Originally Posted By: ecrofutt
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I went to the one day Home Test course. Got my mold certification. Was all ready to make “Mold into Gold”, but wanted to research other tool & testing equipment sources before kicking loose the bucks for the Home Test equipment.
Wow, what an eyeopener the research was.
Yes, you can make money for providing a service that people know they want. They just don't know they don't need it.
I won't go into great detail here, but if you search the archives at
www.inspectionnews.com for "mold" you'll find plenty of pro & con discussions of it.
Here's my boilerplate text for my report when I see mold/mildew. Check out the internet sources listed.
Erby
What appears to be mold or mildew is present. This should be removed / cleaned and the moisture source eliminated.
The identification of the organism(s) is beyond the scope of this home inspection. If, after reviewing the below information, you have additional questions or want further investigation, I recommend that you contact a Certified Industrial Hygienist, usually listed in the yellow pages under "Industrial Hygiene Consultants" to determine if there exists an ongoing climate for incubation or microbial contamination and that steps be taken to eliminate this climate.
Mold, mildew, fungus and other toxic organisms commonly occur in areas that show evidence of, or have the potential for, leaking, moisture intrusion and/or inadequate ventilation. Any area or item exhibiting such conditions "can" be a health hazard to some people. There is a lot of controversy over the issue of mold and mold testing. Neither the New York City Department of Health or the Environmental Protection Agency recommend measuring airborne fungal levels. The EPA publication "A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home" states "Is sampling for mold needed? In most cases, if visible mold growth is present, sampling is unnecessary." Money spent on testing is not available for cleanup.
I recommend that information from the following sources be reviewed prior to spending any money on mold testing. You may want to identify and review other sources of information.
United States Environmental Protection Agency information available on the EPA web site at
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/molds/moldguide.html provides a document titled "
"A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home"
Various articles on the Building Science Corporation web site at:
http://www.buildingscience.com Click on the link "Learn More about Mold".
The New York City Department of Health Web Site at:
http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/doh/home.html
Use the search function for mold.