Guide for interpreting reports from inspections/investigations of indoor mold - 15/08/11
Abstract |
Inspections and testing of indoor environments for mold growth increased dramatically in the past decade. Allergists can now be presented copies of reports and laboratory data and asked to provide an interpretation, although allergists are seldom trained to review environmental data. There is no single sampling method that is both specific for mold growth and robust enough to reliably detect mold growth. There is no standard method for these inspections or testing and no widely recognized credential for investigators, and therefore reports also vary in quality, objectives, and thoroughness. Despite these issues, observations from informed inspections coupled with results from qualified analyses of samples that are collected with a useful strategy can usually indicate whether mold growth is present in a building, but the nature of the report should be assessed before any interpretation of the results and data are attempted. This rostrum discusses objectives of inspections, describes qualifications for investigators, outlines the limitations of various sampling methods applicable to mold and to some degree endotoxin, and provides guidance for data interpretation.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Key words : Mold, testing, indoor air, investigation, inspection
Abbreviations used : CFU, HVAC, MVOC
Plan
Disclosure of potential conflict of interest: W. E. Horner owns stock in and is employed by Air Quality Sciences, Inc; has served as an expert witness in litigation; and has served on ASTM technical committees pertaining to mold analysis. C. Barnes has consulting arrangements with Clorox Corporation, owns stock in Coca-Cola Corporation and Rock Acres LLC, and has received research support from Clorox Corporation, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. R. Codina is employed by Greer Laboratories. E. Levetin is employed by the Biology Department of the University of Tulsa, which occasionally analyzes indoor air samples for local indoor air companies, and has served as an expert witness in fungal litigation. |
Vol 121 - N° 3
P. 592 - mars 2008 Retour au numéroBienvenue sur EM-consulte, la référence des professionnels de santé.
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