Mold Sampling & Mold Testing Mistakes to Avoid - surface tests
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Sampling mistakes to avoid when testing mold by collecting surface samples of mold, dust, or other particles indoors
Choosing the wrong mold to sample, missing the important mold
Testing stuff that is not mold
Testing just the "black mold"
Testing in the wrong building areas
Looking for Mold in All the Wrong Places
Looking for Mold in All the Wrong Ways
Questions & answers about mold sampling & testing procedures that are likely to produce large errors in mold test reports and in mold contamination conclusions about buildings

Mold test mistakes: this document describes how to avoid common mistakes people make when trying to find mold and test for mold in buildings, such as testing only the "black mold" on surfaces or relying only on air tests to screen buildings for problem mold.

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Mold and Indoor Air Quality Test Mistakes: Common Mold Surface Sampling and Other Mold Testing Errors

Looking for Mold in All the Wrong Places

These mistakes amount to collecting mold test samples in the wrong place, or failing to collect mold test samples in other important places.

Looking just for "black mold": Sampling the "scary toxic black mold" on drywall low on the wall while failing to observe the light-colored but more airborne and thus harmful molds such as Aspergillus sp. or Penicillium sp. growing higher and less visibly on the surface. See What mold looks like in a home
Using bad lighting: Sampling the "easy to see" mold and missing the "hard to see" mold without first looking carefully with a flashlight. See Using proper lighting to see important mold contamination in buildings
Bad choice of test surface: Sampling inorganic surfaces like concrete when nearby organic surfaces like drywall paper or wood paneling are present.
Testing Harmless Particles: Sampling things that are obviously not mold and not harmful particles. See Stuff that is Not Mold

Looking for Mold in All the Wrong Ways

Wrong mold test methods: Relying on screening "mold tests" such as "air tests", mold swabs, or mold cultures, to alone indicate the presence or absence of a mold problem in a building. None of these is reliable when used in place of or without a careful and expert visual inspection and each of which has severe methodological errors and variability in results.
Inspecting Easy Areas: Looking only in the easy to inspect areas - such as the living space or attic, and ignoring the crawl space.
Overemphasis of Attics Overemphasizing attic mold - where conditions such as condensation often produce less-problematic Cladosporium sp. molds which do not as easily move down into the living area. But do not ignore attics completely and especially do not ignore attic knee wall areas outside bedrooms such as in a cape cod style home.
Under-Inspecting Crawl Spaces: Failing to inspect crawl spaces - where conditions are often conducive to problem mold growth, especially when people are concerned about or may have found problem mold in other building areas
Ignoring Wall & Ceiling Cavities: Ignoring building cavities - which can, depending on wall or ceiling penetrations and the nature of air movement in a particular building, contain significant reservoirs of problem mold. Some experts opine that mold in cavities never affects building occupants. Our own field investigation has traced high levels of indoor airborne Aspergillus sp. to non-visible reservoirs in fiberglass insulation, so I would not ignore this possibility.
Omitting Insulation Ignoring non-visible but significant mold contamination in building insulation. Tape sampling is not useful for porous materials like insulation. We have devised special methods for screening such substances.

There are lots of other errors and inaccuracies that can confound "testing" buildings for mold, such as relying on air sampling or cultures alone, i.e. "testing" rather than performing a thorough visual inspection (by an expert who knows where to look), and obtaining a building leak history.

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More Reading:
Fiberglass in Indoor Air, HVAC ducts, and Building Insulation
How to Test For Mold Sampling techniques (air, surface, culture, etc) and errors
USING LIGHT TO FIND MOLD - Using proper lighting to see important mold contamination in building
Stuff that is Not Mold
Toxic Mold and Toxic Gas Testing Methods Compared

About the Author

Daniel FriedmanInspectAPedia.com/sickhouse.htm

Daniel Friedman is a mold/indoor air quality investigator and home inspector as well as a professional writer in Poughkeepsie, New York. He is a member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association and the American Society of Home Inspectors. He presently chairs ASHI's national Standards of Practice Committee and has led ASHI's Education and Technical Committees as well as serving on ASHI's Exam, and Ethics/Professional Practices Committees. His poetry has appeared in Emphasis, a national publication of MENSA, and his non-fiction articles and essays have appeared in The Journal of Light Construction, the Old House Journal, The ASHI Technical Journal, Progressive Builder and New Shelter. His news reporting and photography have appeared in the Journal of Light Construction, and in various newspapers including the New York Times, Richmond Times Dispatch, Richmond News Leader, and the Poughkeepsie Journal.

