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MOLD! MOLD! ITS EVERYWHERE!
...SO WHAT!
Article Written By:
Robert E. Sheriff, CIH, CSP
Atlantic Environmental, Inc.
Dover, NJ
http://www.atlenv.com/
Ubiquitous is my big word for the week. Webster’s
definition is “existing or being everywhere at the same
time: constantly encountered.” This describes the
situation with molds. They don’t magically appear
or re-incarnate when conditions are right. They
don’t seep through solid walls as is often assumed.
They are always there, floating in the air or carried
in moving water, in a dormant state, just looking for
the right combination of moisture, heat, and food sources
to begin rapid growth.
Different molds like different conditions for propagation.
Some like high moisture, some like active water infusion.
They also have a variety of diets and temperature requirements.
Some like the cellulose in sheetrock paper, others like
wood in various degrees of decay and water saturation.
Some like very warm temperatures, others like lower temperatures,
but few will grow in cool or cold temperatures.
In fact, it is fairly easy to define the conditions that
resulted in certain types of mold species being present.
Very damp/wet conditions in the presence of sheetrock,
is an ideal environment for the much maligned Stachybotrys.
Damp, warm conditions over a lengthy period of time with
a good amount of dust/dirt, is ideal for Penicillium.
The important point with molds that may produce some
type of adverse effect on humans is the quantity.
The quantity on surfaces that can be dislodged by physical
contact and air movement, and the quantity of mold, floating
free in the air, that can be inhaled.
The best way to evaluate the significance of the amount
of indoor mold is to compare it to the amount of mold
found in the outdoor air. The best measure of mold
quantity is a comparison with outside levels, and total
amount airborne. Unless conditions are right for
indoor incubation, the mold levels should be equal to
or less than, AND in the same general proportions as,
outdoors.
If the mold levels are considerably above what is outdoors,
or if there is a predominant mold not found in the same
proportions as outdoors, something is going on inside
that results in mold growth and propagation.
Measuring mold quantities is a controversial subject
as well. Simply setting out a culture plate even
for a measured amount of time is not an effective measurement
tool. (A little science is worse than no science
at all!). Mold and mold spores are so small that
they don’t readily settle unless they attached themselves
to dust or moisture that permits them to reach a surface
such as a sofa, floor or wall. An air sampling device
that draws in a known quantity of air onto a growth medium
is a much better test of what is in the air and what can
be inhaled or become attached to skin or clothing.
Further, a surface sample or wipe test, carefully performed
over a measured surface, is a better test of what is on
a surface than on an open culture plate.
There are four different
aspects of a mold that can come in contact with human
beings. The first is the living mold itself—the
live, growing plant. The second is the spore—a “seed”
that can be in a dormant state for a long time waiting
for the right conditions for growth. The third is
the dead material—“the carcass”—of protein and other molecules
that are present even when the mold is no longer alive
and not capable of growing. The fourth are mycotoxins
which are waste products generated by molds.
Each one of these materials: living mold, spore,
carcass or mycotoxin, can adversely affect a human.
Mycotoxins seem to be in the public eye right now, there
is little scientific evidence that mycotoxins are the
predominant cause of Indoor Air Quality related illnesses.
It is just one of the factors in the mold life cycle
that can adversely affect human beings.
There is much more than can, and needs, to be explained
on this subject, but the first point to understand is
that molds, specific to certain climates and environments,
are always present. Usually in small quantities
that do not affect most people. They do not magically
appear but simply grow from a few spores when conditions
are favorable.
Atlantic Environmental Inc
2 East Blackwell Street
Dover, NJ 07801
(800) 344-4414
(973) 366-4660
(973) 366-3116 Fax
info@atlenv.com
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