jeff posted on February 01, 2010 06:28
Mould in the USA has become a major issue with regard to health and liability issues especially post flood event where poor remediation protocol invariably leads to litigation.
In the UK, the health and structural effects of mould have typically been ignored, despite the fact that much of the research regarding health issues from exposure was undertaken in Europe.
This may in part be due to the fact that many of the population grew up with mould in their living environment and “It didn’t do me any harm”. This may or may not be true but what is absolutely clear is that the mould historically and generally recognised in Europe is not the typical “Toxic” species of concern today.
Toxic mould is almost a misnomer as all mould is allergenic and will have varying health effects on individuals subject to exposure levels and physical health and immune system. This reluctance to recognise the problems associated with mould has resulted in the design and construction of mould factories by the construction industry. The exponential use of paper, chalk, tape and sealers in the construction industry coupled to the increasing legal requirement to improve insulation and reduce running costs(carbon emissions) means that buildings have become tight boxes with no means to ventilate out the naturally occurring moisture produced by typical living or working conditions.
Without adequate ventilation or removal of the moisture source, generally accepted as up to 20 litres per day for a family of 4, the chalk in plasterboard adsorbs it and encourages mould growth on the cellulose facing paper. The recent increase in requests for forensic examination coupled to recognised associated health problems leaves me in no doubt that the problems generally caused by poor construction detail is epidemic. and generally affects new build or renovated properties.
Decontamination techniques invariably follow industry and recognised standards which require total removal and replacement of all contaminated soft or porous materials and usually follows asbestos type controls, making decontamination exceptionally expensive. A new development in economic and effective mould decontamination has evolved, based on the technology to decontaminate WMDs weapons of mass destruction, this adapted technology can eliminate the need for intrusive soft demolition but can provide complete eradication of both viable and non viable spores and mycotoxins.