Do you provide mold testing services to those without “suppressed immune systems and direct allergy to mold”?
Why or why not?
Dale wouldn’t a Certified Medical Mycologist be a better choice? I agree as home inspectors we have no business calling ourself a certified mold inspector. I simply inspect for it’s presence. If found I’ll refer my client to a expert for further review if they so choose to do so. I understand Industrial Hygienist test air quality however what makes them fungi experts?
http://www.njmoldinspection.com/understanding_medical_mycology.html
WE DO NO REMEDIATION - IT IS A CONFLICT TO DO SO
ARE THERE LICENSED MEDICAL MYCOLOGISTS FOR MOLD RELATED HEALTH INVESTIGATIONS?
Absolutely yes. All professions require them. Internet diploma mills do not qualify (demand college or university training). Medical mycology is a highly technical professional science that a roofer, building contractor, house painter, bug killers, home inspector or other home repair worker has no business being involved in. Anyone hiring such is making a big mistake since many of these are workers are really in the business of selling your their repairs or services and are medically without standing. This puts you and your family’s health at risk and may cost you tens of thousands of dollars due to incompetent false positives or false negative findings.
WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS OF A FMM?
-
Fully trained in medical mycology, immunology, molecular biology, toxicology and related disciplines.
-
Trained and experienced in the building sciences.
-
Trained and experienced in indoor environments and indoor air quality and gas analysis.
-
Trained and experienced in conducting complete scientific studies and reports.
-
Legal training in the identification of relevant legal issues. Expert in legal testimony
What will a FMM do for me? -
A FMM will determine if in fact you have a risk from a fungal mold or not (some molds are edible!).
-
If there is a presence you will learn the level of risk and action you must take is immediate or not.
-
The history and cause of presence of the fungal mold.
-
What needs to be do to eliminate the cause and the presence.
-
Provide a bona fide and qualified certified legal document that can be used in any court of competent jurisdiction.
-
Provide a lawful opinion of related matters regarding health effects, history of the presence (important when there is a fraudulent concealment by seller, negligence or malfeasance by builder, negligence or nonfeasance by unqualified home or the so called “mold inspectors”.
How about testing my home? Should people test their own homes. I hear it’s easy?
"I always shake my head when I hear about testing. Testing is a methodical scientific process considering many complex factors. Nearly all testing on your own is pointless. The common mold kits you buy can be taken anywhere and something will grow and it will be a fungi or fungal mold of some kind and even the possibility of algae, plants, yeasts and bacteria. The often misunderstood and misused air test kits too are a problem, just like the sample kits they are not being used correctly or appropriately in nearly all cases reviewed. As an example I was called in a legal matter to review a recent inspection where the mold spore counts were in the millions for an air sample, such a count is not normally possible. I later interviewed the “mold inspector” that did the testing and he disclosed that he placed the air sampler right on top of the mold forcing into the air cell and representing it as an “air sample” - I am an advocate for rigorous training and qualified certification for this practice. Internet mold inspection diploma mills or correspondence courses just don’t provide adequate training or experience for investigating when there is a true risk present. "
"Test kits in the hands of a non scientist has little value other than telling you what we all know already that mold spores and fragments are normally present everywhere. Without fully understanding this simple fact and what it means to an investigator or inspector leads to more confusion and most cases unnecessary alarm, distress and expense. Key questions have to be formulated for every investigation before any testing is to be considered. If you have the potential for a fungal mold related problem nothing less than a fully qualified scientific study must be performed. Simply just because you have mold growing on a “test kit” does not mean you have a mold problem. "
"People need to be aware that fungal mold is often the same color or offers little to no contrast to the background making that mold undetectable by the untrained eye. A recent case in Monmouth county had such a presence of a very nasty mold with a young occupant with a mold infection that was later identified in the home in a massive but unseen presence. Another case involved a newer construction of about 5 years that had no water leaks but considerable dampness presented extensive growth with hundreds of square feet of a fungal mold known as Aspergillus that was the same color as the surface of the construction material almost totally invisible to the untrained eye. "
- IAC2 is setting the standards. Good practice for performing a mold inspection.
- The how, why, when and wheres of sampling are located in the online mold course which teaches the IAC2 Mold Inspection Standards of Practice
- Mold sampling and then recommending a visual inspection would be backwards. Right.
On page 29 of that document, the chart is no longer valid. Redacted. The chart makes a direct relationship between spores count and health effects. I think the document is a little out of date.
Ben,
Help me understand.
The redactions in that document appear to be the names of certain individuals and locations.
Are you saying the document has no validity and on what basis?
The CDC and US EPA both caution against sampling for indoor moulds as being very rarely if ever needed. Generally, only poorly trained “mould inspectors” such as home inspectors perform mould “testing.” To see a public domain example of a “Critical Review” on mould testing click here. (This report was originally placed on the web by the client.)
Michael I provide my services to anyone who wants it. You would be surprised at how many houses I don’t do any testing. Why? Because there simply was no reason too other than to make a buck, which I wont do. More times than not I don’t do any sampling just due to the fact that people are being brainwashed out here with Mold Scare stories. I will tell you though that every client I have worked with that truly is miserable within there home is not suffering anymore. This is truly a problem FOR SOME PEOPLE, NOT ALL…
Now I need to get back to work and stop visiting this Romper Room message board.
Michael, Joe and Dale,
Then why In June of 2005 when the basement of the EPA building in Washington DC flooded, did the EPA have the air sampled after the remediation was completed?
Why is the EPA taking bids from mold organizations on setting standards?
The EPA are hypocritics.
