A Common Situation 

Over the last few weeks we have received numerous calls from individuals concerned about the appropriateness of mold remediation projects that do not address critical issues such as possible contamination of the HVAC system or the contents of the building. In fact, we spoke with an attorney for an individual who is reportedly suffering from serious mold-related health concerns, and he was incredulous when he found out that after a major remediation of visible fungal growth from his client’s house no effort had been made to clean the rest of the structure. This lack of thoroughness was even more disturbing given that a hygienist had been involved in the project to conduct an investigation and help prepare the scope of work. This consultant’s own air samples had shown elevated levels of fungal spores throughout the home, yet the official project was narrowed down specifically to the rooms with visible contamination.

In a similar vein, we received the following e-mail from someone who had heard about our organization’s reputation for competency in the mold remediation field. Obviously, the remediation company’s name has been extracted to protect the guilty!

I am writing you because my landlord recently engaged in mold remediation using [Company X]. I was point blank told, “We are not responsible for cleaning your belongings because they were not affected by the mold!” I know otherwise as the air tests came back reflecting high levels of mold. How can I determine if my household articles were affected or contaminated by [Company X’s] mediocre professionalism or even prior to [Company X] stepping in? And is this anything you may be able to assist me with?

Understanding the Current Standard of Care for the Industry

It is disappointing to hear that any professional in the mold remediation industry would make a blatant statement about contents not being impacted in a mold contamination case without having some support for such a declaration. This approach is directly counter to the advice
provided in the Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation (document S520 written by the Institute for Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification [the IICRC]). In that document they discuss three conditions associated with mold remediation projects:
Condition 1: Normal fungal ecology
Condition 2: Areas that do not have evidence of visible fungal growth but are impacted
by airborne spore deposition
Condition 3: Areas with visible fungal growth

Click here to read the rest of this informative article, originally published in 2012.