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.
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

Mold Contamination Testing, Cleanup, Prevention: references & products

The Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems
Aerobiology, Building Science, Microscopy, & Laboratory References, an extensive technical bibliography
Allergens: what they look like in buildings
Associations: Sick House, Sick Building, SBS - Air Quality, Government, Private Associations and Information Resources
Atlas of Clinical Fungi, 2nd Ed., GS deHoog, J Guarro, J Gene, & MJ Figueras, Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, Universitat Rovira I Virgili, 2000, ISBN 90-70351-43-9 (you can buy this book at Amazon) - The Atlas of Clinical Fungi is also available on CD ROM
Atlas of Mold Related Illness: Index of Symptoms and health, physical, neurological, psychological, and other complaint which people suspect may be mold or building-related.
Atlas of Indoor Mold, Online Clinical Mold Atlas, Toxins, Pathogens, Allergens and Other Indoor Particles - Medical Health Effects of Mold (separate online document)
Black Mold that is Harmless Photos of recognizable, usually harmless black mold on wood, bluestain, ceratocystis, ophistoma
Building Floods: quick steps after a building flood or plumbing leak can prevent costly mold contamination
Classes of Mold: what types of cosmetic, allergenic, or toxic mold are a problem? Can mold be cleaned-up successfully?
Clinical Mold References - Detailed bibliography of mold reference texts
"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
Environmental Health & Investigation Bibliography - our own technical library on indoor air quality inspection, testing, laboratory procedures, forensic microscopy, etc.
Fiberglass: Mold in Fiberglass Insulation© 2005 comments about a field study in process, & more about health hazards from fiberglass insulation - DJF
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-Germain, Richard Summerbell, Star Publishing, 1996, ISBN 0-89863-177-7 (English) (buy at Amazon)
Looking for Mold Procedure: what mold is often found where in buildings - simple technical presentation
Meruliporia: the house eating fungus or "poria"
Mold Action Guide: Step-by-Step Instructions, What to do about mold, mildew, and other indoor allergens
MOLD APPEARANCE - WHAT MOLD LOOKS LIKE Photos of what mold looks like in buildings
MOLD APPEARANCE - STUFF THAT IS NOT MOLD Photos of NOT-mold material that is sometimes mistaken for mold
MOLD ATLAS & PARTICLES INDEX, Pathogens, Allergens and Other Indoor Particles - Medical Health Effects of Mold (separate online document)
MOLD BY MICROSCOPE Mold under the microscope - photo identification of the most common indoor molds found in buildings
Mold FAQs Answers to Most Questions about Indoor Mold, Mold Related Illness, Mold Cleanup, Mold Prevention
US EPA: Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Building [Copy on file at /sickhouse/EPA_Mold_Remediation_in_Schools.pdf ] - US EPA
Mold spores in the Home - a Photo ID Library for detection and identification of mold allergens
Mold Test Kits - How to Collect and Send Your Own Mold Sample to our mold testing lab or to any mold lab you wish
Most Common Indoor Molds Found in Buildings, A Table of
Mycology, Fundamentals of Diagnostic, Fran Fisher, Norma B. Cook, W.B. Saunders Co. 1998, ISBN 0-7216-5006-6 (buy this book at Amazon)
Ozone Warnings - Use of Ozone as a "mold" remedy is ineffective and may be dangerous.
Rot concerns in buildings-some building mold such as Meruliporia incrassata "Poria" risks serious rot and hidden structural damage
US EPA: Una Breva Guia a Moho - Hongo [Copy on file as /sickhouse/EPA_Moho_Guia_sp.pdf - en Espanol

OTHER IAQ ISSUES: How To Find and Address Other Indoor Air or Indoor Environment Contaminants Besides Mold

Mold or allergens may not be the only or even the main indoor environmental contaminant. Don't let media attention to mold cause so much enviro-scare fear that other, possibly more urgent hazards go un-addressed.

Fiberglass building insulation and HVAC duct work insulation hazards
Sewage and Septic backup contamination in buildings: inspection, testing, remediation, & references to expert sources
Other environmental risks: Asbestos, carbon monoxide, electromagnetic fields, environmental illness, fiberglass, MCS - multiple chemical sensitivity, toxic gases, etc
Indoor Gas Sampling Plan for Residential Buildings lists a number of toxic indoor gases which we test for, depending on the building complaint and building conditions
Ozone Warnings - Use of Ozone as a "mold" remedy is ineffective and may be dangerous.
Pet control - if you can't say goodbye to your bird, cat, dog, guinea pig, hamster, tropical fish, then limit the areas they occupy and limit the airflow from that area to sleeping or other areas of the building, use allergenic bedding, eliminate wall-to-wall carpeting, improve housecleaning including use of a HEPA-rated vacuum cleaner. For more details see our article Dog, Cat, and Other Animal Dander - Information for Asthmatics and Indoor Air Quality
Rodents, Mice, Squirrel Control - I find high levels of mouse and rodent dander, fecal dust, and urine-contaminated dust in some buildings, and high levels of these materials in building insulation in those locations. If you have a mouse problem, particularly if mice and their waste (fecals or urine) are contaminating the building HVAC or building insulation, may need both steps to clean up or remove infected materials and steps to stop an ongoing rodent problem. If squirrels are a problem, the cleanup needs to include closing off entry openings into the building. Get some help from a licensed pest control expert.
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Ask a Question or Search InspectAPedia

Mold and Indoor Air Quality Test Mistakes: Common Mold Surface Sampling and Other Mold Testing Errors

Looking for Mold in All the Wrong Places

Looking for Mold in All the Wrong Ways

Questions & Answers regarding this article

Ask a Question or Search InspectAPedia

Technical Reviewers & References

About the Author

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

Mold Contamination Testing, Cleanup, Prevention: references & products

OTHER IAQ ISSUES: How To Find and Address Other Indoor Air or Indoor Environment Contaminants Besides Mold