Mold Growth

Mold spores are like seeds in that when conditions are favorable, mold spores produce mold like seeds produce plants. Conditions favorable for mold growth include elevated humidity and damp or wet conditions. When mold grows, it eventually produces and releases mold spores into the environment and the cycle continues.

Air Sampling For Mold Spores

The way to determine whether mold activity is occurring indoors is to identify the types and quantity of mold spores in the indoor air. The types that most commonly grow indoors are different than organism types commonly found outdoors. Comparing the types and quantities of mold spores in the indoor air to that of the outdoor air helps us determine whether spores in the indoor air are growing inside or just entering the building from the outdoors through doors or windows.

The process of testing for mold spores in the indoor air is performed through air sampling through a cartridge that contains a micro slide. Microscopic particles such as mold spores stick to the slide as air passes over the surface of the slide. The slide is removed from the cartridge and analyzed for the presence of mold spores.

Air Sampling Approaches

Common reasons for mold air testing include troubleshooting, identifying health risks, documenting evidence, and defining mitigation and remediation scopes of work. The following air sampling strategy guidance is intended to help you with your decisions regarding where to sample.

Ground Zero

Typically spore counts are highest, nearest to where mold is growing. For this reason, always test in areas where there are visual indicators of growth, where humidity is the highest, and where odors are most noticeable.

Cross-contamination

It is possible for growth to occur in one area of a building and for spores to travel through the air to other areas through the heating and air system. For this reason, it makes sense to test areas other than ground zero of where a problem appears to originate. For instance, if there is an obvious problem with mold in a basement, it often makes sense to test the main level of the home to find out if cross-contamination has occurred, even though there may not be visual indications of mold growth on the main level.

Health Concerns

If occupant experience health symptom and you believe their symptoms may be associated with poor air quality, please consider testing areas of the building where they spend the most time such as their bedroom and office.

Wall & Ceiling Cavity Sampling

It is possible to test the air within a wall and ceiling. If you believe it is possible that water or moisture has occurred within a wall or ceiling cavity, consider air testing the cavity. Cavity testing requires that a tube with the diameter of a pencil is inserted through the wall or ceiling.

Surface Sampling For Mold

Surface sampling for mold is useful when you want to be sure whether a substance is mold or if you need evidence of mold growth on surfaces within a building.

Surface sampling for mold may involve using a cotton swab to collect the substance of concern from a surface. The laboratory applies the collected substance to a micro slide. The lab uses a stain to identify the presence of mold spores, hyphae (mold body parts), and a fruiting structure (the part of mold that produces spores).

Surface Sampling Approaches

Heating & Air System

If you are concerned that mold growth is happening within your HVAC system, consider performing a mold surface sample within the system such as in the return plenum. Lab results will help you understand whether there is a mold source growing from your HVAC system and ductwork.

Personal Possessions.

If you suspect mold is growing on your personal possessions, consider sampling it, especially if you need evidence to support that someone else's negligence resulted in damage to your personal property.

Building Materials

If you suspect mold appears to be an organic growth on building materials and you wish to find out whether there is correlation between the growth and the types of organisms in your indoor air, sample the surface of suspect building materials.

Dust Sampling

Dust within carpet, carpet padding, and accumulated dust on surfaces within a building can be cultured and analyzed for mold. A dust analysis can be useful for understanding the extent that mold activity has occurred in a building and help us understand historic growing conditions for mold.

Organisms that most commonly grow indoors typically grow in high humidity and damp conditions. If a dust analysis reveals high counts for organisms that thrive in high humidity and/or wet conditions, we know that there must have been elevated humidity over a long enough period for the growth to occur.

Sampling for dust entails vacuuming carpet or a surface with a dust collection attachment connected to the vacuum.

Dust Sampling Approaches

Carpet: Testing dust within carpet is especially useful for troubleshooting a mold concern, especially when there are no visual indicators of mold growth. Carpet collects dirt (food source for mold) and absorbs moisture. Consider performing a carpet dust analysis for mold on each level that has carpet. Test carpet in areas where those who experience health symptoms spend the most time. Test carpet in areas with elevated humidity and carpet that has been wetted.

Baseboard/horizontal surfaces: Consider collecting dust that has accumulated on surfaces such as baseboards, ceiling fan blades, or any other surface where there is obvious, significant accumulation. Information collected for dust analysis from surfaces can inform the scope of work associated with mold removal and influence guidance to prevent the future occurrence of mold.

Please call 770-363-2670 and we’ll guide you through the process of understanding the types and quantities of samples that makes sense to take to address your situation and concerns.

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