Self-Help Mold Testing

Toxic black mold testing for Stachybotrys or other common fungi can be a self-help activity... but not always. I am available for on-site assistance with a microscope to search out mold and draw up what needs to be done to clean it up safely and to keep it from coming back.

Even folk who plan to do-it-yourself with clean-up can benefit from an on-site in-depth mold inspection. Some advantages of an onsite inspection are:

- There is a better chance to find hidden mold - such as in wall cavities, cabinet, closets, on furniture, in ductwork.

- Surfaces that look clean can be easily tested for mold, if there is an on-site microscope.

- Air sampling provides a different perspective and often results in expanded recommendations for cleaning.

- Remediation recommendations can be tailored for your situation.

- A moisture meter can be used to uncover areas of dampness.

- If you'd like information about an on-site mold assessment, call me at 888-735-9649. Now for self-help testing information:

Gravity plate testing -

the most common test kits.

(What not to do)

Many readers will think about buying a mold test kit and setting it out for an air sample. The typical mold test kits are known as settle plates or gravity plate tests. A settle or gravity plate is a Petri dish with nutrient in the base.

After the top of the Petri dish is removed, floating spores "settle" into the plate and start to grow on the nutrient gel on the bottom. After some days, the mold colonies become visible and can be identified and counted.

This common type of mold test kit is not known for its accuracy. In fact, some of the lightest spores (which are also some of the most important spores) may not settle down for 4-8 hours or more. If you're exposing the Petri dish for one hour, you could miss most of the count for Aspergillus and Penicillium spores.

This type of mold test kit won't work for testing Stachybotrys, the "toxic black mold," for two reasons:

Stachybotrys spores are sticky. They don't become airborne as easily as the spores of other types of mold. That's good news for you, but bad news for air testing.
Stachybotrys prefers food known as CMA (cornmeal agar) rather than the nutrient typically used in prepared Petri dishes (MEA, or malt extract agar). You can't buy prepared CMA Petri dishes without first jumping through some hoops.

Stachybotrys is nevertheless easy to test for. All you need to do is touch some clear, glossy sticky tape to the suspect surface and send the tape to a testing service for examination under a microscope. You can do tape testing for any suspect surface, even without black mold visible. The surface could appear perfectly clean and still have high levels of mold. I do this type of screening for Stachybotrys - $15 for one sample.

You could either go to the website of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, www.aiha.org, to look for a certified microbiology laboratory or you could work with a discount screening surface such as offered by EnviroHealth. If you decide to work with a laboratory found at the IAQA website, then call the laboratory for their instructions on how to sample. The lab I work with is QLab, www.qlabusa.com, info@QLabUSA.com, 1-856-489-0011, Wei Tang, Ph.D., microbiologist.

Stachybotrys spores look like black grapes, and they are just about the only common mold spores that look like black grapes. Feel free to send your samples to EnviroHealth Consulting, and we will be happy to provide timely feedback on the presence or absence of Stachybotrys or other kinds of mold.

Please note: If you require results for legal purposes, you are advised to work with a certified microbiology laboratory. In such a case, you may need to have a 3rd party mold inspector take the samples. Check with your attorney first.

EnviroHealth discount fees:

$15 - 1 tape sample

$25 - 3 tape samples

$50 - 8 tape samples

Optional additional fees:

$25 - if a letter is needed, such as to a landlord.

$50 - if a clean up protocol is requested, based on findings from the tapes.

Our sampling instructions for using the EnviroHealth testing surface:

Purchase a 3/4" roll of Scotch-brand transparent or MultiTask tape. This can be found in any office supply store. Do NOT use Magic Tape or any other kind of Scotch tape. The light from the microscope has to be able to pass easily through the tape, or all I will see will be a cloudy scene. You need to use clear, glossy tape.
Hold the ends of the 3-inch piece of tape with two fingers of one hand. The sticky side of the tape should face away from you.
Touch just the middle (about a half inch) of the tape to the suspect surface.
Fold back one end of the tape to make a small tab (to help staff remove the tape from the plastic).
Lay the piece of tape out flat on the OUTSIDE of a plastic bag. Think of putting a Band-Aid on the bag. The tape needs to stick to the bag. When EnviroHealth staff peels the tape off the bag, the mold spores will stick to the tape, not to the bag. Here are a few "Do Nots":

Do not make a loop of tape and stick the loop on the plastic bag.
Do not place the tape inside the bag.
Do not fold the tape back on itself.
Do not touch the entire length of the tape to the surface being tested.

If you're in doubt about your arrangement of tape with
bag, try to peel off the tape yourself and see if it's easy to do. You can always smooth the tape back on the bag.

Identify where the sample is from. If you are sending several samples, you could number them on one bag and then provide a written list of locations.

Send the bag (or cut off the part of the bag where the tape is) to EnviroHealth, 7104 Red Top Road, Hummelstown, PA 17036, with a check made out to EnviroHealth. Make sure to include your contact information.

Within a few days after receiving the tape, I will let you know if the sample shows toxic black mold or some other kind of mold.

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EnviroHealth Consulting, Inc., 1-888-735-9649

Mold and other environmental inspections available in

Connecticut - Maryland - New Jersey - New York - Pennsylvania - Virginia - Washington DC and other areas

may@createyourhealthyhome.com.

Updated 9-2011