Hiring the Mold Expert
By Randy Herold
Hawaii Director, American Indoor Air Quality Council
President, ENPRO EnvironmentalTM
Posted on: Friday, June 27, 2003
Mold is an opportunistic organism. With moisture and a food source, it will thrive. Likewise, some mold investigators and remediators have been opportunistic. This is due to a lack of standards and regulations, and no barriers to enter the "mold business." It may be challenging to hire a qualified mold expert since the industry is so new. It would be prudent, however, to consider the knowledge and experience of whom you choose.
In diagnosing indoor air quality problems, mold investigators should examine all possible hypotheses. This requires substantial training and education. Unfortunately, formal education programs are not yet available for mold specialists. Acquiring even the education can be difficult, but knowledge in the following areas is essential:
- Psychrometrics: a clear understanding of the dynamics of dew point,
condensation, relative humidity and temperature.
- Mycology: what fungi are, taxonomy, distribution, background
concentrations, and possible health effects.
- Building sciences: design, construction, pressures and pathways,
building materials, HVAC systems and water infiltration diagnostics.
- Sampling: strategy justification, sample types and sample sizes.
- Analysis: assessing inside-to-outside ratios, marker spore types,
agreement ratios, Spearman's rank correlation, and Friedman chi
square statistics.
- Data interpretation: without mold exposure standards, this is a
critical skill. What do all the numbers and mold species mean
and why.
- Remediation: not just knowledge of controlled demolition, but a
thorough command of the various remediation techniques for
combating mold growth in a broad range of scenarios.
Your mold expert should have completed hundreds, if not thousands of cases investigating potential mold contamination. Why? Every project is different because indoor environments and the occupants within those environments are unique. No two projects are alike whether residential, commercial or institutional. With an extensive history, your mold investigator will bring diverse experience to your project.
Remember before making your selection that although knowledge and experience are important, there is no substitute for common sense.
Randy Herold is the Hawaii Director of the American Indoor Air Quality Council and President of MoldPro International, a nationwide indoor air quality firm based in Kailua. The company specializes in training, consulting and mold investigations.
Back to news
|
