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ALLERGEN TESTS for BUILDINGS MOLD INFORMATION CENTER FLOODS & MOLD CLEAN/PREVENT MOLD ACTION GUIDE - WHAT TO DO MOLD DETECTION & INSPECTION HOW TO LOOK FOR MOLD CHOOSE SAMPLE POINT SAMPLING DRYWALL SAMPLING MISTAKES USE A FLASHLIGHT USING LIGHT to FIND MOLD WHAT MOLD LOOKS LIKE ATTIC MOLD BASEMENT MOLD CRAWLSPACE MOLD DRYWALL MOLD FIBERGLASS MOLD MOLD ON DIRT FLOORS MOLDY CARPETS ITCHY FABRICS HIDDEN MOLD, HOW TO FIND Photo Guide to Finding Hidden Mold Recognizing Cosmetic Mold Hidden Mold Behind Paneling Spotting Hard-to-See Mold Use of a flashlight to find mold Wall test cuts to spot hidden mold Light colored toxic molds Moisture Gradients and Mold Other Places to Look for Hidden Mold INSULATION MOLD DO-IT-YOURSELF WARNINGS More Information What Mold Looks Like Stuff That is Not Mold Allergens, Finding Mold Test Kits InspectAPedia Home & Site Map Environment Mold Inspect/Test Accuracy & Bias Pledge Contact Us |
If you don't know exactly how to aim your flashlight you won't see important, possibly toxic, light-colored molds. In this mold testing article we tell you how to use your light effectively look for hard-to-spot mold growth. This document describes how to make proper use of the level of light and direction of light to find mold and test for mold in buildings. This procedure helps identify the presence of or locate the probable sources of mold reservoirs in buildings, and helps decide which of these need more invasive, exhaustive inspection and testing. The fact that mold is "hidden" or hard to spot on some surfaces in buildings does not mean you cannot find it. © 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. USING LIGHT - How to use proper lighting to see mold contamination in buildings
How and where you shine light is of crucial importance when looking for mold in buildings. Light-colored mold such as some members of the Aspergillus sp. and Penicillium sp. groups are often the dominant problem-mold in buildings but these offenders are often missed by a casual inspection because they can be hard to see on surfaces. You need a bright flashlight and as simple as this seems, you need to know how to use it. Shine the flashlight along the surface being examined, not straight at the surface. If you shine the light directly at the surface being inspected you may not see a thing. As you'll see in the mold photographs shown here, using your light carefully can make a big difference in what mold you find and where you find it. We inspect for any mold growing on building surfaces. White, gray, light green, red, yellow, or other colored-molds may be allergenic or toxic. Looking only for "black mold" touted in the popular press risks missing the most important mold in a building. Some black molds such as the Ceratocystis/Ophistoma group are simply cosmetic. Other toxic black molds such as Stachybotrys chartarum are rarely airborne unless mechanically disturbed such as by demolition. These "black molds" may actually affect building occupants less than highly-airborne but small, light-colored, hard to see mold spores such as members of the Aspergillus sp. family. Finally, finding any mold growing on building surfaces is an indicator of mold-friendly conditions and means, in turn, that problem mold might be present.
The point of these illustrations of using light to help look for mold in buildings is to demonstrate that "hidden mold", like the purloined letter, may in fact be hiding in plain view - you just don't know how to see it. Recent news articles have made some people terrified at the mere mention of "toxic black mold" such as "Stachybotrys chartarum." Actually it is common to find Stachybotrys chartarum in small amounts in houses where there has been prolonged leakage or water entry. It's a toxic mold that should be removed. But don't assume that anything and everything black on a building wall is a highly toxic mold.Some black stuff is not mold at all. Other common mold species look black but may be of low or no toxicity. For example, Chaetomium globosum™has been reported to be allergenic rather than toxic. Cladosporium sphaerospermum is often found growing indoors on bathroom tile or refrigerator gaskets. It's a member of the most common mold family, Cladosporium, the "universal fungus." It can look pretty "black" on some surfaces. Can you tell what genera or species a mold is that's growing on a surface just by the naked eye? No. Though I've inspected and tested so many molds on so many surfaces that like a bird watcher, I know what's likely to be present in a given habitat. (Refrigerator gasket mold is usually a Cladosporium, often C. sphaerospermum and mold growing on window muntins will be a genera/species tolerant of UV light. A normal person can't do this. You cannot determine the mold genera and species just by looking at it on the wall, and please skip those do-it-yourself mold test kits. The methods the kits use are fundamentally inaccurate and in a few cases so are their laboratories. For small mold problems, spend your money on some soap and water instead. For larger problems hire an expert to survey your home, or send your own mold sample to a competent testing laboratory. The services of an experienced mycologist or aerobiologist are necessary to know what you've got. (C)DJF Copyright protection trap.(C)Daniel Friedman 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. ALLERGEN TESTS for BUILDINGS More expert information on this topic | ||||||||
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ALLERGEN TESTS for BUILDINGS MOLD INFORMATION CENTER FLOODS & MOLD CLEAN/PREVENT MOLD ACTION GUIDE - WHAT TO DO MOLD DETECTION & INSPECTION HOW TO LOOK FOR MOLD WHAT MOLD LOOKS LIKE ATTIC MOLD BASEMENT MOLD CRAWLSPACE MOLD DRYWALL MOLD FIBERGLASS MOLD MOLD ON DIRT FLOORS MOLDY CARPETS ITCHY FABRICS HIDDEN MOLD, HOW TO FIND INSULATION MOLD More Information What Mold Looks Like Stuff That is Not Mold Allergens, Finding Mold Test Kits InspectAPedia Home & Site Map Air Conditioning InspectAPedia Bookstore Electrical Environment Exteriors Heating Home Inspection Insulate Ventilate Interiors Mold Inspect/Test Plumbing Water Septic Roofing Structure Accuracy & Bias Pledge Contact Us |
More Information on Finding, Recognizing, and Proper Testing for Mold, More on Building Diagnostic Inspections and RepairsMold and Allergen Recognition and Identification - Not All "Black Mold" is Harmful; Some Suspect Stuff is Not Mold
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04/30/2008 - 04/01/02 - www.inspect-ny.com/sickhouse/lookmold55.htm © Copyright 2008-2002 Daniel Friedman - All Rights Reserved
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