Lab Procedures for Mold & IAQ Contaminants

Technical Procedures for Building Investigation & Forensic Microscopy:

This article series 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.

Forensic & Environmental Test Lab Technical Procedures & SOPs

Forensic Particle Analysis Technical & Laboratory Procedures

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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.

• Our complete list of building & indoor environment inspection & test articles is at ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING FORENSICS
• 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.

• BLACK LIGHT & UV LIGHT USES
• BLOOD in ART WORKS, TESTING FOR
• BOOK / DOCUMENT MOLD & WATER DAMAGE RESTORATION
• COLOR TEMPERATURE BULB COMPARISONS
• DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY for MICROSCOPE - getting the image from the microscope slide to the computer to the database or printer
• DUST ANALYSIS for FIBERGLASS
• DUST ANALYSIS for FIBERGLASS FAQs
• DUST from the WORLD TRADE CENTER COLLAPSE
• FIBER & HAIR IDENTIFICATION
• FORENSIC INVESTIGATION of BUILDINGS
• FORENSIC & IAQ LAB MICROSCOPE TECHNIQUES
• FORENSIC LAB TECHNICAL PROCEDURES - home
• FOXING STAINS on books & papers
• GAS SAMPLING PLAN
• LIGHT AIM FINDS MOLD & OTHER PARTICLES
• LIGHT, GUIDE to FORENSIC USE
• LIGHT MICROSCOPY examination methods, education, references, suppliers
• MICROMETEORITES in ROOF DUST
• MICROSCOPE SLIDE PREPARATION
• MICROSCOPE SLIDE PREP - PERMANENT MOUNTS
• MOLD in FIBERGLASS INSULATION
• MOLD TEST PROCEDURES
• MOLD TEST: TAPE SAMPLE ANALYSIS - How to Report Mold Levels in Mold Test Samples of Surfaces in buildings
• MICROMETEORITES in ROOF DUST
• 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
• PAINT ANALYSIS, DIAGNOSTIC USES
• PAPAYA WHITE GROWTH vs DISEASE
• AIRBORNE PARTICLE SIZE DEFINITIONS & TYPES
• AIRBORNE PARTICLE SIZE TABLE
• SEPTIC DYE TEST PROCEDURE
• SLIDE PREPARATION, MICROSCOPE methods, formulas, suppliers
• SLIDE PREPARATION, PERMANENT - A Method For Preparing Cargille meltmount™ Permanent Microscope Slides for Rapid Field or Laboratory Use
• STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING EXTERIORS
• STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING INTERIORS
• TAPE TESTS for MOLDY SURFACES
• URINE / ANIMAL ODORS IN BUILDINGS
• THERMOGRAPHY IR Infra Red
• THERMAL SCANNERS
• VACUUMING BUILDING CAVITIES
• VACUUM TEST INSULATION CONTAMINANTS
• UV LIGHT BLACK LIGHT USES

What to do about mold in buildings

• MOLD ACTION GUIDE: follow this easy step by step outline of what to do
• MOLD ACTION GUIDE after FLOODING: How to Minimize Mold Damage After a Building Flood
• MOLD CLEANUP - How to Clean Up Mold or Remove Mold in buildings
• 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 TEST PROCEDURES
• MOLD RESISTANT CONSTRUCTION - How to Prevent Mold Growth in buildings
• MOLD CONTAMINATION or ODOR FAQs- this detailed list answers most questions about mold
• MOLD ODORS, MUSTY SMELLS: what causes moldy smells in buildings?
• ODORS, ODOR DETECTION, SMELLS & GASES how to find and identify sources of noxious or toxic odors and gases
• RENTER / TENANT GUIDE to MOLDhow can a tenant deal with a moldy rental apartment or rental home
• FIELD INSPECITON & TESTING SERVICES
• MOLD TEST LAB SERVICES

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

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.

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, ENVIRONMENT & IAQ 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.

MOLD TEST PROCEDURES - Valid and in-valid mold testing methods & protocols.

Are some mold test kits junk science?

Please see

• AIR TESTS for MOLD 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 CONTAMINATION how to look for mold in carpets
• CARPET MOLD TEST suggestions for alternative methods to test carpeting for mold
• CULTURE TESTS for MOLD CONTAMINATION - Validity of some home test kits for mold including Settlement Plates or Swabs to test for toxic mold in buildings - a brief tutorial
• MOLD SAMPLING METHODS for 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 TEST 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. Field study 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. Field study 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) Field study 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
• PAPAYA WHITE GROWTH vs DISEASE - examining white striations penetrating the flesh of a papaya fruit
• 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 VACUUM TEST INSULATION CONTAMINANTS 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 DUST 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.

• TAPE TESTS for MOLDY SURFACES "bulk" or "tape" samples and their interpretation - a brief tutorial
• TAPE TEST MOLD LEVEL REPORTS in Tape Samples or bulk samples of surfaces in buildings
• SEND A MOLD TEST SAMPLE TO A LAB: 5 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
• 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 LEVEL 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 [web page] detector-tubes and Drager accuro ellows pump, the Gastec cylinder pump and detector-tube system produced by Gastec or Sensidyne, [web page] and we also use Sensidyne's Gilian air pump. [web page]
  
  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 [web page] U.S. EPA Radon level maps
• LEGIONELLA sp HEALTH CONCERNS and advice, cleaning air conditioning systems, when to test for Legionella
• VALIDITY of COMMON INDOOR MOLD TESTING METHODS
• VISUAL PERCEPTION ERRORS
• 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

...

Continue reading at FORENSIC INVESTIGATION of BUILDINGS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• AIRBORNE MOLD COUNT VALIDITY
• AIRBORNE PARTICLE LEVELS vs IAQ - home
• AIRBORNE PARTICLE ANALYSIS METHODS
• AIRBORNE PARTICLE COUNT VARIATION CAUSES
• AIRBORNE PARTICLE SIZE DEFINITIONS & TYPES
• AIRBORNE PARTICLE SIZE TABLE
• DUST SAMPLING PROCEDURE
• FIBERGLASS HAZARDS - home
• FORENSIC INVESTIGATION of BUILDINGS
• FORENSIC LAB TECHNICAL PROCEDURES - home
• INDOOR AIR QUALITY METHODS COMPARED
• LAB PROCEDURES MICROSCOPE TECHNIQUES
• LAB & FIELD IAQ EQUIPMENT SOP
• MICROMETEORITES in ROOF DUST
• MICROSCOPE SLIDE BULK SAMPLE PREP
• TEST KIT for DUST, MOLD, PARTICLES: INSTRUCTIONS

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING FORENSICS

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