Mold. You Have it. Now what?

You have identified a mold problem in your home or facility. The remediation is more than you or your staff can handle properly. You have to act fast to prevent health hazards and liability exposure. How do you know if the remediation company you called is qualified? What questions do you ask?

Welcome to Mold Remediation 101:

"Black Mold or Stachybotrys" - Mold comes in all colors. The color does not necessarily indicate it is particularly more dangerous than other colored molds. Black mold is not always the "toxic" mold. Only trained microbiologists or mycologists can identify molds under high powered microscopes. Stachybotrys is a mold that can produce what is called mycotoxins.

Mycotoxins are potentially harmful if inhaled or touched with bare skin and can cause all kinds of health problems. There are around thirty or so species of mold that produce this mycotoxin. Stachybotrys is not the most harmful species of mold however, it is well known due to the media and its catchy name. Even if the so called non-toxic mold is found growing indoors it should be treated as toxic because there is a large enough quantity to cause health problems and should be removed in the same way.

Remediation Plan – You should receive a custom remediation plan specifically tailored for your project not some boiler plated version. The emphasis should be on cleaning (removal) not just treating or covering up.
Biocide - A biocide should be used as part of the cleaning process. A biocide is not a cure all. Even if you manage to kill mold and its spores, which require a 12 to 15 minute dwell time, and are impossible to kill on almost all applications, the allergens are still present on the mold and its spores. Most Fungi can cause respiratory irritation in many people and allergic symptoms in some. These effects are present whether or not the organism is alive. If a thorough cleaning is performed by a trained staff with the proper personal protection equipment, it does not matter if the mold is dead or alive because it is not there! Don't get fooled into thinking you can apply a chemical and the problem is resolved.

Encapsulate – Usually a latex based product similar to paint that contains a persistent fungicide that inhibits mold growth for up to two years. An encapsulate should only be used on as small of an area as possible. Beware. Some companies don't clean at all but just cover up active mold with a product like this.

Education - Make sure the remediation company specializes and is certified thru a nationally recognized NON-PROFIT organization. A few are the Indoor Air Quality Association (iaqa.org), Associated Specialist in Cleaning and Restoration.

Remediation Experience - How many projects has the company completed? Get referrals not only from their previous clients but also from other Indoor Air Quality professionals such as Industrial Hygienists, Environmental Engineers and health care professionals. A mold remediation company should never perform any kind of mold testing it is a conflict of interest.

Contractors Insurance - A special environmental policy is needed to do this kind of work. The remediation company has to be approved for this kind of coverage. Many companies are not approved at any cost. Make sure you get an insurance certificate from the remediation company naming your organization as an additional insured. You may not be able to tell what kind of policy the company has by looking at the certificate so I suggest calling the insurance agent who should be listed at the top of the certificate. If the remediation company does not have this special policy then chances are they also do not have the experience and education to do mold remediation. Important- Being named as an additional insured is done so that if there is a problem you can go directly to the insurance company for resolution and cut out the contractor. This is especially good if the company is not responsive or no longer exists.

Tom Egan CR. CIE
Certified Restorer
Certified Indoor Environmentalist