Mold Awareness

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Mold Awareness

• A Brief Overview for Building Maintenance

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Mold Overview

• Wide variety of molds may be present in building
  materials
• Common ones include
• Alternaria
• Aspergillus
• Penicillium
• Stachybotrys

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Mold Overview

• Fungi can be
• Toxigenic
• Pathogenic
• Allergenic
• Irritant
• Some Fungi are beneficial and required for good
  health.
• All effect individuals differently.

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Mold Overview

• Adverse effects
• Runny nose, dermatitis and headaches to
  aggravation of asthma, allergic reactions and
  hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
• Toxic effects have only been observed in
  laboratory settings. Indoor environments cannot
  present this level of exposure.
• Exceptions-Silos, post disaster conditions,
  confined spaces

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Mold Overview

• Chronic Exposure
• Claims of Memory Loss, Peripheral Neuropathy,
  Diminished Capacity, Loss of Consort, and many
  other significant illnesses
• Medical Experts do not concur.
• Would be unlikely to find all cases are unrelated.

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Mold Overview

• Actual fungal infection in construction is rare
  (e.g. aspergillosis, histoplasmosis)
• Most infected persons have only minor symptoms
  and recover naturally
• Small percentage of the population (_at_ 5) may
  suffer more severe infections
• Persons usually have pre-existing condition that
  makes them susceptible (e.g. immune system
  impairment)

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Mold Overview

• Current medical tests can only document exposure
  to fungi has occurred.
• Tests cannot determine source, place, or time of
  exposure.
• Exposure to fungi occurs naturally in both the
  indoor and outdoor environments
• Medical tests are of limited use.

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The Role of Moisture
Moisture
Fungal
Nutrient

• Mold needs water to grow
• Liquid Water
• Water Vapor impacting surfaces
• Other growth requirements are met in every
  building
• The only component that can be reasonably
  controlled is moisture

Spores
Temperature
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Reasons for Mold Growth on Building Materials

• Moisture accumulation mold growth
• Design or construction flaws (improper vapor
  barriers, leaky roof, failure to provide drainage
  at foundation walls, etc)
• Events such as pipe leaks or flooding
• Failure to protect building materials in storage
  on job
• Over air-conditioning
• Modern, energy efficient buildings, appear more
  susceptible
• Airtight construction inhibits drafts and airflow
  that dry out damp materials

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Reasons for Mold Growth on Building Materials

• Shipment of New Material may gather moisture.
• Phasing of Project may allow new Material to be
  Exposed to Elements.
• Once Installed, Possibilities Exist for
  Accidental Moisture Intrusion.

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• Obvious indicators of Microbial growth and
  Contamination are
• Visible growth
• Musty Odors resulting from
• Active Growth
• Digestion while degrading substrates

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Water Damaged Materials
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Water Damaged Materials
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Water Damaged Materials
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Water Damaged Materials
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Water Damaged Materials
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Assessing the Situation

• New York City DOH Guidelines on Assessment and
  Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments
• A visual inspection is the most important
  initial step in identifying a possible
  contamination problem.

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Assessing the Situation

• In most cases visual inspection will be
  sufficient to identify areas that require
  remediation.
• Be sure all contaminated areas are identified.
• In wallboard material mold growth may extend up
  to 1 meter beyond what is visible.
• Inaccessible areas may be your largest concern
  Behind wallboard, under wallpaper, below rugs,
  etc.
• A moisture meter can be useful in assessing
  porous materials that may be contaminated and
  should be disposed.

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Assessing the Situation

• Contractors frequently ask if sampling or air
  monitoring should be done
• The New York DOH Guidelines state
• Bulk or surface sampling is not required to
  undertake a remediation.
• Air sampling for fungi should not be part of
  a routine assessment......decisions about
  appropriate remediation strategies can usually be
  made on the basis of visual inspection

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Assessing the Situation

• Currently there are no occupational exposure
  limits for fungi in the work place
• ACGIH is steering clear of numerical values
• Must put sampling in context indoor vs. outdoor
  concentrations, species diversity
• If bulk or air monitoring is desired, an
  experienced professional should be retained
• Viable vs. Non-viable Sampling
• A laboratory accredited by the AIHA Environmental
  Microbiology Laboratory Accreditation Program
  (EMLAP) should analyze any samples

ACGIH 1999 Bioaerosols Assessment Control
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Fungal Contamination During Construction or
Renovation

• Contractors are aware of fungal problems from
  bird or bat droppings
• Typically encountered during rehab of older
  buildings, especially those with attics
• Increased likelihood that contractors may
  encounter moldy building materials
• Materials include drywall, ceiling tiles,
  carpeting, etc.
• Common during rehabilitation of historic
  buildings
• Buildings subject to flooding or having poor
  drainage
• Upgrading of buildings in use

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Fungal Contamination During Construction or
Renovation

• New Construction
• Microbial Control Specifications being designed
  into more Construction Documents
• Building Owners are placing burden on Contractor
  to control future microbial growth
• Manufacturers are more aware of mold concerns

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Remediation Guidelines

• There are no federal regulations regarding mold
  remediation at this time.
• NYC DOH are common guidelines
• NADCA has extensive guidance
• The most important action is to stop all sources
  of moisture and dry out materials as quickly as
  possible using fans and dehumidifiers.

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Remediation Guidelines

• Ozone air cleaners
• Not recommended dont waste money!
• A study by US EPA (EPA-600/R-95-154 Oct. 1995)
  demonstrated that ozone is not effective for
  killing airborne fungi even at high
  concentrations (6-9 ppm)
• Ion Precipitators-Have not proven to be effective
• Charcoal Filtration for odor control
• Face velocity is nearly always too high for
  effective capture

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Regulations

• OSHA Regulations
• Contractors should be aware of other OSHA
  regulations that may be triggered during a mold
  remediation project
• 29CFR1926.103 - Respiratory protection
• 29CFR1926.102 - Eye and face protection
• 29CFR1926.59 - Hazard Communications
• 29CFR1926.51 Sanitation
• General Duty Clause!

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Additional Information

• Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi
  in Indoor Environments
• New York City Department of Health Bureau of
  Environmental Occupational Disease Epidemiology
  
• Bioaerosols, Assessment Control (2nd Edition)
• ACGIH
• American Industrial Hygiene Association
• Biosafety Committee
• Environmental Microbiology Laboratory
  Accreditation Program

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Additional Information

• National Air Duct Cleaners Association
• American Society for Heating, Refrigeration, and
  Air Conditioning Engineers
• Internet SourcesEndless!
• IIRC Guidelines- S500/S520
• The Environmental Health and Safety Office
• ehs_at_rowan.edu
• x-5105
• EHS Website-Concern Form

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ANY QUESTIONS
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