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Is This An Adequate Solution To The Mold Problem?

Question: I work in a 100 year old wooden building that suffered from flood conditions last fall. The basement is a dirt floor and has very high spore counts and visible mold. The upstairs suffered from visible mold and high mold counts. The remedial work that has taken place is to put a polythene vapour barrier between the basement and the upstairs. Is this an adequate solution to the problem.

Thank you.

Answer: The solution you’ve described sounds inadequate. Any material with visible mold should have been cleaned or replaced if it could not be easily cleaned. The cause of flooding should also have been investigated and corrected. Since there are no mold remediation standards most mold remediators and restoration contractors follow existing mold guidelines. All the guidelines outline procedures to be followed to clean up the mold. Below are some Mold Guidelines and other useful resources.

  • Guidance for Clinicians on the Recognition and
    Management of Health Effects Related to Mold Exposure and
    Moisture Indoors 

     

  • Fungal Contamination in Public Buildings:
    Health Effects and Investigation Methods 

    Health Canada – This document is a revision of an
    earlier version published by Health Canada and the
    Federal-Provincial Advisory Committee on Environmental and
    Occupational Health (CEOH) in 1995.

  • Mould Guidelines for the Canadian
    Construction Industry 

    Canadian Construction Association (CCA) – Recent
    rerelease of CCA 82. Hard copies can also be purchased from
    your local construction associations.

  • Environmental Abatement Council of Ontario (EACO) Mould Abatement Guidelines.
  • Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Mold in Indoor EnvironmentsNew York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Can I Install New Drywall?

Question: I have just purchased a house in which the basement wall had what looked like mold behind it and dryrot in the 2x4s supporting the drywall. I removed all 50 ft of drywall, 2x4s and insulation back to the cinder blocks and trusses. I have bleach washed the cinder blocks twice and sprayed the trusses with mold removal/prevention solution. I believe I have removed the reason for the moisture (grading and evetroughs). Can I install new 2x4s and drywall or might there still be an issue?

Answer: As long as the moisture problem has been corrected, all the contaminated material removed and the place is dry, you can install new 2X4s and drywall without a problem.

Hope this helps. Should you have more questions or need more information please contact by phone or use our online form to send your questions. Thank you.

Mold Removal: when to use a mold removal company

When to call a professional mold removal company

Mold removal is the process of removing  all moldy or contaminated material from a building. Generally material that can be cleaned are cleaned and dried. Although it’s tempting to remove any mold you see, it’s not always practical or safe to remove it yourself. Removing mold before you know whether it’s toxic can make your family feel ill. And sometimes there’s simply too much mold for you to remove safely yourself.

What mold removal guidelines say

You may clean small areas of mold (less than 1 square meter or 3 square feet) yourself. If you do choose to clean small areas of mold yourself, please follow mold guidelines for your safety and that of your family.

Mold growth covering an area less than 10 square feet is categorised as level 1 mold growth. Level 1 mold growth can be one single area of mold or it can include several patches of mold which together would be less than 10 square feet. Remember! Cleaning the mold without fixing the moisture problem, doesn’t solve the mold problem.

If visible mold growth in your house covers more than 10 square feet or if you are not sure how to clean the mold safely, it is recommended you seek professional advice. Cleaning large areas of mold growth releases high concentrations of mold spores into the air, which could make your family feel sick.

Therefore, extensive areas of mold growth should be cleaned by a professional. Heavy concentrations of mold spores can cause or worsen health problems.

Molds don’t have to be toxic to cause health problems. Even a common, usually harmless mold can be a health issue if there is a lot of it. However, always consult a professional if your house mold is a toxigenic mold, or if you even suspect a toxigenic mold.

How Do You Tell If A Mold is Toxigenic?

If you need to know whether your house mold is toxic or not, you may want to send a sample to our lab for testing. To send a sample, download the Order Form, complete it and send it together with your samples.

Remember! – please call a mold remediation professional when:

    • You the area covered by mold growth is greater than 10 square feet
    • You’re not sure of the extent of your mold problem
    • Mold comes back after repeated cleaning
    • The home is very damp
    • A family member suffers from allergies or asthma
    • You think the mold may be a toxic mold because a family member is suffering from unexplained symptoms that may be related to exposure to toxic mold

 

If you need a professional mold removal company, please visit this mold remediation professionals directory for a comprehensive list of mold remediation specialists listed by province. We also work closely with some mold removal companies and we may be able to direct you to the right people. Give us a call at 905-290-9101.

Mold Removal Guidelines

Once mold has grown in a building, it has to be removed (also referred to as mold removal, mold remediation, or mold abatement). There are various mold removal guidelines:

  • Mould Guidelines for the Canadian Construction Industry (2004): by Canadian Construction Association.
  • Mould Abatement Guidelines (2004): by Environmental Abatement Council of Ontario (EACO).
  • Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments (2008): by the New York City Department of Health.
  • Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation (IICRC S520): by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC).
  • Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings (2001): by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Some of these mold removal guidelines can be obtained free online. When determining appropriate mold remediation level, one has to consider the total area affected (the perimeter of affected materials) and the density of the mold growth. The Guidelines for the Canadian Construction Industry recognizes 3 remediation levels for building finishes and components (e.g., drywall, ceiling tile, carpet, etc.). These are:

  • Level 1 (Small Scale): Areas less than 1 square metre (10 square feet)
  • Level ll (Medium Scale): Areas between 1-10 square metres (10-100 square feet)
  • Level lll (Large Scale): Areas greater than 10 square metres (≥100 square feet)

For more details about mold removal consult the various guidelines and/or consult a professional. For those working in the fields of mold investigation and remediation, you may want to register for our mold training course entitled “How To Recognize Indoor Mould, Develop Effective Sampling Strategies, Interpret Laboratory Results, And Remediate Mould Contamination“. For the course details and available dates click http://www.moldbacteria.com/training.html

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

 

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