A comprehensive one-day mold training course on indoor mold. The topics for this unique mold training course include:

• how to recognize indoor mold,
• how to develop effective sampling strategies,
• how to interpret laboratory results and,
• how to perform effective mold remediation/abatement.

The course dates for October are October 10 and 24. For details visit our mold training webpage at http://www.moldbacteria.com/training.html.


Certification Maintenance (CM) Points
The mold training course has been granted approval for CM points by the following organizations:

• The American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) has approved the mold training course for 1 CM point for CIHs and CAIHs (Approval #06-990).
• The Canadian Registration Board of Occupational Hygienists (CRBOH) has approved this course for 1 maintenance point for ROHs (Award 2006-11).

For registration, course dates or more details click mold training.

Once mold has grown in a building, it has to be removed (also referred to as mold remediation or mold abatement). There are various mold removal guidelines:

• Mould Guidelines for the Canadian Construction Industry (2004): by Canadian Construction Association.
• Mould Abatement Guidelines (2004): by Environmental Abatement Council of Ontario (EACO).
• Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments (2000): by the New York City Department of Health.
• Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation (IICRC S520): by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC).
• Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings (2001): by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Some of these guidelines can be obtained free online. When determining appropriate mold remediation level, one has to consider the total area affected (the perimeter of affected materials) and the density of the mold growth. The Guidelines for the Canadian Construction Industry recognizes 3 remediation levels for building finishes and components (e.g., drywall, ceiling tile, carpet, etc.). These are:

• Level 1 (Small Scale): Areas less than 1 square metre (10 square feet)
• Level ll (Medium Scale): Areas between 1-10 square metres (10-100 square feet)
• Level lll (Large Scale): Areas greater than 10 square metres (≥100 square feet)

For more details about mold removal consult the various guidelines and/or consult a professional. For those working in the fields of mold investigation and remediation, you may want to register for our mold training course entitled "How To Recognize Indoor Mould, Develop Effective Sampling Strategies, Interpret Laboratory Results, And Remediate Mould Contamination". For the course details and available dates click http://www.moldbacteria.com/training.html

One of the questions commonly asked by homeowners is how they could get rid of mold growth on ceiling tiles, carpet, walls and basement. Getting rid of mold is difficult but we can control mold growth. For us to control mold growth we need to know the factors or conditions necessary for mold growth.

For mold to grow indoors:

• There should be a source of viable spores or hyphal fragments of the mold that can regenerate into new mold growth. The main source of spores indoors is the outdoor. Building materials may also get contaminated with mold. Spores that have settled on surfaces may remain viable for many years. Once moisture is available these spores germinate and if the moisture is not eliminated, growth continues and more spores are produced which contribute to more mold growth. Settled dust is generally a reservoir of mold spores.
• Like any other living organisms, mold require nutrients for growth. Dust, dirt, and some components of building materials are contain or are nutrients for mold growth.
• For rapid growth optimal temperature is required. Generally molds can grow under a wide range of temperatures but at suboptimal temperatures growth is slow. The optimal temperature for most indoor molds is the temperature usually maintained in houses or offices for human comfort.
• There should be adequate moisture to support growth. Moisture is the most critical factor. The level of moisture (together with other factors) determines the types of mold that will be more prevalent/dominant in the environment.

By manipulating anyone of the factors outlined above, we can control mold growth. However, we may have very little control on spores since spores infiltrate into our houses from outdoor all the time especially when we open the doors and windows. Also, although we can set the temperature in our houses to the level we want, mold can grow over a wide range of temperatures and therefore it is practically difficult to use temperature to control mold growth…unless we want to turn our houses and offices into freezers. Moisture is the ideal factor to control. Maintaining indoor humidity levels between 30-60% would effectively control mold growth. In addition to controlling moisture, we should also provide adequate ventilation. As mentioned above dust is a reservoir for spores. Therefore, regular vacuum cleaning would help reduce the spore load in the building and hence reduce the level of mold growth following a moisture problem.

Fusarium species affect our lives in several fields. In agriculture Fusarium is known to cause diseases of many economically important crop plants. Some species are known to colonize stored cereal grains not only causing losses but also producing mycotoxins such as trichothecenes, zearalenone, and fumonisins that are harmful to humans and animals.

In the medical field, Fusarium species cause opportunistic infections of human eyes, skin or nails and may also cause systemic infections in individuals with weak immune system. The most important species as far as human infection is concerned are Fusarium solani, Fusarium moniliforme (=Fusarium verticilloides), Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium dimerum. Fusarium solani is also allergenic and is occasionally found in indoor environments. It affects 4% of nasobronchial allergy patients.





For more details on this article, please read our August newsletter at http://www.moldbacteria.com/newsletter.html.