Being Safe Around Mold

Being Safe Around Mold
by Jeff Deuitch

Appraisers and inspectors encounter a wide range of abnormal conditions in buildings which may create safety risks.  Such items can include: broken windows, sagging roofs, overhead objects like low wires or roof overhangs, unfriendly animals and a host of other hazards. However, one of the least understood hazards is environmental conditions. This can include leaks of gases such as carbon monoxide or explosive gases or chemical or biological exposures.

Mold is a topic which has received great attention in recent years but a clear consensus about the exposure risk it presents to people is a matter of great debate. I am not getting involved in this debate here but I will raise some issues which appraisers and inspectors might consider when encountering prominent mold outbreaks in buildings.

Molds we see in buildings are simple fungi which produce spores readily as the organism grows on wet surfaces such as drywall, wood, paper products, carpeting and other building materials.  Complex fungi, such as mushrooms, often have specific reproductive cycles, and spores are produced only at certain times. Spores are like the seeds of the fungal organisms and cause the colors associated with mold colonies. The actively growing part of the organism is called the "mycelium."

Molds can affect the interior air space in two ways. First, the growing mycelium can give off metabolic gasses. Being aerobic, molds give off carbon dioxide just like humans do. They also can give off other gasses, some of which can be quite toxic. One fungal organism produces a chemical used in rocket fuels that is very toxic.

Secondly, molds can liberate huge quantities of spores into the air. Spores are designed specifically for this purpose. A single mushroom can produce and liberate four-five million spores.  In mold investigations I have performed, over 100,000 fungal spores per cubic meter have been measured in interior air space, in conditions where less than 1,000 per cubic meter is considered normal!  Spores always exist in air spaces in ordinary buildings since spores are a normal inhabitant of the air. Spores can contain toxic compounds which contact the lungs through inhalation.

Binding regulatory exposure standards for mold have not been published. Exposure to fungal mycelium or spores can contribute to allergic reactions. Serious infections due to fungal exposures are less common. Toxic poisoning due to fungal exposure has not been well-defined but would be a greater risk for long term building occupants than those who visit a property, like an appraiser or inspector. Individual sensitivity for fungal exposure varies greatly.

Being Safe

When performing an inspection of mold-contaminated properties one must keep in mind a few things.