Performing regular mold inspections ensures your tenants have a safe, healthy living environment. It also helps you avoid costly repairs caused by moisture issues or mold growth.

A thorough mold inspection involves a visual examination of the property, tools to detect hidden dampness, and air and surface samples. These samples are analyzed in a lab to determine the type and severity of your mold problem. Connect with Mold Testing NYC for reliable help.

Air testing is a method of collecting mold spores in the air and sending them to a lab for analysis. The air samples tell us if there is a high concentration of mold spores in an area of the home. This type of testing is important for individuals with allergies, asthma or weakened immune systems. However, it should always be accompanied by visual inspection and surface sampling to identify the source of the problem.

The air samples can be collected with either a non-viable or viable sampler. Both work by running air through an impactor device. The spores are then impacted on a sticky substance and collected in a cassette that can be opened for laboratory examination. Non-viable samples can be used in court cases, but only viable samples provide a species level analysis of the mold spores. Viable sampling is more expensive, but is a good option when the spores can be linked to specific diseases or severe immunocompromised patients.

It is important to note that air spore counts are highly variable and are not necessarily indicative of a significant contamination issue. The spore count in an air sample could be significantly lower than the average outside spore count, for example, due to a recent rainstorm that brought in spores from the surrounding environment. The spores in the air can also be affected by seasonal and diurnal fluctuations.

If a spore count is higher than the average, it may be a sign of a serious problem. However, it is important to compare the results to the local averages, as well as to consider other factors such as moisture levels and ventilation.

It is also important to record the weather conditions during the sample collection. High winds can increase the variance in spore counts as they can cause rapid changes in barometric pressure, which affects how fast the airborne mold spores are sucked into the building. This should be noted on the Chain of Custody form. In addition, it is recommended to collect an outdoor air sample at the same time and location as the indoor sample. This ensures that the outdoor sample is a true representative of the ambient air, and does not contain a large amount of contamination from other areas of the home.

Surface Samples

Surface sampling is used when you have evidence of a mold problem, such as a musty odor, visible growth or water damage. It can also be recommended when there are conditions that would lead to a mold problem, such as high humidity, condensation, or moisture intrusion. The type of sample required will depend on the conditions in the property and may include bulk, tape lift or swab samples.

Bulk samples are preferred, as they provide a true representation of the material from which it was taken. These involve taking an actual piece of the suspect material and sending it to the lab intact. This is the most accurate method. Tape lifts and swab samples are less accurate, but they can still be useful in certain situations. These are where a piece of a material with suspected mold is taken using either standard clear tape or a package kit designed for surface sampling. The sample is then placed on a slide and sent to the lab for analysis. These samples tend to identify only the Genus of the mold, but can be useful for certain cases.

Swab samples use a sanitary type of Q-Tip to collect a sample from a suspected moldy surface. These are very useful in detecting the presence of mycotoxins, which are the dangerous substances produced by some molds that can cause health effects in some people. This method is also very helpful in identifying hidden mold issues. It is very easy to do and does not typically damage materials when used correctly.

Wall cavity samples are a special type of surface sample that can be used to determine whether hidden mold sources exist within walls and ceiling cavities. These are collected by making a small hole in the suspect material, inserting a sanitary wall cavity tube and connecting it to a spore trap. This allows the spores to be pulled through the system, identified and compared to outside control samples.

Many tests can find the types of live (viable) molds in a sample, but they can miss or undercount those that are not alive or won’t grow on the nutrients used to incubate them. This can be a significant limitation, particularly for the ERMI testing that is often performed on dust samples, which only look at a very small number of mold species.

Bulk Samples

A bulk sample is the most invasive form of mold sampling. It involves removing a piece of suspect material (such as a section of carpet or drywall) from the structure and sending it to the lab for microscopic analysis. Bulk samples can be used to find actual or potential mold growth or to test for the presence of mycotoxins.

Mycotoxin testing is a special type of testing that requires specialized laboratory methods and equipment. It can be used to determine whether a specific type of mold produces mycotoxins, which are neurotoxins or poisons that have adverse health effects on humans.

Most often mycotoxin testing is done after a professional mold remediation to make sure that the environment has returned to a state of normal fungal ecology. It is also conducted prior to and during real estate transactions.

ATP Pen tests use a swab applicator with a reagent that reacts with a specific chemical to produce a color change in less than a minute, indicating the presence or absence of mold protein, ATP – Adenosine Triphosphate. It can also be used to test for the presence of water stains, but is not as accurate as air and surface testing.

Spore Traps are the industry standard for air sampling. They are able to capture mold spores and identify them down to the genus level. This method is quick and cost effective.

Wall Cavity Sampling is useful in determining whether hidden mold sources are located within walls or ceiling cavities. It can be done by drilling a hole, inserting a sanitary wall cavity tube, and connecting it to the spore trap for collection.

Bio-Tapes are pre-prepared tapes that are easily pressed against surfaces such as drywall, wood, or wallpaper to collect a bulk sample. Bio-Tapes are non-invasive and do not damage materials or surfaces when performed properly.

Results

Mold testing provides valuable information, but it’s important to understand that the test results represent a snapshot of spore counts at one point in time and in one room. Spore counts are affected by wind, humidity, and activity in the space. Moreover, many mold spores are not visible to the naked eye and cannot be identified in a sample. This is why we recommend combining surface, air and bulk sampling for a more complete picture of contamination levels in a building.

Viable (culturable) samples are taken by letting the mold consume different food sources in a Petri dish and observing the result under a microscope. This identifies the genera, but not the species of the mold. This method takes longer and can be more expensive than non-viable testing.

DNA tests identify the species of mold by analyzing the spores for specific genetic markers. This is a faster and more accurate approach than the culture technique, but it still requires the collection of physical samples.

Air samples can be collected by impacting the air on growth media (culture air) or on inert media (non-culture air). Air sample analysis is a good choice when trying to determine the species of mold present in the home and can be used to compare levels between rooms, floors or buildings. It can also be used to identify mycotoxins – toxic secondary metabolites that produce a range of adverse health effects including neurotoxicity, gastrointestinal distress, and respiratory difficulties.

Surface samples can be collected using a variety of techniques: bulk, tape lifts and swab samples. The best approach is to use a bulk sample that collects pieces of the suspected material along with the dust that they are growing on. However, this is not always practical as it can be difficult to cut into a wall or carpet. Swab samples are less accurate, as the spores are destroyed in the process and can’t be analyzed under a microscope.

Many at-home systems are available for collecting and shipping a sample to the lab for identification. While these are a great option for some situations, they should not be used to justify any remediation expenses or to confirm that the home is “mold-free”. Even if the spore counts show high levels of contamination, this does not necessarily mean that the property must be vacated. This is especially true if the spore count is higher outside the home.