Mold Bacteria Consulting Services

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Are These Levels of Spores Considered Hazardous?

Question: The crawlspace in our condo has the following readings for spores/m3 : Aspergillus/Penicillium type-16000; Chaetomium- 67; Cladosporium- 227. Are these levels spores considered hazardous? It is going to cost a very high amount to have vents, sensors and spores removed to correct the situation and there is no guarantee. Please give me your comments on this.

Answer: There are no published standards for acceptable exposures to indoor mold spores. And there is no agreement among the scientific community on the exact levels of airborne indoor mold spores which are responsible for the onset of disease, nor is there adequate information on dose-effect relationship.

This is what Health Canada advises:

Health Canada considers that mould growth in residential buildings may pose a health hazard. Health risks depend on exposure and, for asthma symptoms, on allergic sensitization. However, the large number of mould species and strains growing in buildings and the large inter-individual variability in human response to mould exposure preclude the derivation of exposure limits. Therefore, Health Canada recommends:

  • to control humidity and diligently repair any water damage in residences to prevent mould growth; and
  • to clean thoroughly any visible or concealed mould growing in residential buildings.

These recommendations apply regardless of the mould species found to be growing in the building.

Further, in the absence of exposure limits, results from tests for the presence of fungi in air cannot be used to assess risks to the health of building occupants.”

For more information regarding mold spores please call us at 905-290-9101 in Ontario or 604-435-6555 in British Columbia.

Seed Pathogen Testing

Question: Hello, I represent a very important agro-industrial group in Mexico. We have several roles such as wheat mills, fruit, and vegetable processing.

Right now we have a situation in one of our facilities that we want to resolve. We have a hydroponic greenhouse where we produce lettuce, mainly 3 different varieties (Boston, Lollobionda, Lollorosa). We have had several problems in the production of lettuce. We did some analysis and we have found that the root cause of the problem is in the seed.

This seed comes from Holland, and the seed is encapsulated by some material that is supposed to protect the naked seed and improve the shelf life. In our studies we have found that the encapsulation material is contaminated with some fungal pathogens and bacteria, so this is why we are requesting your support.

In a research institute in Mexico they found in the encapsulation material the following fungal pathogens and bacteria:

– Fusarium
– Verticillium
– Acremonium
– Phythium
– Aspergillus
– Stenotrophomonas
– Acinetobacter
– Bacillus cereus

So we want to confirm with your labs if these microorganisms are present in the seed or in the encapsulation material. So we need to know if your labs are able to do this analysis, the cost of the analysis and how much time you think this will take. If by some reason MBL are not able to do this kind of analysis, could you recommend some laboratory that could help us with this request.

I’ll wait for your comments, thanks and best regards.
Answer: We can you determine the fungal and bacterial pathogens present in the seeds and the encapsulation material. However, since this material is coming from outside of Canada, an import permit from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) would be required. We would suggest you use a lab in Mexico for this kind of testing.

Bacterial and Fungal Contamination of Metalworking Fluids (MWFs)

Metalworking fluids are used to cool and/or lubricate metal works during machining, grinding, cutting, milling, etc. MWFs can get contaminated when good hygiene practices are not followed or when fluids are not properly managed or maintained. Bacterial and fungal contamination of metalworking fluids (MWFs) is a major concern in the industries which use these fluids. Contamination may cause equipment malfunction, off-odors, degradation in the fluid quality, economic losses and finally, they pose as a major health hazard. Several Gram +ve and Gram -ve bacteria are found as contaminants. These include Staphylococcus sp., Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Proteus sp. and Coliforms. Fungal contaminants include, Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., Fusarium sp. and Cephalosporium sp.

Major health concerns of bacterial and fungal Contaminated metalworking fluids include skin irritation, allergic contact dermatitis, irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, and, occasionally, breathing difficulties such as bronchitis and asthma. Learn more about contamination of metalworking fluids.

Mold On Books

Books are prone to dampness if the relative humidity is not maintained below 60%. Prolonged damp conditions results to mold growth on the paper and on the bindings. Mold growth on books leads to damage of books through staining and or breaking down of paper and other book components. Besides the damage, many molds isolated from books are a health hazard capable of causing serious respiratory diseases and allergies of various degrees. Molds commonly isolated from moldy books include species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, Trichoderma, Chaetomium, Stachybotrys, Epicoccum and a number of others. Trichoderma, Chaetomium, and Stachybotrys are strong producers of the enzyme cellulase that breaks down the paper.

Procedure for cleaning moldy booksMold growth on a book

If the books are not extensively damaged (i.e, the paper is still intact), they can be saved. Below is a brief procedure that can be used to clean moldy books.

  • Workers must wear appropriate personal protective equipment when handling contaminated books. This includes wearing coverall or other protective coat over street clothing, a respirator (i.e. N95 or better) and vinyl examination gloves. Unprotected individuals risk aggravating or developing allergic sensitivities to the mold spores.
  • Cleaning must be conducted within a temporary containment unit away from air intakes, other building openings and public areas.
  • Moldy books must be HEPA vacuumed on the following areas: outside front and back covers, joints between the covers, spine, text block and inside back and front covers. A soft-bristled brush may be used to remove stubborn mold growth. (NB: Care must be taken not to damage the books).
  • Once cleaning of books is completed, book carts that were holding moldy books must be cleaned with disinfectant and paper towels. Refer to the material safety data sheets (MSDS) of the disinfectants before use.
  • Before re-shelving, the cleaned books must be given a quick wipe down with an appropriate disinfectant solution, the floors and shelf areas must be cleaned and disinfected and the shelves and flooring must be cleaned with disinfectant and paper towels.
  • After completing the cleaning, the exterior of the HEPA vacuum cleaner is wiped down with a disinfectant to kill any settled spores.
  • Workers must remove protective coveralls, eye protection, respirator, and gloves outside and wash hands with soap and hot water after completing the cleaning session.
  • A record of where the problem areas are, the cause of the problem, a list of the cleaned books, the time and day when the cleaning took place must be kept for future reference.
  • Implement a preventative cleaning program to address the continuing mold problem in the library.

How Dangerous Is Mould In Your Basement?

Basements tend to be damp thus encouraging mould growth. Some of the common moulds in basements include Aspergillus versicolor, Penicillium spp, Aspergillus fumigatus and Fusarium spp. However, the types of moulds present in a basement would depend on how damp the basement is. For example, under extremely damp conditions the dominating moulds would be those that require high levels of moisture for growth such as Ulocladium, Stachybotrys, Fusarium, and Aspergillus fumigatus. Under relatively dry conditions, the dominating types of moulds would be those that can grow at low moisture levels such as Aspergillus versicolor, Penicillium chrysogenum, Eurotium species and Wallemia sebi.

Are These Moulds Dangerous?
Allergenic and toxic hazards of common indoor moulds are dependent on the quantity of mould present and the health status of individual person. However, regardless of the amount of mould present or the health status of occupants, mould should never be allowed to grow indoors.

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