Mold Is Old! A Primer on the Fungus Among Us

Virginia L. Shefa, B.S., M.N.Sc., C.I.A.Q.P.
Vice-President/General Manager, Design for Health Environmental Services
San Diego, California
dfhes@aol.com

With all the news coverage about mold one would think mold had just been invented. Actually, mold has been on earth longer than humans. Who knows, perhaps we have evolved from something like mold. If mold is so old, why are we seeing frantic responses to mold in our environment? We are hearing about huge court settlements for mold in the media. Almost every day we hear about "hazardous mold." Let's all slow down and take a look at mold and what are we really facing.

Mold is a filamentous microfungi (a group of cells that are neither plant nor animal). Reproduction can be sexual or asexual. Regardless of how molds reproduce, moisture is a key factor. Have you taken a close look at the grout in your shower lately? When we hear about terrible mold problems, the cause is usually associated with a water leak, poor drainage or construction defects. Mold requires the following to proliferate:

• Moisture
  
• Food source
  
• Inadequate ventilation

Mold can grow on anything so it is not feasible to eliminate the food source. By eliminating the moisture factor, we minimize the ability of the mold to grow. Spores may still be around but without moisture, they do not grow into substantial colonies.

Many of us do not stop and think about the uses of mold. Pharmaceuticals use mold in connection to organ transplants to prevent transplant rejection. Common drugs such as penicillin comes from mold. Mold has played a role in industrial development. We can find many positive uses of mold in today's world. Do you like bleu cheese? Mold can be delicious and nutritious.

How does the mold make some people sick? The presence of particular types of mold does have the potential risk for health effects in some people. Molds have been associated with allergy symptoms such as runny nose, itching eyes and more severe reactions such as asthma. We know that individuals that have a suppressed immune system are more susceptible to mold. This group include new born infants, the elderly, people undergoing chemotherapy and AIDS patients. People react to the mycotoxins in the cellular wall of the molds. An individual does not have to contact the whole organism to become ill, only part of the mold cell. Understanding this fact is important with remediation of mold problems. Research is being conducted regarding the effects of mycotoxins on humans. It is believed the most serious illnesses result from ingestion of mold products. However, new research is being conducted regarding exposure via the respiratory pathway.

How do you know if you have mold? It does not take a rocket scientist to determine if there may be a problem. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Is there a musty odor?
  
• Are there water stains around windows and doors?
  
• Is the floor uneven or cracking?
  
• Does the drywall separate from the floor and in corners?
  
• Is plaster crumbling at the wall-floor joint?
  
• Is a pipe leaking?
  
• Are cabinets wet under sinks?
  
• Is the condensate pan under the refrigerator or HVAC unit draining properly?
  
• Is there standing water around the foundation after the sprinklers discharge?

If you think there is a mold problem, consider contacting an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) specialist (also know as consultant, mold specialist, industrial hygienist). An IAQ specialist will help you with your investigation to identify the cause of the problem. It takes a little time to find the IAQ specialist that best meets your needs. You can find these individuals in the phone book under mold or environmental headings.

When you contact IAQ specialist, conduct an interview that covers some important points such as:

• education
  
• professional affiliations
  
• experience
  
• approach to investigations
  
• sampling criteria

A variety of disciplines have migrated towards the mold world. Consultants can have degrees in biology, microbiology, health science, medicine, nursing, environmental science or mechanical engineering. Many of these individuals have come straight from the asbestos and lead industries and have had limited mold experience.

Maintaining professional affiliations assist individuals to keep abreast with standards of practice involving mold. The American Indoor Air Quality Council offers courses and certificates of completion in mold investigation and remediation. A Certified Indoor Air Quality Professional is an individual that has met stringent experience requirements, has the education, and has passed an examination. A Certified Indoor Air Quality Technician is another certification obtained for individuals that assist with air quality investigations. As regulations are passed, we will find more requirements for special training and experience related to mold.

It is important to understand how a consultant will conduct the investigation. Many consultants don't want to tell you this, but a major part of any mold investigation is a visual inspection of the site. As support documentation, preliminary sampling methods may be conducted which include:

• Direct Read Methods - Clear scotch tape and a plastic sandwich bag, or culture tube
  
• Non-Viable - An air sample with a cassette which captures spores
  
• Wall Check - collects a non-viable air sample between interior walls and exterior wall
  
• Viable - collects air sample deposits on an agar plate to grow mold and/or bacteria

Sample collection occurs inside and outside the structure. Mold levels on the interior should closely mirror the mold levels outside. The colony counts inside may be slightly higher because we don't have the same airflow as outside. Sample results from only the interior are not useful because no comparison can be made.

When we see mold on drywall, carpets, clothes and furniture the objective is not to murder the mold. Mold likes cellulose as a food source. A porous surface is not easily decontaminated from mold. There are products on the market that are known fungicides (murderers of fungi), but the cure is worse than the disease. Many of the disinfectants and fungicides can lead to a reaction in sensitive humans. The EPA suggests not using disinfectants in heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) ducts because of the potential risk from exposure to the disinfectants.

Remediation of mold is useless if the underlying cause is not addressed. Once the cause of the water damage has been repaired the next step is mold remediation. The best approach may be to remove the contaminated articles. During removal it is important that the contaminated articles are not tracked through a structure while dropping microscopic spores along the way which will lead to cross contamination. If the mold contamination involves more than two or three square feet, it might be more prudent to hire a contractor that understands mold and the necessary abatement methodologies to minimize the risk of spreading spores and contaminating other areas of the structure. Your IAQ specialist can help design a specification for your project. After the remediation is complete, your IAQ Specialist will conduct monitoring to determine if the job is complete. A comparison will be made between samples collected before the project began to the samples at the end of the project.

Mold is old, but the best technical approaches are new. It is important to keep a level head and make educated decisions about mold. We must understand the underlying cause of the mold problem in order to achieve long-lasting results. With knowledgeable experts for monitoring and remediation, the nightmares in the news do not have to happen to you or your clients.