Mold Assessment
What is a mold assessment?
The best analogy I can give is we give the home or building a "Physical". When you have a suspicion of a bio-growth (mold) issue it is very important to assess the building for any "red flags" that may be present. It is also important to determine if there is a source of moisture that may be creating the problem. Just like going to your personal physician, your Dr. will give you a physical, so he/she has a full understanding, based on their knowledge and experience, of the reasons for your complaint. Although you may think it is one thing, it may be something totally unrelated.
We do the same thing as it relates to mold. The average assessment, depending on the size of the home, takes approximately 1-2 hours. We will take a brief history to collect information from you, the person inhabiting the property, about the symptoms that have led you to this point.
From this history, we will then inspect the areas of concern(s). We will look for the presence of visible mold colonies and suspicious odors. Odors can be a very important indicator as to the presence of bio-aerosols (airborne mold spores) and/or mvoc’s(volatile organic chemicals emitted by bio growths/off gassing). We look for sources of moisture in the form of bulk water i.e. leaks and or vapor issues and condensation. By taking psychrometric information such as ambient temperatures, relative humidity, etc., we can determine if there is sufficient moisture to support mold growth in your home/building.
During our assessment, we also use moisture meters and other devises to determine if there is active moisture and its possible source. Our training and experience allows us to see conditions that may not be readily apparent to the untrained eye. From the information collected, we are then able to determine if further testing is needed such as air testing or swab samples, etc. If laboratory information will give us additional information that is helpful to your situation we will make that recommendation. (Laboratory testing is optional and you will have the opportunity to accept or reject any testing recommendations).
The assessment will give you factual information about your situation, answer any questions you may have and provide you with a written report for future reference and documentation. We will also direct you to additional professionals, if needed, and make any necessary referrals such as remediation contractors, Industrial Hygienists, etc.
For a small fee, the assessment is the best start to receiving factual and professional information about your mold concerns.