Mold Things Gone Wrong

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Mold Things Gone Wrong

• Tom Hamilton, CIH
• OccuHealth, Inc.
• 44 Wood Avenue
• Mansfield, MA 02048
• 800-729-1035
• t_hamilton_at_occuhealth.com

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Mold Things Gone Wrong

• Purpose is to present a situation where the
  mold got out of control due to
• Homeowner/Owner Ignorance
• Remediation Contractor Blunders
• Disagreement between insurance company and owner
  in regard to coverage for water and mold damage
  due to owner negligence.

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Health Effects

• Media headlines and inaccurate information lead
  to occupant paranoia, distrust and a sense of
  helplessness.

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Where Is Mold?

• All surfaces and well as the indoor air contain
  mold spores and are not sterile
• Mold spores grow from moisture in combination
  with a nutrient. Nutrients can be common
  household dust, wood, paper, etc.

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Health Effects

• Nearly everyone responds differently
• No one knows the exact exposure that sensitizes
  people
• In general, many fungi are allergenic
• More than 60 species are known to produce
  allergens that cause hay fever and asthma.

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Risky Molds

• Stachybotrys chartarum
• Aspergillus Versicolor
• Aspergillus Fumigatis
• Aspergillus Flavus
• Fusarium moniliforme
• Finding amplifications of these molds indoors is
  not typical and requires a risk management
  decision.

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ACGIH Bioaerosol Position

• There are no TLVs for interpreting environmental
  measurements of
• Total fungi found
• Specific culturable or countable molds
• Infections agents
• Assayable biological contaminants MVOCs,
  antigens, etc.

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Total Bioaerosols - Problems

• There are no established exposure limits for
  molds
• Human responses range from none to serious for a
  material, therefore, an appropriate exposure
  limit for one bioaerosol may be entirely
  inappropriate for another.
• It is not possible to collect and evaluate all
  bioaerosol components using a single sampling
  method.
• Information relating bioaerosol concentrations to
  health effects is generally insufficient to
  describe exposure response.

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Guidelines on Molds

• AIHA
• Health Canada
• NYC Department of Health Guidelines on
  Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor
  Environments, 2000.
• ACGIH
• WHO

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Case Study Home in MA

• Homeowner left for vacation
• Came back and found water from broken heater pipe
  in basement level was flooding lower level
• Owner panicked and drove to Logan airport, flew
  to Minneapolis
• Neighbors reported water running down driveway to
  town water department 2 weeks later

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Case Study

• Town water department shut off water
• Owner finally returned 4 weeks later to find
  something like this..
• At this time she finally called her insurance
  company.

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Air Testing With Airocells

• Air Testing for total airborne mold spores was
  conducted
• Results show very high levels of airborne mold
  spores, especially Aspergillus
• All persons entering home must wear PPE

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Case Study - Remediation

• Remediation plan involved gutting the entire
  home, three stories - contents
• Insurance company considered rejecting claim, and
  public adjuster threatened lawsuit
• Homeowner was put on drugs and nearly had nervous
  breakdown
• Industrial hygienist was used as a pawn between
  adjusters why?

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Closure

• Home was eventually cleaned and rebuilt
• Industrial Hygienist got paid, most friends
  believe he dodged a bullet (like Neo in the
  Matrix)
• Remediation contractor still waiting to be paid
  (since 2003)

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Finding Mold

• Moisture water reservoirs or building materials
  wet more then 48 hours
• Nutrients dirt, dust, soiled surfaces, carpets,
  wood, latex paint, drywall
• Lack of Ventilation lack of disturbance, lack
  of competing molds

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General Remediation Actions

• Fix the moisture cause that led to the growth
• Remove moldy materials under negative pressure
  containment in such a manner that dusts and
  spores are not dispersed into adjacent clean or
  occupied areas
• Biocide treatment or encapsulation of moldy
  surfaces does no substitute for physical removal
  of the contaminants
• Remove all fine particles from the formerly moldy
  area through damp wiping and/or HEPA vacuuming
  prior to installation of new finishes in the
  occupied space

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Remediation

• How to remediate
• Use negative air, use positive air, have a
  neutral zone
• Does it have to be removed?
• Clean it, spray it, encapsulate it

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Being Proactive

• Document everything

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Being Proactive

• Eliminate water accumulations and dampness
• Keep interior RH less than 60
• Avoid the use of fleecy extended surface
  materials where dampness occurs
• Dry building infrastructure as rapidly as
  possible following a leak or a flood
• Develop a plan of action for dealing with
  moisture problems such as spills or floods.
  Remove moisture hidden within the building
  infrastructure.

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Being Proactive - Checklist

• Is there evidence of current or past water
  damage?
• Is visible mold present on interior finishes and
  construction materials?
• Are moisture problems evident in the building
  envelope?
• Is there evidence of hidden microbial growth,
  such as musty odors?
• Do moisture levels indicate a problem with RH
  levels?
• Are porous materials such as carpet and
  insulation present in damp areas?

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• Tom Hamilton, CIH
• OccuHealth, Inc.
• 44 Wood Avenue
• Mansfield, MA 02048
• 800-729-1035
• t_hamilton_at_occuhealth.com