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What are the Most Common Indoor Molds Found in Buildings ? Enter your search terms Submit search form   Search This Website - InspectAPedia.com

• Frequency of mold genera/species in buildings
• Which molds are most commonly found indoors?
• Why are some molds reported more often than others?

Here is a table of common molds found in buildings, based on surface tape samples submitted to an expert mycologist in New York State, with additional explanation and interpretation by Daniel Friedman, an expert mold/IAQ/building diagnostic field investigator who is also versed in aerobiology and mold lab microscopy and mold identification procedures. Readers should be sure to see the notes following the table since the data in this table is skewed by variations in the ability of the original sample collectors to find and recognize important mold contamination in buildings. Careful visual inspection combined with physical sampling of visible mold or other key building surfaces remain the key ingredients in a reliable indoor mold investigation. Like bird-watching, knowing what molds are likely to be present, what they look like, and what they like to eat, in other words, knowing some mycology, can make a significant difference in what a building inspection for mold actually turns up. Simple "mold screening methods" which omit the inspection, and "test only" sampling methods, such as air and culture methods can produce very unreliable results when used quantitatively - as I discuss at IAQ Methods and at other articles at this website. © Copyright 2008 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use the links at page left to navigate this document or to go to Other Website Topics. Green links at left show where you are in our document & website.

Table of Most Common Indoor Molds

Notes to Table

1. J. Haines, New York State Museum, multi-year survey of surface samples collected on adhesive tape and submitted to NY DOS by home owners or by health department officials. Personal communication to DJ Friedman. Arranged by percent of total samples analyzed. The contents of this web page are the opinion of the author and are subject to update pending further technical and professional review.

2. Warning: because most of the samples submitted to Dr. Haines were collected by people who were not expert at recognizing or even finding the most-problematic molds in buildings, there may be an over-reporting of the dark, easy-to-see molds such as the top three in this list, and an under-reporting of the often light, hard-to-see problematic molds such as Aspergillus. sp. and Penicillium sp.. In my own field work responding to client-detected mold concerns, in most cases where the occupant or owner has seen a "scary black mold" or a "toxic black mold" a more careful study of the building discloses that it is the previously un-detected Aspergillus. sp. and Penicillium sp. which were the mobile, airborne, and dominant problematic molds to which the occupants were actually exposed.

In addition, I have been using special methods to test fiberglass building insulation for Penicillium/Aspergillus sp. in areas where the insulation has been wet or where insulation has been exposed to active mold growth such as over a wet crawl space or a moldy basement. I have often found large reservoirs of these problem molds in building insulation, observing that the reservoir is releasing high levels of airborne mold spores. This mold contamination is discoverable by contextual inspection and special test methods, but it is not at all visible to the naked eye.

An exception to the speculation that these small, hard-to-see molds are the more serious problem in buildings is during amateur cleanup and demolition work without adequate containment measures. Demolition can cause molds which are not normally airborne, such as Stachybotrys chartarum to become widely dispersed in a building.

3. Some of the molds listed in this table, even though found indoors, are unlikely to be indicative of a growing mold reservoir of that genera/species. For example, I often find Cladosporium herbarum and certain Basidiomycetes such as Ganoderma sp./G. applanatum/G. tsuge in indoor air samples but I have not found these genera/species growing on building materials. Rather they enter in outdoor air.

In conclusion, this interesting table needs additional research with data provided by expert building investigators rather than self-collected data by individuals who spot first and sample first dark molds on building surfaces. Readers should see How to Look For Mold.

More expert information on this topic

More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• Atlas of Indoor Mold, Online Clinical Mold Atlas, Toxins, Pathogens, Allergens and Other Indoor Particles - Medical Health Effects of Mold (separate online document)
• Building Floods: quick steps after a building flood or plumbing leak can prevent costly mold contamination
• Classes of Mold: what types of cosmetic, allergenic, or toxic mold are a problem? Can mold be cleaned-up successfully?
• Humidity Control to Avoid Mold How Low Should You Keep Indoor Humidity to Avoid a Mold Problem
• Mold Related Illness: Index of Symptoms and health, physical, neurological, psychological, and other complaint which people suspect may be mold or building-related.
• Mold Action Guide: Step-by-Step Instructions, What to do about mold, mildew, and other indoor allergens
• Mold Prevention: How to Prevent Mold, how to avoid mold growth in buildings: priorities, repairs, products
• Mold-Resistant Building Practices some detailed suggestions from an expert on preventing mold growth indoors
• Ozone Warnings - Use of Ozone as a "mold" remedy is ineffective and may be dangerous.

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