Mycotoxin and Toxic Black Mold Inspection

MOLD INSPECTIONS

With today's heighten awareness of Mold and the possible health effect of a Mold Contaminated environment, we offer a Low Cost Mold Testing option that can be added to any inspection. We also provide Mold Testing at very Competitive Rates for any Commercial or Residential property, separate from any other inspections. It has been our experience that often homes or businesses that seem highly suspect of a mold problem, due to odors or other non-visual cues, are often found to be in acceptable condition. Transversely, we have found serious mold contamination in buildings that did not have any apparent outward signs.

Water and Mold

Water can be destructive and foster conditions that are deleterious to health. For this reason, the ideal property will have soils that slope away from the residence, and the interior floors will be several inches higher than the exterior grade. Also, the residence should have roof gutters and downspouts that carry water away to hard surfaces. In conjunction with the cellulose material found in most modern homes, moisture can facilitate the growth of biological organisms that can compromise building materials and produce mold-like substances that can have an adverse effect on health.

Moisture intrusion is a perennial problem, with which you should be aware. It involves a host of interrelated factors, and can be unpredictable, intermittent, or constant. When moisture intrusion is not self evident, it can be inferred by musty odors, peeling paint or plaster, efflorescence, or salt crystal formations, rust on metal components, and wood rot. However, condensation and humidity can produce similar conditions if the temperature in an area is not maintained above the dew point. Nevertheless, if such conditions do exist, or if you or any member of your family suffers from allergies or asthma, you should consider a specialist inspection.

To minimize water intrusion, the homeowner should assure that the grade around the building; including walkways, patios, and drives slopes properly away from the building and that all gutters and downspouts are maintained clean and free flowing. All water should be directed as far away from the home as possible. This includes buildings with no space below grade as many structural concerns are caused by excess water around foundations.

With today’s heightened awareness of the possible ill-effects of mold in the living environment, we provide a thorough and professional investigation. Our investigation:

Provides a thorough visible inspection of the premises to identify visible mold or mold causing situations, such as current or potential areas for water intrusion.
Utilizes the latest diagnostic tools such as moisture meters to verify elevated moisture levels at and below finished surfaces, humidistats to determine elevated levels of humidity, and borescopes to search for visible mold in wall, ceiling and floor cavities.
Air samples are taken to determine the levels of a multitude of mold species in the living environment compared to those levels in the outside environment.
Physical samples such as tape lifts, swabs and bulk samples of impacted material are taken, particularly since some of the more sever species of mold, such as Stachybotrys, are not readily found in air samples.
All samples taken are sent to a qualified laboratory to be examined
A comprehensive report on the findings of the investigation and laboratory results is compiled with remedial recommendations made if it is deemed that such actions need to be taken.

Additional Resources for Information on Mold: