There are things to beware of before deciding that you might need a mold inspection. Have you been feeling sick, coming down with colds, or other sinus symptoms more often than usual?
 

Mold allergies can sometimes even include rashes, itchy eyes, nose bleeds, headaches, breathing difficulties. People with weak immune symptoms are more susceptible to household mold growth. Toxic mold can sometimes affect an elder or child first before affecting someone who has a strong immune system.
 

Mold Surveys
 

Sometimes people take it upon themselves to clean up the black mold that they’ve found. However, sometimes after doing this clean-up, people notice they are much sicker than they were before trying to remove the mold.
 

It is risky to attempt mold removal without following mold remediation guidelines, which can include containment setup with negative air pressure to avoid contaminating the rest of the building. Without a containment, the mold spores easily become airborne. Also, after breaking walls, the black mold becomes airborne, which can cause major issues and sickness.
 

Household mold for the most part is not visible except in high concentrations. Therefore, it is very important to hire a professional mold inspector to assess the situation and to provide a full report. The plan of action will not only eliminate the mold growth, but also provide advice that can help you to ensure that the mold growth does not reoccur.
 

Mold Testing

Our technicians have performed hundreds of mold inspections. Often, occupants of homes are suffering from numerous symptoms commonly associated with or caused by indoor mold growth. They try to overcome the issue by focusing on lifestyle or medication, but do not realize that the issue is the indoor air they are breathing. People may suffer from allergies, asthma, colds and sinus infections, lack of air, sneezing, flu symptoms, disorder, rashes, and memory loss to name a few.
 

Mold Damage
 

Mold growth can be found under floors, under windows, in basements on drywall, carpets, laminate flooring in attics, and behind the walls.
 

GTA Environmental has technicians who are Certified Industrial Hygienists. We offer several services, which aid in determining the extent of mold growth.

 

A Visual Inspection

Inspection includes asking the client questions regarding the history of the home, searching the home for any possible breaches where moisture issues could occur, observing air flow patterns, inspecting windows and HVAC system, inspecting materials used in the building such as under sinks, attics, walls, carpets, flooring, outdoor siding, flashing, and eavestrough systems.
 

Relative humidity testing can detect and determine several issues from one room to the next. A moisture meter will detect moisture within the drywall or deeper into the wall, as well as the extent of any moisture issues.
 

By using these methods, our professionals can determine the problem, provide the solution, and prevent future mold growth issues.
 

Air Testing for Mold

If mold has not been found upon the visual inspection process, then the client and inspector may decide to do indoor air mold testing. This will determine the level of indoor mold spore concentrations, provide a list of spore types, and individual levels of mold spore concentrations of mold types such as Stachybotrys, Chaetomium, Penicillium and Aspergillus.
 

Two or more air samples must be taken. One sample is collected outside of the building, which is a control sample to determine the mold types and concentrations in the outdoor air. The other samples are indoors in the suspect areas of the building. The outdoor control sample is compared with the indoor samples to determine if there is an indoor mold growth source.
 

The Air-O-Cell™ Air Sampling cassette is a sampling device designed for the rapid collection and analysis of a wide range of airborne aerosols. These include fungal spores, pollen, insect parts, skin cell fragments, fibers, and inorganic particulates. Air enters the cassette, the particles become impacted on the sampling substrate, and the air leaves through the exit orifice. The airflow and patented cassette housing is designed in such a way that the particles are distributed and deposited equally on a special glass slide contained in the cassette housing called the “trace.”
 

These samples are sent to a laboratory for a complete analysis. Normally the turn-around time is 3-4 business days; however, in a dire situation, we can produce results within one day. However, laboratory fees are much more expensive in these situations.
 

Tape Testing for Mold

Mold growth may occur on the surface of materials, where a swab test would be impractical, i.e., ceiling tiles, concrete block etc. A tape lift is often used for surface sampling by stripping the suspect area surface with specially designed clear tape. The sample is then transferred to a microscope slide, placed in a sealed tight container, and transported to a laboratory for complete analysis.
 

Swab Testing for Mold

This type of testing is normally done where visible mold is found to determine the type of fungi. The results of this testing will determine if the mold present in this area is toxic or non-toxic. If visible mold is found in more than one location on the property, a swab test must be done at each location.
 

For email enquiries, click here, mark@GTAenvironmental.com

Serving clients across Scarborough, Markham, Vaughan, Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, Ontario.

Are you concerned about mold in your home? Contact GTA Environmental for mold testing and inspections