Presenter Bio: Michael Meyer
Mike has 40 years experience as an environmental consultant including the last 20 years in IAQ and mold testing. He has an MS from the University of Iowa (1978), ten years with the SD DENR, and twenty years as a senior project manager with a consulting firm. While with the firm, he started their IAQ and mold testing services. He began his own company, Mold Testing Services, LLC twelve years ago. He has performed mold and IAQ testing on >5000 buildings including houses, offices, schools, medical facilities, apartments & hotels. He has presented numerous talks on mold & IAQ. He is a member of ASHRAE, ISIAQ and IAQA. He is a certified microbial investigator (CMI) and has IICRC certifications in water damage and mold.
Presentation Description:
Airborne spore traps (Allergenco, Zefon etc) are widely used for mold assessments. These tests are quick and fairly inexpensive. They are widely used for health concerns, pre-sale, insurance claims, before & after water damage and mold clean-ups etc. But, there is disagreement over their interpretation and reliability. In some cases, consultants have misused the data. Based on >5000 mold assessments over twenty years, our experience is that these tests are usually reliable. Lab results can vary greatly depending on different labs, especially when using x400 versus x600-1000 magnification. Comparing control to problem areas using the same lab is often reliable. Results should never depend on a single test. Comparing outside to indoor tests can be useful but should not be used as a "standard". Many consultants consider >1000 spores/m3 of Aspergillus-Penicillium (at x600) to be a useful guideline for possible concerns. Sampling should be thoroughly documented with photos, sketches and notes. Spore trap cassettes need to be carefully labeled. In many cases, lightly disturbed sampling may detect concerns not noticed in standard (passive) testing. We offer several examples.