I have been reading this post with great interest. Not to belittle anyone or make light of a “touchy” subject, I offer the following:
First - mold testing is a viable service that can prove useful to anyone concerned about potential health issues. HI’s do not profess to be Industrial Hygienist’s, nor do we test in the same manner. Most homeowners cannot afford that type of testing, and the testing we provide is convenient and affordable.
Second - I agree that every home has mold. Its not a question of “if”. Its a question of “how much” and “what type”. If you see mold growing on sheathing in the attic, should you call a Industrial Hygienist to “scientifically” test it? With protocols and all the other scientific jargon I’ve seen posted here? I think not. My concern, and the concern of my client, is the type of mold growing, is a health risk present, and why is it growing there. Then how to get rid of it. To say a swab test is meaningless is absurd. First it verifies a suspicion of mold, and second it identifies the species of mold. From there, the type of mold that is identified may be capable of producing mycotoxins under the right circumstances. Don’t you think a client would find that information valuable?
Third - if the client or a member of their family is already allergic to mold, regardless of the type, initial testing whether with a swab or air samples will tell us if mold is present and to what extent (if air samples). From there they can consult their allergist with the findings to determine if a health risk is present.
My feeling is that any testing service we provide as HI’s is valuable information to a potential ore present home owner. Lawsuits? Bring 'em on!!
tgardner
(Timothy Gardner, VA HI Lic# 3380000992 NRS)
22
I agree with Robert. CPC may well have overstepped his Academic Bounds.
Sorry Calamine, but 1.3million spores/cu m inside vs. 300 spores/cu m outside does mean there is a problem inside.
As my old mentor and nuclear scientist, Dr. Meir Degani, once said, “if it glows like a duck …”
tg
I also agree with mr.Smith.I feel that my client should know if they may be buying a money pit.I will tell them if the foundation is bad,but they can have it tested by a structural engineer if they choose too.The same goes for mold if i see mold i will tell them and they can choose to have a sample tested for the type( or if its a health risk) at a lab or not.Thats why i am inspecting the home,to inform the client of defects.Matt
I’m not so sure if I get it. In my opinion the greatest threat that mold poses to my clients is if the structure is compromised. In most of those cases, the cause can easily be traced to a leak of some kind; weather it is coming from a fixture or is a drainage problem.
problems what levels of mold constitutes a health issue? There are no safe or unsafe levels of mold to my knowledge that have been established. An air test that returns a high level of mold inside compared to levels outside will also most likely test low if other tests are run for the rest of the day. When the outside levels of mold are much higher does that mean that the outside air is dangerous?
As far as causing health
I believe a visual test is the best mold test I can offer my clients. Since all molds are treated in the same manner, testing is also a waste of their money. When the test comes back from the lab stating it’s not a “toxic” mold does that mean it shouldn’t be removed?
Thanks to some great media hype and lucrative scare tactics mold is to be feared by not only the ill-advised but also those with deep pockets.
After using EMSL Labs, I am setup with Pro-Lab and attended the training class presented by ESA. I have a couple general pricing questions and would appreciate any and all input.
1- How much do y’all charge per each cotton-swab and tape-lift mold test? What is your Total Mold test charge (including time taken for sampling, mileage & gas, expertise, handling and shipping to the lab, etc)?
2- How much do you charge per IAQ Micro 5 sampling cassette? What is your Total IAQ test charge (including time taken for sampling, mileage & gas, expertise, handling and shipping to the lab, etc)?
