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It Doesn’t Take a Flood to Cause Indoor Mold Contamination
Mold that takes up residence inside buildings is a common, irritating and occasionally dangerous contaminant. Currently, however, in the United States there are no standards or threshold limit values (TLVs) for airborne concentrations of mold, mold spores or mildew. Rather, several agencies and organizations continue to research health impacts and publish guidelines and best practices for finding and eliminating indoor mold. As climate change occurs, more and more buildings may become breeding grounds for mold so preparation is essential to maintaining good indoor air quality.
Learn an overview of the common types of mold that may permeate a workplace and much more during our in-depth webinar on January 30, 2014.
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offer some educational information and common sense tips for mold identification and prevention that can be used in large commercial buildings. Although there are many different types of molds and mildews, here are a few basic facts that apply across the board:
- Molds can be found growing just about anywhere, and on and within any material (including wood, paper, carpet, and food) as long as moisture is present,
- Mold spores are constantly circulating in the air and there is no practical way to eliminate all mold and mold spores indoors,
- Mold does not require liquid standing water to grow but can also result from high relative humidity alone,
- Mold comes in many varieties and can cause minor and severe respiratory problems, discoloration of materials, odor problems, and building material deteriorization.
Even though mold spores are essentially everywhere and uncontrollable, building owners and operators can keep mold in check by paying attention to indoor air moisture levels that are essential to mold growth. Understanding the basics of air humidity is key to understanding how to manage mold. One primary concept is that water can be both a liquid and a gas. Water from floods and other events are obvious dangers, but water vapor is a bit more difficult to pin down.
Join us for an in-depth webinar on January 30 when our presenter, a seasoned EHS professional who has helped companies deal with mold challenges proactively, will provide participants with a strategy for developing and implementing an effective and successful mold control, prevention, and countermeasure plan.
Water vapor can be the result of steam, such as in bathrooms, kitchens and other utility areas, it can be produced by using mechanical humidifiers, or it can simply be humid air that seeps into buildings from outside. There are several rules that apply to water vapor retention:
1) If a unit of air contains half of the water vapor it can hold, it is said to be at 50 percent relative humidity (RH) or greater.
2) As the air temperature decreases, so too does the ability of air to hold water vapor,
3) As the temperature goes down, the water vapor saturation point (100-percent RH or greater) is reached sooner, and the water vapor condenses from gas to liquid. This is known as the “dew point.”
4) The highest indoor RH can always be found next to the coldest surface or the “first condensing surface,” that place where condensation happens first when the air reaches 100-percent RH. This helps explain why mold may be growing in one area but not in another nearby area, such as when internal gaps in insulation or exterior cracks in a building allow cold air inside, causing condensation and a breeding ground for mold on an inner wall surface.
In addition to water vapor and humidity management, the circulation of indoor air is also very important when it comes to inhibiting mold because good circulation distributes air more evenly can help to dry out damp areas. Forced air heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and ceiling fans both can have positive impacts on reducing mold and even something as simple as rearranging furniture can impact air flow patterns for the better.