CMICI In The News
This article in the Plumbing &
Mechanical Magazine, February 2002,
reports on the CMICI Certified Mold Inspector Certification Program
*Please note that CMICI is now known as
PCI [Professional Certification Institute]
MOLD: ENVIRONMENTAL BOGEYMAN OR
CONTRACTOR NIGHTMARE?
By Katie Rotella
Plumbing & Mechanical Magazine, February 2002
It has been
labeled a "silent killer," plaguing homes, schools and places of business around the
country. It has been the cause of several multimillion-dollar lawsuits. It was found in
nearly 50,000 homes in Houston last June.
It has been
compared to asbestos in terms of remediation costs -- rising to an average of $150 per
square foot. It is mold. And it is making the industry take notice. The media talking
heads also have taken notice of "toxic mold," fueling concerns of the public with gloom
and doom statistics.
Currently,
there are no local, state or federal regulations on how to identify or clean up mold, or
even on exposure limits. This lack of information has left us with bouts of
finger-pointing and public outcry, with most of the blame landing on the backs of
insurance companies. But it is not unheard of to see a contracting company's name listed
among the liable parties.
From
plumbing and new construction to forced air and janitorial/maintenance businesses, no one
has been exempt from the hundreds of mold claims sprouting in courtrooms these days. In
short, the mold issue is growing, well, like a fungus in our industry. With an
unregulated issue such as this, steeped in lack of education, training and standards,
it's easy to see how quickly things can get confusing and out of hand -- and a bit slimy.
The
following article will give a brief overview of the basic mold facts and report on the
issue as it stands as of early this year, but it is in no way comprehensive. (Do a quick
Internet search on "Mold" and you'll find more sites to click through to keep you busy
for weeks.) However, we will attempt to weed out the facts from the phooey on mold and
its implications to your business.
Meet The Enemy
Growing
mold concerns haven't stemmed from its "newness;" fungus has been around since the dawn
of time. (The Bible references the spreading of "the plague," in which the "unclean item
or property must be removed and destroyed.")
According
to the Center for Disease Control & Prevention, there is always a little mold everywhere
-- indoors and outdoors. Some mold is considered "helpful" mold, such as those found in
medicines and antibiotics; mold is needed in the breakdown and decaying of dead
materials.
Molds are
also very common in buildings and homes, and will grow anywhere there is moisture and
material on which to feed. Mold spores can enter a building through open doorways,
windows, heating and ventilation systems, and even on your clothes.
When these
airborne spores drop on places where there is excessive moisture, such as near leaky
pipes, roofs or where there has been flooding, they will grow and prosper.
The most
common indoor molds are Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus and Alternaria. But the
mold that has coined the phrase "Black Mold," or "Toxic Mold," is Stachybotrys atra.
It is the
new bogeyman of the press. The CDC admits there is no accurate information about how
often Stachybotrys atra (or Stachy) is found in buildings and homes; it is less common
than the others, but it is not rare.
Stachy is a
nasty little fungus -- greenish-black and slimy, sometimes with white edges. It was first
identified and described by a scientist from wallpaper collected in a home in Prague in
1837.
Stachy and
other molds grow on material with a high cellulose and low nitrogen content: fiberboard,
gypsum board, ceiling tiles, paper and -- their favorite snack -- drywall.
For the
sake of energy efficiency, homes, commercial buildings and other structures built over
the past 40 years have become increasingly airtight. The buildings simply don't "breathe"
the way older structures do.
Add in the
housing boom of recent years and you've got an increase in structures providing a
relative feast for mold.
To clear up
a few things, toxic molds cannot grow on ceramic tile. A little mildew around the bathtub
or shower probably isn't anything to worry about and is more of a house cleaning issue.
Nor is it found in the fuzzy-green molds on your forgotten tuna sandwich. But wet and
leaky areas shouldn't be allowed to go unattended.
Mold and
fungus can grow exponentially within 24 to 72 hours of initial water damage. Constant
moisture is required for growth -- for Stachy to survive, materials need to be virtually
saturated. But it is not necessary to determine what type of mold you have. The CDC
recommends all molds be treated the same with respect to potential health risks and
removal.
Risk Or Ruse
It has been
re ported that Stachybotrys atra and certain other toxic molds produce mycotoxins, which
can cause rare health conditions, such as pulmonary hemorrhage or memory loss. But here
is where the experts vary on their conclusions.
There are
some doomsayer's that will have you running for the hills at the first sight of mildew,
saying mold causes you to cough up blood. But the truth is, there is no "truth" ?yet.
The CDC
reports there is a lack of significant data that scientifically links toxic mold to these
conditions, and no scientific study has been concluded concerning the safety level of
mold in a home, or at what point a home becomes uninhabitable.
One thing
is true, however. Asthma affects more than 17 million Americans, including 5 million
children. And the airways of all people constrict when exposed to certain irritants, like
pollen, pollutants and some drugs, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma &
Immunology.
Individuals
who are more sensitive to molds commonly report symptoms including runny noses, eye
irritation, congestion, aggravation of asthma, headaches, dizziness and fatigue.
