FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS WITH IRV - ENV. SCIENTIST Irv Kraut is the resident Environmental Scientist here at The Mold Pros. Irv, a certified industrial hygienist, has been published by the EPA, the American Chemistry Society, and The Orlando Journal of Medicine for his knowledge of environmental hygiene. Throughout his career he has assessed hundreds of properties to determine bacterial and fungal contaminant sources.
Question’s Irv Often Gets Asked...
“Something is going on inside my home, can you test for mold?”
Testing alone will not tell us everything. An inspection will lead us to the source of contaminants and that is of critical importance. Sampling is part of thorough inspections that are important to finding the source and can be important to finding out more information for physicians and for our company to treat the environment and your body.
“Could my air conditioning system be the problem?”
Absolutely, the HVAC is the lungs of the home. A contaminated air conditioning system may introduce various contaminates including mold, bacteria, and viruses into the indoor environment. Understanding if the HVAC is contaminated is of critical importance as decontaminating an HVAC system can limit or eliminate the continuing spread of microorganisms.
“My AC system stopped running for several months, could that be a problem?”
In any climate where a lack of air conditioning could raise the relative humidity to over 50%, the possibility of xerophilic molds (dry loving molds) such as aspergillus may readily sporulate (reproduce) at an alarming rate and overwhelm the indoor environment. This is referred to as a humidity or mold bloom. In such cases, most areas of the indoor environment may become contaminated. This includes: furniture, counter tops, bedding, clothing, floors, walls, and ceilings.
“Does a musty odor mean that I have a problem?”
In most cases the musty odor, or MVOC, reflects recent or ongoing mold growth and is an early indicator of a problem. People with a mold illness may react quickly in such an environment with a rapid onset of symptoms.
“Can I use bleach to kill mold?”
While many common disinfectants like bleach could kill molds, they are often hazardous to the occupants, whereas green products such as enzymes are more effective and do not leave unhealthy residues behind.
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