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Occurrence of Mold in Fiberglass in Insulation that Looks Clean by Visual Inspection MoldAPedia © Enter your search terms Submit search form   Search This Website - InspectAPedia.com

• Tips for avoiding being fooled by "clean" looking building insulation that is in fact mold-contaminated
• When and how to suspect moldy insulation is in a building

This document provides information about the occurrence of problematic toxic or allergenic mold growth in fiberglass insulation that appears, on visual inspection, to be clean in residential and light-commercial buildings. This 720x photograph shows active fungal growth along the surface of a fiberglass insulation fiber collected the suspended ceiling of a building suffering wet conditions and moldy in-slab HVAC ducts.

Mold is often found in basement fiberglass insulation, crawl space fiberglass insulation, fiberglass wall insulation, heating or cooling duct fiberglass insulation, and attic or roof insulation in buildings which have either been wet or have been exposed to high levels of mold from other sources.

© Copyright 2008 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

Moldy building or duct insulation may look clean on visual inspection

The fiberglass insulation falling into a crawl space at the left hand photo above is obviously suspect for having been wet and possibly contaminated by rodents, insects, or toxic or allergenic mold.

But what about the nice new clean looking fiberglass insulation in the right hand photo.That clean-looking fiberglass insulation was located over a clean-looking basement of a home less than ten years old. But a closer inspection of the home, its exterior, and its basement (as well as attic) found several clues suggesting that during one or more prior springs the basement had been quite wet. Check our our Mold-Contaminated building insulation photo just below.

Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

FIBERGLASS HAZARDS
  Recognizing Fiberglass Duct Insulation   Recognizing Fiberglass Duct Insulation
  Lab Identification of Fiberglass
  Fiberglass Fragment Hazards
  Fiberglass Detection in Building Air
  Mold in Fiberglass Insulation
  Mold in Foam Insulation
  Actual mold growth in insulation
  Moldy insulation may look clean
  Why does mold grow in fiberglass?
  When to test insulation for mold
  Fiberglass Hazard References
INSULATION INSPECTIONS

More Information on Fiberglass Hazards, Fiberglass Particles, Airborne Fiberglass Dust, Mold in Fiberglass Insulation,Contaminants, and Indoor Air Quality Investigations, Building Diagnostic Inspections, and Building Repairs

For more information about fiberglass as an indoor air quality concern see:

• Fiberglass in Indoor Air, HVAC Ducts, and Building Insulation
• Fiberglass Particle Identification in the Fiberglass Test Laboratory
• Goodman Gray Flex Duct Deterioration and Failures
• Mold in Fiberglass Insulation
• Optimum Indoor Air Filters
• Owens Corning Flex Duct Deterioration and Failures
• World Trade Center Dust Particle Identification

For more information about asbestos as an indoor air quality concern with focus on easy ways to identify asbestos materials in buildings, see:

• Asbestos Identification in Buildings: How to find & identify asbestos-containing materials
• Asbestos in Good Condition
• Asbestos HVAC Ducts - Asbestos Materials On or In Heating and Cooling Duct Work
• Asbestos paper duct wrap
• Asbestos Transite Chimneys, Flues, & Pipes in Buildings
• Asbestos under the microscope
• Asbestos Vibration Dampers & Asbestos in the Air Handler
• Ceiling tiles: How to recognize ceiling tiles that may contain asbestos
• Examples of unusual uses of asbestos in buildings

• Fiberglass in Indoor Air, HVAC ducts, and Building Insulation, Indoor Air Quality Investigations: (this article)
• Mold in Fiberglass, when, why, and how fiberglass becomes a reservoir of problem mold in buildings.
• Lab Identification of Fiberglass photographs and text assist in laboratory identification of fiberglass fibers and fragments in air, dust, or material samples in the laboratory using forensic microscopic techniques.
• Asbestos: How to find and recognize asbestos in buildings - visual inspection methods, list of common asbestos-containing materials

Note: "DJF Opinion" in this document identifies comments based on my experience and/or field and empirical data but which I do not cite as authoritative.

The Mold and IAQ Information Center: What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems

On-Site Mold Investigation, Sick Building Diagnosis, Lab Services, & Remediation Plan Preparation indoor air quality testing, problem source determination, supporting lab work, written remediation plan

Building & Home Inspection, Construction Diagnosis & Repair - Research Website

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