Amazingly
enough, high-profile cases are still being won by homeowners against insurance companies,
even without conclusive health-risk evidence.
Last June
in Texas, a jury found in favor of Melinda Ballard and her family, and ordered Farmers
Insurance Group to pay out $32 million in damages and lawyer fees. Farmers was charged
with improperly handling Ballard's water claim, allowing toxic mold to form and take over
the family's $3 million home.
This
decision was reached a few months before Farmers -- the state's second-largest insurer --
decided in August to stop selling new comprehensive home policies.
The Los
Angeles-based company said mold coverage threatens its financial stability, and it will
not renew homeowner policies in Texas in 2002, effectively putting it out of a market
where Farmers serves 600,000 customers.
There had
been a dramatic rise in mold claims for the company, which increased from 12 in 1999 to
nearly 8,000 last year.
What To Do?
So what
does all this mean for contractors these days? It means education and training is in
order. Mold growing in homes and buildings, whether the "Black Mold" or other molds,
indicates there is a problem with water or moisture. This is the first problem that needs
to be addressed. This is where the trained professionals of the industry come in.
Take your
customers' concerns seriously, but don't create or add to panic -- there is enough real
need for remediation without creating fear through advertising or other communications
with clients.
Feel free
to refer clients to appropriate experts, expert documents or informative Web sites. But
don't give medical or scientific advice unless you are a doctor or mycobiologist.
Remove mold
according to lab criteria and/or specified scope of work. Currently, the standards for
mold remediation come from a 1993 report by the New York City Department of Health's
Bureau of Environmental & Occupational Disease Epidemiology.
This panel
convened to create the "Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Stachybotrys Atra in
Indoor Environments." It was revised in April 2000 to include all mold or fungi. (A copy
of these guidelines can be found through the Web site
www.ci.nyc.ny.us.)
The authors
of the NYC guidelines suggest -- and the CDC, FEMA and the EPA all agree -- that no
amount of visible mold is a good thing. If you can smell mold or see mold, it must be
removed.
Continue to
do what you do best: get proper training and certification (see sidebar on "Mold
Certification") and insure, insure, insure. (As one mold remediator said, "Think
worst-case scenario, triple it, add two shakes of paranoia, then insure for that.")
California
is now the first state in America to make new toxic mold health laws. The Toxic Mold
Protections Act of 2001 directs the California Department of Health Services (DHS) to
develop and adopt standards for mold exposure limits for indoor mold environments by July
1, 2003 (Section 26105 (d)).
This law
will set the stage, so watch for other states to eventually join in the act.
As more and
more information becomes available to the public, mold claims -- and the need for mold
remediation -- will continue to rise. But the best defense is always a good offense.
Fixing clients' water leaks and moisture troubles is a great start to curb the
possibility of toxic mold.
The Road To Mold Certification
Three years
ago, Philip Fry was diagnosed with chronic sinusitis. And after months of research into
the realm of indoor air quality -- and upon closer inspection of his own home -- he
discovered mold.
These days,
the former hospital administrator considers himself on a crusade to provide in-depth
information to industry professionals, and produce highly qualified people in the field
of mold remediation with his company Certified Mold Inspectors & Contractors Institute.
"The
biggest myth of mold removal is chlorine bleach," says Fry, whose two-day course held in
Hurricane, Utah, has certified nine companies in two months of operation. "Cleaning mold
is a temporary solution. It'll re-grow unless you remove it completely and take care of
the water and moisture problems.
But just
because you don't see mold, doesn't mean it's not there, Fry warns. Hidden mold -- behind
walls, wallpaper and ceilings -- has been the cause of several outbreaks of Stachybotrys
atra and other molds, where they can thrive in moist areas undetected for as long as
there's water and materials to feed on.
Fry's
company does not offer plumbing courses. In Day One his faculty of three teaches hands-on
mold detection and testing methods to construction and plumbing businesses, and trains
them to locate hidden mold. Day Two covers the remediation portion of certification, and
educates trainees on the possible dangers mold poses to the health of their clients.
"Certification is not legally required," says Fry about the lack of regulation on the
mold issue as of yet. But he says completed courses in mold remediation lets clients know
the company has taken the extra step to become informed on the issue. And certification
couldn't hurt if a company was ever involved in litigation.
Fry says
the public awareness of mold should bode well for plumbers, bringing in new revenues from
remediation and service and repair work.
He
recommends plumbing contractors, especially, become familiar with mold problems and
symptoms, and make an effort to get certified. "A plumber would be the first one to see
the possibilities of mold problems. He is the first line of defense against mold: fixing
water and moisture leaks."
Fry also
maintains two Web sites,
www.moldinspector.com
www.certifiedmoldinspectors.com. Visitors can find resources and information on mold
and current mold news items, as well as search for a certified mold inspection or
remediation company.
CDC Recommendations
Keep
humidity levels below 50 percent.
Be sure
homes have adequate ventilation, including exhaust fans in kitchens and bathrooms;
Perform routine building maintenance, noting evidence of water damage and visible mold;
and Use mold inhibitors, which can be added to paints.
Related Websites
|
►
