLASS HAZARDS FIBERGLASS INSULATION IDENTIFICATION FIREPLACE INSERTS FIREPLACES & WOODSTOVES CONTAMINANTS FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP FLOODS IN BUILDINGS-mold FLOORING MATERIALS, Age, Types FORMALDEHYDE HAZARDS FORMALDEHYDE GAS HAZARD REDUCTION GAS DETECTION INSTRUMENTS GAS EXPOSURE EFFECTS, TOXIC HVAC Systems HOME HEATING SAFETY HUMIDITY CONTROL & TARGETS INDOORS HOUSE DUST ANALYSIS INDOOR AIR QUALITY & HOUSE TIGHTNESS INDOOR AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT GUIDE INSULATION, ASBESTOS INSULATION CHOICES Insulation Air & Heat Leaks INSULATION FACT SHEET- DOE INSULATION IDENTIFICATION GUIDE INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT INSULATION MOLD INSULATION MOLD RESISTANCE of FOAM INSULATION, UFFI UREA FORMALDEHYDE FOAM LIGHT, GUIDE to FORENSIC USE LEED Building Designation & IAQ MILDEW REMOVAL & PREVENTION MOISTURE CONTROL in BUILDINGS MOLD ACTION GUIDE - WHAT TO DO ABOUT MOLD MOLD APPEARANCE - WHAT MOLD LOOKS LIKE MOLD APPEARANCE - STUFF THAT IS NOT MOLD MOLD CLEANUP GUIDE- HOW TO GET RID OF MOLD MOLD or INDOOR AIR EMERGENCY RESPONSE MOLD EXPERT, WHEN TO HIRE MOLD GROWTH on SURFACES, TABLE OF MOLD GROWTH in/on BUILDING INSULATION MOLD TESTING METHOD VALIDITY MOLD TESTING SERVICES MSDS Material Safety Data Sheets MVOCs & MOLDY MUSTY ODORS MYCOPHOBIA, STAINS MISTAKEN for MOLD MYCOTOXIN EFFECTS of MOLD EXPOSURE Museum Artifact Preservation Nanomaterials Hazards NOISE / SOUND DIAGNOSIS & CURE ODORS GASES SMELLS, DIAGNOSIS & CURE OIL TANKS INSPECT LEAK TEST ABANDON REGS OZONE HAZARDS OZONE for MOLD OR ODORS PARTICLE SIZES & IAQ Particulates & Allergens Indoors Pollen Photos RADON HAZARD TESTS & MITIGATION SAFETY HAZARDS GUIDE SICK HOUSE IAQ QUESTIONNAIRE SMELL PATCH TEST to Track Down Odors SOUND CONTROL in BUILDINGS STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING EXTERIORS STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING INTERIORS THERMAL TRACKING & HEAT LOSS UFFI UREA FORMALDEHYDE FOAM INSULATION URETHANE FOAM Deterioration, Outgassing VAPOR BARRIERS & AIR SEALING at BAND JOISTS VAPOR BARRIERS & CONDENSATION in BUILDINGS VAPOR BARRIERS & HOUSEWRAP VAPOR CONDENSATION & BUILDING SHEATHING VENTILATION in BUILDINGS VINYL Siding or PLASTIC Window ODORS Volatile Organic Compounds VOCs WATER ODORS, CAUSE CURE WATER TESTS, CONTAMINANTS, TREATMENT Well Pollution World Trade Center Collapse Dust Photos More Information |
Mold contamination occurrences in fiberglass insulation: this article explains the cause, detection, and hazards of mold growth in fiberglass insulation in residential and light-commercial buildings. We illustrate how to find or test for moldy insulation in buildings, the probable cause of mold contamination in building insulation, and how to recognize conditions that make that problem likely in a particular case. Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman. Cause & Detection of Mold Contamination in Fiberglass Insulation in Buildings
Clean-looking Fiberglass Insulation may be Mold Contaminated if Exposed to Wet Conditions or A Secondary Airborne Mold SourceExcept for some superficial "dust staining" that is often simply thermal tracking by house dust, the pink fiberglass insulation shown below (left) looked clean. Unlike our black insulation mold photo above, there was no visible mold on the pink fiberglass insulation shown at below left. But vacuuming the center (most clean-looking area) of that mold and lab examination of the vacuum dust sample contents showed the long Penicillium/Aspergillus spore chains (below right) consistent with local problematic mold growth.
High levels of mold may be present in fiberglass insulation: We have measured very high levels of airborne problematic mold spores which were traced to a building reservoir of moldy fiberglass insulation. Recapping, the pair of photographs (above) shows fairly clean-looking fiberglass insulation over a crawl space which in fact had been subjected to flooding. While the insulation itself did not appear to have been flooded, and while there was no mold visible on or in this fiberglass insulation, a simple vacuum test demonstrated that the insulation was severely contaminated with Aspergillus sp. mold. BASEMENT MOLD includes examples of moldy fiberglass insulation found in basements Supplementary text continuing below introduces discussion about moldy fiberglass insulation that can be found in more detail at the insulation mold topic links listed just above this sentence. Fiberglass insulation can host active mold growthThe presence of both mold spore chains and conidiophores of Aspergillus sp. in the insulation test samples whose photos are shown above confirmed that not only was the crawl space ceiling fiberglass insulation moldy, but it was supporting active fungal growth. Our screening samples confirmed that this mold was present in other building areas, most-likely emanating from this mold reservoir of mold-contaminated fiberglass insulation. In some of cases, non-visible mold contamination in fiberglass insulation has been enough to cause IAQ, health, or other mold-related complaints by building occupants, and in some cases
In the partially-opened basement wall shown here at left, the water track stains on the cavity side of the exposed drywall (shown after a test cut was made) indicate that water passed in this wall from above. In this circumstance, even when the fiberglass insulation looks clean, I often find high levels of Penicillium sp. or Aspergillus sp. in this material. Comparison tests of fiberglass which is new at a building supply store or in homes where the insulation has not been wet nor infested with rodents or other pests, mold is rarely a problem. The photo at above right shows a very dense presence of Pen/Asp spores and spore chains as well as a portion of a conidiophore (lower left) in this insulation test sample, indicating that mold appeared to be growing in the insulation, not simply accumulated there from another building mold reservoir. Where to Look for Mold in Building InsulationFor buildings which do not have other known mold reservoirs, special attention needs to be given to inspecting and testing for problematic mold in
Moldy building or duct insulation may look clean on visual inspection
When to test building insulation for moldWe do not recommend routine testing of building fiberglass for mold in non-suspect cases. "Spot checks" by "mold testing" in buildings, if conducted without an expert diagnostic visual inspection and history gathering, are simply not reliable and thus not cost-justified. See When to test insulation for mold for detailed advice about when where how and why to test building insulation for mold contamination. See When to hire a professional to investigate a building for toxic mold for more detailed advice on deciding when it is appropriate to hire a professional or to perform further mold testing in a building. See Vacuuming building cavities as a screen for building mold as well as Vacuuming exposed insulation for finding mold-contaminated fiberglass. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about mold-contaminated building insulation... Ask a Question or Search InspectApediaQuestions & answers or comments about mold-contamination in fiberglass building insulation Ask a Question or Enter Search Terms in the InspectApedia search box just below. Technical Reviewers & ReferencesRelated Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
Fiberglass in buildings: hazards, testing, cleanup, prevention: references & productsFor more information about fiberglass as an indoor air quality concern see:
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