Mold Resources for the Indoor Air Quality Professional
IAQA University Courses on Mold
CONT 101 – Mold
Understand the fundamentals of mold and how it affects the indoor air quality.
SAMP 101 – Air Sampling for Mold I
Enable students to collect viable and spore trap air samples for mold, and to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
SAMP 102 – Air Sampling for Mold II
Understand how to develop a sampling plan and interpretation strategy for which students understand the limitations.
SAMP 103 – Surface Sampling for Mold
Understand how to utilize surface sampling to confirm mold growth, identify mold type, or quantify surface cleanliness.
SAMP 104 – Other Sampling for Mold
Enable students to collect bulk and dust samples for mold. It is also our goal for students to understand the situations that are best suited for the collection of bulk, dust, mVOC, and mycotoxin samples.
Other Resources on Mold
Occupational Safety and Health Administration: Fact Sheet on Mold
The Environmental Protection Agency: Information About Mold
Centers for Disease Control: What You Need to Know About Mold
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health: Dampness and Mold in Buildings
Mold On-Demand Webinars
Updates on Microbiological Testing for Indoor Environmental Quality Investigation – Traditional and DNA (ERMI) Methods
Presented by Dr. Wei Tang, Laboratory Director at QLAB
Original live broadcast date: August 24, 2016
Microbial sampling and testing have been one of the essential tools for indoor environmental quality investigation for different types of indoor microbial contaminations, like mold, bacteria, Legionella bacteria, and sewage materials. Many references including some guidance documents have extensive information on those topics. However, some of those have become outdated. There have also been several misunderstandings on the usages and interpretations of microbial DNA testing results, including Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI), which will be discussed in this webinar.
Methods for Interpreting Airborne Mold Samples
Presented by Dr. Joe Spurgeon, Bayshore Environmental
Original live broadcast date: May 18, 2016
This webinar presents advanced concepts that can be used to interpret airborne mold samples. Dr. Joe Spurgeon discusses and compares the utility of the Reference Method, the Control Method, and the Database Method. While the Reference Method is most commonly used within the industry, it has yet to be verified that it actually “works.” You’ll also learn about the basic principles for selecting an appropriate method.
Mold Tech Tips
More Mold Tech Tips
- Mold Inspections
- Mold Remediation
- Removing Mold
- Is that Mold?
- Air Sampling for Mold
- Post Remediation Verification
- Groupings of Mold
- Limitations to Air Sampling for Mold
- mVOCs- Microbial Volatile Organic CompoundsAntimicrobial Use During Mold Remediation
- Antimicrobial Use During Mold Remediation
- What Mold Inspectors Can Learn from Radon Professionals
- Mold in Walls, Part 1
- Mold in Walls, Part 2
- Mold in Walls, Part 3
- Mold Remediation Guidance Documents
- Infrared Cameras for Moisture and Mold Inspections
- ERMI- Environmental Relative Moldiness Index
White Paper: The Use of Negative Air Machines in Clearance Testing for Mold Remediation Projects
For large-scale remediation projects, there is near-unanimous agreement on the need to physically contain the work area and isolate it from adjacent nonwork areas to help prevent the spread of mold to those areas. A majority of the guidelines also recommend the use of HEPA-filtered NAMs to establish a negative pressure differential between the work area and adjacent spaces. One consistent theme on the reasoning for containment is the need for effective removal of mold contamination while maintaining the safety and health both of the remediation workers and of the other building occupants. Additionally, the use of NAMs helps to prevent cross-contamination of previously unaffected adjacent spaces. This new IAQA white paper provides guidance on the proper use of negative air machines in the remediation process.
ABSTRACT
One remediation procedure applied inconsistently is the use of blowers and fans called negative air machines (NAMs) to create a pressure differential between the work area and surrounding areas to create a space that is negatively pressurized compared to the uncontaminated or less-contaminated areas. In some instances, NAMs have been turned off before clearance or post-remediation verification (PRV) air sampling. This practice could be considered by some to be inconsistent with other remediation practices designed to protect the nonwork areas from contamination from airborne or settled mold spores. As a result, IAQA formed an ad hoc committee to define the issue and to identify gaps in current knowledge and practice. After reviewing the currently available literature, the committee developed this white paper.
It is the consensus of the committee that mold remediation work, particularly for large areas (greater than 100 ft2 within the same specific area), be conducted where the work area is isolated and maintained under negative pressure throughout the entire remediation process. If required, verification that airborne fungal spore concentrations meet a predetermined acceptance level can proceed with the NAMs either on or off. The determination of whether a NAM is in operation during the collection of PRV samples should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by a competent person, who should document the decision and the rationale behind it. The committee concludes that current industry guidelines and recommendations do offer the latitude for the coexistence of each position within the industry. However, the committee also believes that further action is necessary to clarify the specifics regarding NAM use as well as PRV and clearance sampling criteria. Both the “NAM on” and the “NAM off” premises lack scientific data supporting them and require further research.
The committee provides specific recommendations regarding further research to be done in this area, and encourages other IAQ industry partners to use this document to foster further discussions on this matter to better understand the latitude of professional judgment in the use of NAMs on mold remediation projects and to adjust their own guidance documents accordingly to be consistent with these findings until additional scientific evidence becomes available.
Contact Us
Indoor Air Quality Association
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Mt Laurel, NJ 08054
(844) 802-4103
info@iaqa.org