Mold detection

There are no national standards for mold detection, but CRS has a method for determining if your building has a dangerous mold problem.

Mold-related health problems are caused by exposure to airborne mold spores, the “seeds” that spread mold. Mold spores are present nearly everywhere, indoors and out, which is why mold can grow almost overnight if conditions are right.

Low-tech mold detection

The most obvious signs of mold are discolored walls or ceilings. But mold often grows undetected inside walls and in cavities in the attic or basement, or in air ducts where it is hidden from view.

A second obvious sign of mold is a distinctive odor. This begins as a musty, “earthy” smell that turns into a foul stench if the problem is not remediated. The smell is caused by airborne mold spores. The stronger the odor, the more mold spores are present in the air, and the greater the problem.

High-tech mold detection

While the picture above doesn't appear to show much, we found a signicant mold problem when we opened the wall. If not for our mold detection technology, this building's mold problems could have gotten even worse, putting occupants at risk.
Click for a better view.

At Comprehensive Risk Services we rely on an independent industrial hygienist (IH), who uses highly sensitive equipment that can actually measure the number of mold spores present in the air. However, because there are no national standards in the United States for indoor exposure to mold spores, there is no fixed mold level at which your building can be declared safe or unsafe.

The difficulty in setting standards results from the large number of mold species, not all of which are dangerous. This makes is challenging to establish a specific level of mold exposure that causes problems and can be adopted as a legal standard. This lack of a standard, however, hasn’t stopped people from getting sick from mold exposure, nor has it stopped lawsuits over the illnesses caused by mold exposure.

Let Comprehensive Risk Services' mold detection work for you

Absent a national standard, Comprehensive Risk Services has developed a mold detection method that works quite well: we measure the number of mold spores present in indoor air and compare that with the number present in outdoor air at the building location. If the indoor numbers are significantly higher, we know there is a problem. In that case, we’ll take quick action to find the problem and fix it.  With timely mold detection, we can address mold problems before building occupants start becoming sick.

If you need a definitive answer to your mold detection questions, contact CRS.