Environmental inspection & testing consultants directory, mold testing services:

Here we provide a free online directory of indoor air quality, indoor environment, and mold inspection/testing experts.

InspectApedia is an independent publisher of building, environmental, and forensic inspection, diagnosis, and repair information provided free to the public - we have no business nor financial connection with any manufacturer or service provider discussed at our website.

International Directory of Mold & Indoor Air Quality Building Inspection & Test Consultants

U.S. Directory of Mold & Indoor Air Quality Building Inspection & Test Consultants

AK  -  AL  -  AR  -  AZ  -  CA  -  CO  -  CT  -  DC  -  DE  -  FL  -  GA  -  HI  -  IA  -  ID  -  IL  -  IN  -  KS  -  KY  -  LA  -  MA  -  MD  -  ME  -  MI  -  MN  -  MO  -  MS  -  MT  -  NC  -  ND  -  NE  -  NH  -  NM  -  NV  -  NJ  -  NY  -  OH  -  OK  -  OR  -  PA  -  RI  -  SC  -  SD  -  TN  -  TX  -  UT  -  VA  -  VT  -  WA  -  WI  -  WV  -  WY

Canadian Provincial Directory of Mold & Indoor Air Quality Building Inspection & Test Consultants

ALBERTA  -  BRITISH COLUMBIA  -  MANITOBA  -  NEW BRUNSWICK  -  NOVA SCOTIA  -  NEWFOUNDLAND  -  NORTHWEST TERRITORIES  -  ONTARIO  -  PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND  -  QUEBEC  -  SASKATCHEWAN  -  YUKON

Building Environmental Engineering, Inspection & Test Experts in Other Areas

FAROE ISLANDS Mold & indoor Air Quality Consultant

SWITZERLAND, Engineering services, environmental engineering, cement engineering based in Genève, Switzerland, operating world wide.

A purpose onsite building environmental inspections and air and bulk sampling is to identify possible irritants/bioaerosols: mold, mildew, pet dander, pollen, or other material which can cause respiratory distress or other complaints and in some cases serious illness. Consult with your physician for evaluation, treatment, and advice. If you are a qualified expert or service or product provider in this field you may be listed at this website at no fee -

see LINK EXCHANGE INSTRUCTIONS.

Below is a directory of experts whom can be consulted for "sick house" or other building air quality, mold, mildew, dampness, odors, toxic gases, chemical exposure, or similar complaints, experts may perform a Phase I visual inspection expanded by actual bulk surface and air sampling combined with microscopic examination, and case histories to identify possible concerns. A separate directory of companies providing mold cleanup or mold remediation can be found

at MOLD CLEANUP COMPANIES.

Watch out: First, should we be testing for mold at all? If you see mold on indoor surfaces, NO mold testing is needed to confirm that mold is present in a this building and that cleanup is needed. But if a large remediation project is planned, tests may be needed for project control -
see WHEN TO IDENTIFY MOLD.

Before hiring any onsite test or investigation expert for a field investigation, inspection, or testing, be sure to review

MOLD / ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERT, HIRE ?.

Also, to avoid a conflict of interest we recommend that mold inspection, testing, or post-cleanup inspection and testing should be performed by an expert who has absolutely no financial or business relationship with the mold cleanup or mold remediation company.

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To Look more carefully at the building yourself - this website has articles on how to look for problem mold or other indoor air quality issues, see these online guides:

• ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS - INSPECT, TEST, REMEDY - home
• ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN BUILDINGS - home
• BACTERIA, Mold, & Pollen
• BIOLOGICAL POLLUTANTS
• CARPETING & INDOOR AIR QUALITY
• COMBUSTION GASES & PARTICLE HAZARDS
• DUST SAMPLING PROCEDURE
• EMERGENCY RESPONSE, IAQ, GAS, MOLD
• FIBERGLASS HAZARDS
• FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP
• Formaldehyde testing - FORMALDEHYDE GAS TEST KITS, METERS and also see WHEN SHOULD YOU TEST for FORMALDEHYDE
• HUMIDITY CONTROL & TARGETS INDOORS
• LEAD POISONING HAZARDS GUIDE - home
• How to look for mold - MOLD DETECTION & INSPECTION GUIDE
• Appearance of mold - MOLD APPEARANCE - WHAT MOLD LOOKS LIKE
• Stuff that is not mold - MOLD APPEARANCE - STUFF THAT IS NOT MOLD
• How to use your flashlight - USING LIGHT TO FIND MOLD
• How to inspect and test for mold in a home you are buying - BUYERS GUIDE - home inspections for mold
• ODORS GASES SMELLS, DIAGNOSIS & CURE - home
• OIL TANK LEAKS & SMELLS
• OIL TANK LEAK & SMELL FAQs
• RADON HAZARD TESTS & MITIGATION - home
• WATER ODORS, CAUSE CURE

To Evaluate the leak and moisture history of your building see these instructions:

• Overall building risk for mold - MOLD EXPOSURE RISK LEVELS, and if there seem to be particularly high risks (building history, what you see, complaints or health risks of occupants) it might be appropriate to hire an expert
• When to Hire a Professional - MOLD / ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERT, HIRE ? helps decide if it’s appropriate to bring in an pro.

