Mould Assessments
As the issue of mould contamination becomes an increasingly greater concern to society, our clients need the right advice on how to manage the risks related to mould in buildings. As such, JADA Solutions (HSE) Inc. provides mould assessments, using both non-intrusive and intrusive investigative techniques, in a variety of settings including residential, office and industrial.
Mould can grow indoors behind walls, above ceilings and underneath flooring. Even though mould is a natural occurring fungus, mould that grows indoors can have serious health effects for many people. There are many mould types that can cause a variety of symptoms such as skin rashes, nose bleeds, itchy and watery eyes, breathing difficulties, migraine headaches, to name a few. Some moulds are extremely toxic such as Stachybotrys Chartarum.
Mould needs moisture in the form of a water leak, even high relative humidity, together with a nutrient source (for example: drywall, carpeting, dust) to grow. If you have had a roof leak, basement leak, condensation on windows, even an overflow of a sink that was not cleaned up properly within 24 hours of its occurrence, you could have mould growth.
Indoor mould can be detected through air samples, and bulk samples that are sent to a laboratory for culturing and identification. Most importantly, a proper air quality assessment using instrumentation is also required; this will provide you with important information on the location, and potential for hidden mould growth issues, as well as the cause of the problem. An indoor mould investigation will often tell you the species of mould, whether it is toxic and how much of it is in your home. More importantly, it will be able to guide you in getting rid of your mould problem.
A home or office does not have to have visible evidence of mould growth for there to be a potential toxic mould issue. This is why it is important to have a proper mould assessment done to determine if you have a mould growth issue and where.
A typical mould assessment consists of:
- Visual Inspection: of the building for evidence of moisture intrusion and visible signs of mould growth;
- Viable Laboratory Sampling: by way of drawing air (living mould spores) into an agar strip that will grow active mould spores; and/or,
- Non-Viable Mould Sampling: by way of drawing air (dead mould spores) into a spore trap which will identify mould spores that have either died, dried up or have been killed by a biocide.