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How Do I Know If I Have Black Mold in My Home

The only way to know whether you have black mold in your house is to have the mold tested by a qualified mold laboratory. If you have visible mold growth, you can easily take samples for laboratory testing by using clear scotch tape. All you need to do is to cut 2-3 inches of clear scotch tape and stick it onto the surface with mold growth. Then remove the tape and stick it onto a plastic bag and then send it to a lab. For details on mold testing click Mold Testing Kits For Homeowners And Property Managers.

If the mold is not visible but there is musty smell, you can take air samples. While negative air samples do not necessarily mean there is no mold growth, air samples can help in detecting hidden mold growth. For details on how to take air samples, please call 905-290-9101.

Fungal investigations in public buildings, workplaces, and homes

Investigation of fungal contamination in indoor environments normally includes visual inspection and sampling. The samples to collect, the number, when and where to collect them and the methods to be used for sample analyses depends on the objectives or goal of the investigation. The samples that may be collected include air, dust or bulk samples. Swabs or clear cellophane tape can be used to sample for fungi from contaminated surfaces. The samples can be analyzed by either direct microscopy or by culture methods depending on the type of data required.

Testing For Airborne Mold Spore Concentration

Testing for airborne mold spore concentration is achieved by impacting a known volume of air onto a surface coated with sticky material. As the air hits the sticky surface the spores and any other particulates in the air are trapped. In the laboratory the spores are identified under a microscope, categorised into various groups and counted. This method is excellent for estimating how contaminated the air is but it does not tell us what proportion of the counted spores are still viable. If an estimate of the proportion of viable mold spores is needed, then the air has also to be impacted onto some growth agar media. Viable mold spores would then grow on the media and appear as mold colonies, usually referred to as colony forming units (CFU). CFU is not a very accurate way of measuring the viable proportion of airborne mold spores. This is because a single colony can develop from one spore or a group of spores. Secondly, fast growing colonies tend to overgrow slow growing colonies. Also, the agar media used may not support the growth of all categories of viable spores present in the air.

Testing For Mold Requires Training

Testing for mold is not difficult. But you need to know not only where to look for it but also which species are toxigenic or allergenic. One also requires to have a clearly defined objective for the testing. If the objective of testing for mold requires that samples be taken, it is important to know what types of samples to take and the limitations or disadvantages of different types of samples. The type of samples to take is determined by the type of data the mold investigator requires. The type of data required, on the other hand, is determined by the objective(s) of the investigation.

There are some mold training courses out there that can provide you with basic skills necessary for mold investigation. You may want to review the Mold Training Course offered by MBL. This unique, comprehensive one-day training course focuses on how to recognize indoor mold, how to develop effective sampling strategies, how to interpret laboratory results and current guidelines on mold remediation. Course dates are found at http://www.moldbacteria.com/training.html.

Is Air Sampling For Mold Necessary?

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.

Salmonella food poisoning and symptoms

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 – Guidelines for Laboratory Interpretation

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 Indoor Mold Is An Early Warning Device

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. […]