Mold Bacteria Consulting Services
Serving Ontario and British Columbia
Is air sampling of mold necessary? Any type of mold sampling whether air or surface sampling should be based on a well defined objective. For example, if the objective is to determine whether occupants were exposed to airborne mold spores, then air sampling would be recommended. Air sampling may also help to detect hidden mold growth.
Before sampling for mold, it is important to have a well defined objective.
Mold is a recognized health hazard. Every single day thousands of people who suspect they or their families are sick due to mold are looking for mold information on the Internet. But how reliable is the information posted on the Internet? Most of the mold information on the Internet is intended to create fear and panic so that the consumer of this information can buy a service or a product.
Reliable information can be obtained from government sites, academic sites and a few private sites owned by mold experts. By mold experts, I mean people who studied molds at universities for their higher degrees. There are many self-proclaimed “mold experts” online.
Before believing what you read about mold online be sure you can trust the source of the information.
Many people get concerned if the black mold fungus called Stachybotrys appears in lab results even if only a few spores were reported. Some people conclude the results are okay if Stachybotrys was not present even when counts of other mold spores are relatively high. But is Stachybotrys the most dangerous indoorblack mold? Possibly not. Species of Aspergillus such as Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger (A. niger is a black mold too) are well known health hazards. Personally I would not be concerned if a few spores of Stachybotrys are reported in air samples especially immediately after mold remediation.
Cladosporium cladosporioides is a common household mould found growing on damp walls in the bedroom, living room, bathrooms, around tubs, shower stalls, or window frames and ceilings. It may appear as dark brown or black scattered colonies or patches. Cladosporium cladosporioides is a common cause of mould allergy. But, not everybody is allergic to this mould! So, if you see this mould growing in your house and you or your family members are not feeling sick, do not panic. Just have the mould cleaned up.
The causes of sick building syndrome (SBS) are still not well understood. SBS has always been associated with poor ventilation in airtight energy efficiency buildings and biological and chemical pollutants. In the April issue of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Dr. Stafford and colleagues suggest that job related factors could be a major contributor to sick building syndrome.
Salmonella food poisoning has been a growing concern in recent news. It has frequently lead to recalls of beef, salads and organic products and, even peanut butter products. Salmonella food poisoning occurs when one eats raw or undercooked foods such meat, poultry, eggs or egg products. Properly cooked food can get contaminated with Salmonella if […]
Legionella pneumophila is a Gram negative, aerobic bacteria that is characterized as an opportunistic pathogen. It is the cause of Legionnaires’ Disease, a severe form of pneumonia and, it is the cause of Pontiac fever, a non-pneumonic form of L. pneumophila infection. Legionella spp.’s mode of transmission is through aerosols or aspiration of contaminated water. The Public Health […]
The mold (or mould, in the Queen’s English) has been the victim of a bad press. Mention the word and it conjures up an image of something rotting or in the process of decomposition. And yet, were it not for the mold that inspired the discovery of penicillin millions of lives would have been lost. […]