To Do your own Mold Testing use this procedure:

Collect DIY samples of what you see (you wont' address hidden mold in insulation or in building cavities by this method) using tape sampling described

at TEST KIT for DUST, MOLD, PARTICLES: INSTRUCTIONS

Directories of Mold Inspection, Testing, Cleanup, Remediation Experts

• MOLD CLEANUP COMPANIES - directory of mold remediation companies
• MOLD TESTING SERVICES - directory of independent mold testing and inspection experts and mold consultants - above on this page
• AIHA CONSULTANTS LISTING [This link to AIHA leaves InspectApedia.com] - American Industrial Hygienists Association's directory (entrants pay a fee to be listed) at AIHA

Add Your Listing & Support This Website by a Link Exchange (No Fees)

The content at this website is provided by InspectAPedia^® as a public service and without any conflicts of interest.

This directory receives no support from any third party such as any home inspection or real estate firm or product or service provider. The author reserves the right to list or not list professionals including attorneys, licensed electricians, environmental inspectors, industrial hygienists, oil tank experts, physicians, mold testers or mold inspectors, roofing, septic system, and other professionals such as home & building inspectors and to provide notice of consumer compliments or complaints.

If you are a certified building professional, a licensed professional (in states which provide licensing), or if you hold other appropriate professional certification or membership you can be listed here by sending the information listed
at Directory Listing & Link Exchange Instructions.

Directory listing submissions are welcome professionals whose services are appropriate for our readers. There are no listing fees & no conflicts of interest. We reserve the right to list or not list individuals or companies and to provide notice of consumer compliments or complaints. To provide your link exchange information see

• Directory Listing & Link Exchange Instructions.
• ADVERTISING POLICY
• LINK EXCHANGE POLICY

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

Question: how to determine if a building is safe to occupy after a roof leak

(Sept 20, 2014) Cindy Besio said:
Roofers caused a major leak that has now been leaking 2 weeks. Walls, ceiling, carpet in multiple rooms show wet brown areas and mold. Water has cascaded down the AC coils. Resident has COPD and Emphysema.

We need a test for air quality and mold to prove she has to move until this is fixed.

We will try to get all fees through insurance claims, but no guarantees, so basic testing is required now. If she is safe we need to know, if she isn't we REALLY need to know. Looking someone who is willing to be patient to get the whole project.

Reply:

For unarguable documentation of the conditions you describe, an expert diagnostic visual inspection, photo documentation, and physical samples as well as a remediation plan would be better than a simple (and less reliable) air test.

(Sept 20, 2014) Cindy Besio said:
I agree Dan, but my very first priority is whether she is safe to stay in the condo or leave. The rest will follow of course. But on Monday I need to start testing to get her doctors results then decide if she stays or goes, then who's going to pay, then where. Then we start the remediation process with an empty house.

Reply:

We agree, but to form a credible safety opinion testing alone would be unreliable, especially when air test results show nothing.

Question: who is qualified to be listed as an environmental inspector?

Oct 29, 2014) Mark said:
I am looking at your mold inspectors directory:
inspectapedia.com/Environment/Environmental_Testing_Services.htm#CA

What qualification / verification is required for someone to be listed here? I am asking this question from the perspective of someone seeking such services, not offering them. Thanks for your input.

Reply:

Mark you ask exactly the right question. Thank you.

In my OPINION there is NO absolutely reliable single credential that reliably guarantees the competence, honesty, experience, and expertise of an environmental test consultant.

There are highly educated certified industrial hygienists who don't know residential construction nor building science nor mycology nor the peculiarities of test equipment, sample processing, etc., and there are plenty of home inspectors who add to their bottom line by performing "mold testing" by simply collecting a sample or two of some sort, sending it off to a lab and leaving the customer to interpret the lab results.

We list people who claim education, expertise, experience, and who claim to avoid the conflict of interest innate in being both a mold or indoor environmental test consultant AND a person who offers remediation services.

You should have a pointed conversation with anyone you expect to hire, asking about not just their credentials (My dog Katie, for a fee, became a "Certified Environmental Inspector") but about their experience, familiarity with construction methods, materials, mold-conducive conditions, accuracy of various mold test methods, and importantly, whether not the service includes a thorough inspection of the property for conditions likely to produce a visible or hidden problem mold reservoir AND an interview with building owners and occupants to determine the history of occupant complaints, building leaks, floods, or other events that are relevant.

