Mold Testing Made Easy!
Bio-Scan...the new tool for screening mold
(PRWEB) July 24, 2003
Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Fusarium spp., Stachbotrys spp., Alternaria spp.. the list goes on. Names of the newest HI-FI science-fiction books? Hardly, these are now common household names in which many business owners and homeowners are dealing with everyday. They are all forms of mold that are causing waves though the local, national and international communities.
News stories of "TOXIC MOLD" indicate a pandemic proportion problem whether real or perceived. This Mold monster has caused the young, the old, the rich and the poor to flee their homes and businesses all the while creating havoc in the insurance industry. Residential and commercial exposures and toxic mold claims are rivaling construction defect claims.
A recent insurance client retained Pure Air Control Services to perform a routine IAQ/Mold due diligence to determine the actual mold damage and to determine if the remediation contractor was in fact taking them to the cleaners. The respective home was valued at $70,000. and the private adjuster determined that he could get about $70,000. worth of new drywall, fixing's and furniture for their client. Upon further review the assessed damage due to the water "incident" was about $15,000. Quite a shock to the homeowner and public adjuster that thought they could retire early.
There is little doubt that mold can and has been devastating to homeowners and business owners across the country causing billions in damage structurally and physically and will continue to be problematic. The Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that asthma affects 17.3 million people (10 million adults and 7 million children each year), costs over $10 billion for medical care, causes over 10 million missed school days and causes over 5000 deaths per year. It is a wonder why the media has created a mass hysteria condition regarding indoor molds causing health concerns.
A recent Finnish Institute of Occupational Health study concluded that indoor dampness and mold shows "new evidence of the relation between workplace exposure to indoor molds and the development of asthma in adulthood."
Mold exposure can trigger allergic reactions ranging from wheezing, sneezing, shortness of breath, skin rashes, upper respiratory irritation, coughing, eye irritation, concentration, headaches, lethargy and more.
Mold cases, to numerous to mention, are occurring all over the country and totaling in the billions of dollars. The causes of mold propagules range from: Building difficiences (resulting in water intrusion, inadequate window installation, improper exterior coating, negative pressure design condition, building materials, sloping landscape); HVAC installation (over/under sizing, faulty drains, improper duct sizing); Reconstruction practices (build while tenant occupancy, water leaks not cleaned within 24 hours, differed maintenance practices, no O & M practices, no containment protocols while remediation is occurring); Insurance companies (slow response to water intrusion or bulk water intrusion, no concern for secondary issues resulting from occurrence, low budget mentality to identify or fix environmental deficiencies). The list goes on.
This morning I received a call from a very reputable environmental consultant in Arkansas. Her request was typical of the type of calls I field - "people are asking me to do mold evaluations. What can I do to help them?" My answer to her was simple - Bio-Scan.
Bio-Scan is designed to quickly and cost effectively evaluate an environment for the type of mold present. Direct surface samples are easily collected by using Bio-Scan.
The Environmental Daignostics Laboratory (EDL)at Pure Air Control Services utilizes Bio-Scan via direct microscopy to provide information on the quantity and quality of fungal elements expressed in counts per centimeter square. No culturing is required for this technique so turn around times can be as rapid as 12 hours.
Bio-Scan is the quickest, easiest and least expensive ($25.00 /per sample) way to obtain preliminary data on an environment that is suspected to be contaminated.
Pure Air Control Services (www. pureaircontrols. com) is an indoor environmental consulting firm (backgrounds in industrial hygiene, microbiology, public health, Ph. D./microbiology, mechanical engineering and medical scientists: occupational medicine, allergy/immunology) with over 350 millionn quare feet of building/home diagnostics and Mold Remediation experience in over 9000 buildings/homes, over 40,000 environmental laboratory samples identified and over 80 legal IAQ related cases.
For more information contact:
Alan Wozniak, CIAQP
Pure Air Control Services
(800) 422-7873, Ext. 802
Awozniak@pureaircontrols. com
