Download Here - James L. Schaller, M.D., M.A.R., P.C

Environmentally Friendly Mold Remediation Techniques That Significantly Reduce Childhood AsthmaAll mold testing should follow the IESO (www.IEStandards.org)standards for sampling. A copy of the standard is included in anappendix to our book on mold sampling – Beyond the 10' MoldInspection.10.2.5 Clearance Testing; Lab Results and Reportinga. Air samples collected should be 75-150 liters or larger.b. Leading labs count 85%-100% of the trace (unless mold countsare very high and then they can accurately count less.) Some labsonly check 25% of the trace in which case, if you use them, yoursampling volume should be 4X higher (300-600 liters). **c. There must be a least one set of duplicates in the sample set. Thiswill show stakeholders how much testing varies and that airsampling is often times not very exact.d. The lab should not make the determination as to whether theresults indicate a problem or not. This determination should bemade by a mold consultant or mold remediation contractor whoshould consider many additional factors in addition to lab results:Is the moisture problem fixed; musty smells; potential for hiddenmold; signs of water damage; seasonal issues; quality of airconditioner filters; how "dirty" the home or office is;carpets/tile/wood flooring; and other important factors.e. All lab results must be included in the report, including raw scores.f. Don't assume that all labs provide quality work. Check themyourself from time to time by taking quadruplicate sets of samplesand sending pairs to different labs. You will be surprised by howmuch the results will vary, not only within duplicates sent to thesame lab but even more so between labs. Some labs count brokenmold spores. Some only count whole ones. Some labs will counta spore as a certain type with only a 50% confidence level thatanother analyst will reach the same conclusion. Some will require** When sampling outdoors with significant mold counts or sampling known contaminatedareas, sample volume can be relatively small even if the lab is reading 25% of the trace.The volume of spores counted and the accuracy will still be in an acceptable range and notnear the D.L. (detection limit.)95