And why would the CDC know anything about mold? There are no studies on mold causing any disease except one study saying the dead mold spores cause cancer. So why are they an authority on mold. Next are we going to be quoting the Department of Agriculture as an authority on mold because of the practice of spaying poultry feed to prevent the growth of Asperigullis mold. Give me a break.
Also my Industrial Hygienist teaches about mold in an university to students who are studying to be Industrial Hygienist. Any guess how long the class is?
Answer: Eight hours. Yep, they are mold experts alright.
So check into the credentials of the Industrial Hygienist you use. If he or she has not served asvan apprenticeship under another Industrial Hygienist, who works in the mold field regularly. You better not use him.
James,
Why choose a Industrial Hygienist over a Certified Medical Mycologist?
Bill
No, he admitted that he makes money off the backs of mold inspectors who are just trying to help their customers. Also he has admitted that he has no experience in helping mold victims get the relief from physical and mental conditions that mold cause. He just helps crooked lawyers and contractors sue people. Basically using the loop hole that there is no national standards. If people like you would just read some mold trade magazines, you would know that standards are in the process of being set. Then Mr.Connell will need to find some honest work.
James who have you been talking to? You don’t really think someone could become an industrial hygienist in 8 hours do you? Do you even know what they do? Mine is also a board certified DR.
WOW, thats all I can say.
Most Industrial Hygienist do more than handle mold issues. That is not their main purpose. Note the word “Industrial”.
My Industrial Hygienist, who is certified in mold and who is the top mold expert in Missouri, has revealed to me that Industrial Hygienist have only eight hours of mold training unless they serve an apprenticeship in mold and/or took additional training with a mold organization. He not only teaches mold to other Industrial Hygienist but he helps two universities with mold studies.
All I can tell you is if I have a problem with a client being ill, he has always guided me in the right direction.
There are two Industrial Hygienist that I have found in my area that have given really bad advice to their clients because they did not have enough training in mold. Both cases are pretty sad because they actually referred to the EPA guidelines on mold. Both of their former clients and most of the family members, who were living in the home, are now disabled because of the bad advice.
I confronted Mr. Connell about the eight hours mold training that Industrial Hygienist get, on this message board, and he did not deny it. He also claimed that there was no way any industrial hygienist could have that good of credentials in mold as my Industrial Hygienist.
I meet my Industrial Hygienist in a mold class. I made it a practice from the start, if the mold class was not excepted by the American Industrial Hygienist Association, I would not bother taking the training.
I am like you, Mark, I will not suggest testing unless there is a good reason too.
So again I ask,
Why choose a Industrial Hygienist over a Certified Medical Mycologist?
Bill
Who is developing standards?
Billy,
I do not know the answer but I will give you a guess.
The way I understand it is that a Mycologist deals with the effects that mold has on an individual. An Industrial Hygienist deals with the environment which the individual is in.
My main concern is getting the environment clean enough for my client can lead a health life. It is kinda like Viable testing and Nonviable testing, myself I do not want to know the exact strain of mold that is causing the problem, just how is the best way to the mold cleaned up, so nonviable testing is all that I need. I just want a good end result.
A Mycologist probably prefers Viable testing.
[quote=jbraun]
Michael, Joe and Dale,
Then why In June of 2005 when the basement of the EPA building in Washington DC flooded, did the EPA have the air sampled after the remediation was completed?
AFTER REMEDIATION tells you if there are elevated spore counts remaining in the building, tell me how 3 air samples help you locate a mold problem in a home in the first place? If we as home inspectors are experts on building science and finding moisture intrusion as opposed to an IH than why do you need 3 air samples to confirm a mold issue? Find the moisture intrusion by whatever means ( a couple remediation companies in my area use thermal imaging cams, borescopes , and HVAC cameras) in my opinion those inspections are of much more value to a client in finding mold then 3 air samples.
The trade journals you want others to read don’t mention who is developing the standards?
According the the “Indoor Environment Connections” January 2008 issue on(an IAQA trade publication) there is a bill going through the House that will require the EPA and the HUD to establish guidelines for mold. The bill will require that all commercial buildings be inspected for mold when sold, and a National Mold Insurance Program be established.
In another mold industry publication, (it might have been the same publication but a later issue) which I cannot find at this moment, talked about the EPA taking bids on setting mold standards.
It is coming but I am sure the mold insurance program will be the first to get thrown to the side.
[quote=jbettencourt]
What the air samples help to confirm in the case of the EPA building flood is that the mold cleanup was successful.
The main purpose for air samples, before clean-up begins, is to figure out how big of an area needs to be cleaned by determining the spore spread. But air samples can be used in a limited way to find mold because if there is a higher count of considered toxic mold in one room more than the others than this is the room you want to spend most of your time examining.
No matter what you will have to find mold visually. Tools like an infrared camerae and a moisture meter will make your job always a lot easier. Odds are, if you find moisture you will find your mold.
Do not forget that air and surface sampling will also help you in determining that you are having all the mold removed. Example: If you have Stachy in an air sample and the surface sample shows Asperigillius, you better start looking for the Stachy or the remediator and your client are going to be very unhappy after the clearance samples come back.
Sorry for the confusion, I was responding to Billy,
James – Look at post #82 then take a look at this link…
http://www.njmoldinspection.com/unde…_mycology.html
Let me know what you think after reading it. Certified Medical Mycologist do mold inspections/anaylisis at private residences. Just because someone is a industrial hygenist doesn’t make them a mold expert unless they specialize in it. A Certified Medical Mycologist actually has a degree in fungi which does make them the expert IMO.
Bill