Mold Testing

We have some Mold Testing tips for homeowners and property owners in Westchester NY!

Testing for mold can be done through a variety of techniques such as air, surface, bulk or swab sampling to identify the presence of mold. At present there are no state or federal standards established for unsafe levels or types of mold.

There are over 1,000 different molds that have been identified indoors and the health effects of mold growth in homes are not well understood.

If testing for mold is done, it is critical to establish a sampling methodology to appropriately address the investigator’s hypothesis. This usually involves collecting control samples (such as outdoors) to compare to samples from the suspect area. For example, if the molds found indoors are different from molds outdoors, or if the levels of molds are significantly higher indoors from outdoors, this may suggest a potential indoor mold problem.

How much mold is too much?

Any mold growth in a building should be considered a problem because it is damaging to building materials. In addition, it is safest to treat any indoor mold growth as a “potential health hazard” which needs to be corrected because there are no health standards for mold and the health effects of mold are not well understood. Any amount or type of mold should be removed and the moisture problem that allowed its’ growth should be fixed.