If someone is just going to stop by and collect an air or tape (or worse, culture) "mold test sample" and send it off to a lab, doing nothing else, you're getting not much of value for your fee - even if the test result suggests that there is a "mold problem" you still don't know where the problem(s) reside, what is the cause, how much cleanup or remediation are needed, risk to occupants, etc.

With PAAA I participated in an effort to define just what experts thought a for-hire environmental test expert needs to know: it was quite challenging.

If someone is going to inspect, test, interview, give you an interpretation of results, and provide, if needed, a mold remediation plan, and if that person understands building science, water and leak or moisture problem causes & cures, the inaccuracy of various "mold test methods" (never rely on tests alone), mycology, mold recognition, etc., that sounds better to me - but even then, if that person is ALSO going to sell you mold remediation services, in my opinion I'd hire someone who is more completely independent.

The innate conflict of interest is just asking for trouble and puts both you AND the service provider at risk.

We list people in these directories as a free public service because often people simply have trouble finding *anyone* who even "claims" expertise in this area. We have no financial nor business relationship with anyone listed herein.

In sum, the more you read through our mold or IAQ action guides and are informed yourself the better use you can make of an environmental inspection & test consultant and the better you can judge if you're hiring someone who actually knows something and is actually working with your interests of paramount concern.

Question: our "mold expert" tested for "every possible lkind of mold" and found nothing but I'm still sick and it smells moldy here

(Apr 4, 2015) Anonymous said:
I'm an adult, stuck living with my parents for the moment for money reasons, and have been really sick lately. A certain ENT who specializes in mold said I reeked of it so bad he could hardly be in the same room with me, and that our house must be high in mold.

It didn't hurt my feelings because I knew it wasn't directed at me personally, and it was actually reassuring to know this isn't my imagination. My dad thinks the guy is rude, and is just trying to capitalize.

My dad hired a proclaimed mold expert to test our home for "every POSSIBLE kind of mold" and the results came back extremely low, especially in my room. Yet even BEFORE I went to this doctor, I was feeling about as bad physically as I ever had in my life.

I can't believe it's just a coincidence. In order to learn to recognize mold's scent, I left a wet cloth in a ziplock bag for a few days, opened it up, and smelled a pretty distinct odor. Now, I could swear, I smell the same odor strongly when I go in MY room.

My dad says his web search revealed that this doctor's testing methods - petri dishes? - aren't accurate. But I can't ignore what my body's telling me. And I swear, the smell in my room is the same as the smell in the bag. Yes, my dad is a jerk, regardless, and obviously since I'm an adult, the best solution is to get my own place, but can anyone offer an explanation regarding the extremely different mold-assessments? Even if this doctor IS capitalizing to a degree, I can't believe that'd account for all of it, or that he'd be in business as long as he has, if that were all he was doing.

Reply: your "mold test" based on only a culture plate was not at all reliable as a building screen for mold

Anon,

I can smell the mold even here in Mexico. As long as you are not moldy it's certainly not an insult. Anyhow, your dad is both wrong and absolutely correct.

First, if you smell mold, there's mold somewhere; if there's a lot it can be a health hazard that needs professional cleanup; small areas of indoor mold under 30 sqft. can be cleaned using normal housecleaning methods. Then find and fix the cause. Mold reservoirs can be hidden in a wall or ceiling as well.

Second, your test in the plastic bag does not test your environment. There is always some mold in air. Wet a rag and put it in a bag anywhere on earth and soon it'll smell moldy.

Third, testing for mold contamination in buildings using petri dishes is not a valid nor useful approach - your dad is absolutely right. Only 10% of molds will grow on any culture at all so the test is 90 % wrong before you start. There are very important uses of mold cultures but not as a general building contamination screen.

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Continue reading at ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLE MAILING INSTRUCTIONS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• ASBESTOS TESTING SAMPLE COLLECTION - procedures
• DUST SAMPLING PROCEDURE
• SINGLE ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLE CHAIN of CUSTODY FORM
• MULTIPLE ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES CHAIN of CUSTODY FORM
• ENVIRONMENTAL TEST ERROR TYPES
• FIBERGLASS HAZARDS
• MOLD TEST PROCEDURES
• MOLD TESTING & SAMPLING MISTAKES for more examples of how mold testing goes wrong
• PRINTER FRIENDLY CHAIN of CUSTODY FORM [PDF] -
• TAPE SAMPLE for DUST, MOLD, OTHER PARTICLES - INSTRUCTIONS - Simple Adhesive Tape Procedure for Environmental Sample Collection of dust, particles, etc.

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ENVIRONMENTAL & MOLD TESTING SERVICES at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING ENVIRONMENT

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