commercial mold removal issue The issue of mold contamination in schools, office buildings, health care facilities, and other indoor environments has become a serious problem that not only decreases the value of the physical structure of the building, but also creates a human health risk.

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Since mold requires water to grow, it is important to prevent moisture problems in buildings. Moisture problems can have many causes, including uncontrolled humidity. Some moisture problems in buildings have been linked to changes in building construction practices during the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Some of these changes have resulted in buildings that are tightly sealed, but may lack adequate ventilation, potentially leading to moisture buildup.

mold danger sign

Building materials, such as drywall, may not allow moisture to escape easily. Moisture problems may include roof leaks, landscaping or gutters that direct water into or under the building, and unvented combustion appliances. Delayed maintenance or insufficient maintenance are also associated with moisture problems in schools and large buildings. Moisture problems in portable classrooms and other temporary structures have frequently been associated with mold problems.

Because common building materials are capable of sustaining mold growth, and mold spores are ubiquitous, mold growth in an indoor environment is typically related to an indoor water or moisture problem. Leaky roofs, building maintenance problems, or indoor plumbing problems can lead to mold growth inside homes, schools, or office buildings. Another common source of mold growth is flooding.

Although molds grow on organic matter everywhere in nature, their presence is only visible to the naked eye where conditions allow mold colonies to grow. In man-made environments, humidity and temperature are often stable enough to foster the growth of mold colonies, commonly seen as a downy or furry coating growing on food or surfaces. Thus buildings, being stable environments, enable mold proliferation.

For significant mold growth to occur, there must be a source of water (which could be invisible humidity), a source of food, and a substrate capable of sustaining growth.

Common building materials, such as plywood, drywall, furring strips, carpets, and carpet padding are food for molds. In carpet, invisible dust is the food source (see also dust mites). After a single incident of water damage occurs in a building, molds grow inside walls and then become dormant until a subsequent incident of high humidity; this illustrates how mold can appear to be a sudden problem, long after a previous flood or water incident that did not produce a mold-related problem. The right conditions re-activate mold.

Studies also show that mycotoxin levels are perceptibly higher in buildings that have once had a water incident. Mold colonies can grow inside building structures. The main problem with the presence of mold in buildings is the inhalation of mycotoxins. Molds may produce an identifiable smell. Growth is fostered by moisture. After a flood or major leak, mycotoxin levels are higher in the building even after it has dried out.

Food sources for molds in buildings include cellulose-based materials, such as wood, cardboard, and the paper facing on both sides of drywall, and all other kinds of organic matter, such as soap, dust and fabrics. Carpet contains dust made of organic matter such as skin cells. If a house has mold, the moisture may be from the basement or crawl space, a leaking roof, or a leak in plumbing pipes behind the walls. Insufficient ventilation can further enable moisture build-up. The more people in a space, the more humidity builds up. This is from normal breathing and perspiring.

Visible mold colonies may form where ventilation is poorest, and on perimeter walls, because they are coolest, thus closest to the dew point. Air conditioning-heating equipment and duct mold problems.

IMPORTANT OZONE WARNING: Do not use an Ozone Air Purifier/Ozone Generator to attempt to kill mold. Ozone is ineffective in killing mold, since it can only kill what it comes into contact with. Ozone cannot get at, and thus cannot kill, mold growing INSIDE or BEHIND drywall, wall, carpeting, upholstered furniture, wall cavities, ceiling cavities, and floor cavities. Besides being ineffective at killing hidden mold (the worst problem to deal with), a high ozone treatment can easily damage all rubber and plastic parts it comes into contact with such as rubber and plastic components of appliances, electronics of all types, exposed electric lines and extension courts, and hvac (heating, ventilating, & air conditioning) controls.

Ozone is also unhealthy to humans according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which specifically discourages the use of ozone for mold remediation. For more information on the ineffectiveness of Ozone and the Ozone Air Purifier to kill mold and other indoor air contaminant, read the highly-informative U.S. Federal Appeals court decision: Federal Trade Commission and the Court of Appeals.