Handling Issues of Environmental Safety

Breathing Easy

By Liz Lent

Our homes are our sanctuaries—the places we go to feel safe. Sometimes, though, problems arise that can  threaten that sense of security. We worry about fire, or intruders or other  common fears, but rarely do we consider environmental contaminants, the things  that may be in our walls or basements or even the air. Thankfully though, there  are ways to deal with those issues and restore that sense of security to the  places we call home. Of all the semi-invisible problems that can plague a multi-family residential  building, the three most common are lead paint, asbestos and mold. Whether  those problems may be present within a building depends on the building itself,  however. 


Read further here at the Cooperator

"A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home"

Table of Contents

Office of Air and Radiation Indoor Environments Division (6609J) EPA 402-K-02-003, 2002

Mold Basics Why is mold growing in my home? Can mold cause health problems? How do I get rid of mold? Mold Cleanup Who should do the cleanup? Mold Cleanup Guidelines What to Wear When Cleaning Moldy Areas How Do I Know When the Remediation or Cleanup is Finished? Moisture and Mold Prevention and Control Tips Actions that will help to reduce humidity Actions that will help prevent condensation Testing or sampling for mold Hidden Mold Cleanup and Biocides Additional Resources PDF Version (PDF, 20 pp, 1.2MB About PDF) Una Breve Guía para el Moho, la Humedad y su Hogar está disponible en el formato PDF (PDF, 20 pp, 796KB About PDF). Documento de la agencia EPA número 402-K-03-008.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Paul Ellringer, PE, CIH, for providing the photo of mold on the back of wallpaper in the Hidden Mold section.  Should you like to use some of the photos used in this guide, higher quality print versions are available in the Mold Gallery.  These photos may be used for presentations and educational purposes without contacting EPA.

Please note that this document presents recommendations.  EPA does not regulate mold or mold spores in indoor air.

Mold Prevention and Building Defects

Homes and commercial buildings are constructed more tightly today than they were several years ago. We see many of these homes in Vail, Singletree, Cordillera and Arrowhead in Edwards, Eagle, Avon and other mountain communities in Colorado.

These structures are frequently built with engineered floor and ceiling joists and oriented strand board (OSB). These engineered building materials are constructed of cellulosic particles held together with adhesives. This type of building product is much more prone to microbial problems than dimensional lumber.

These new building products coupled with more tightly constructed homes can create an attractive environment for mold growth if an uncontrolled moisture source is introduced. Wet building materials during construction as well as snow, ice and rain entering the crawlspace and saturating the soil can wreak havoc on crawlspace framing and sheathing.

If these areas are not identified and properly ventilated and dried out in a very short time frame, the results can be overwhelming. By the time the roof of a new home is dried in there may well be a consistent microbial contamination on the underside of the home’s subfloor sheathing and joists.

It is not uncommon for lumber to arrive at a jobsite with visible mold staining already present. Condensation occurring in improperly vented attics and crawlspaces can lead to the structural decay of rim joists and attic sheathing. Moisture is often trapped where insulation has come in contact with exterior rim joists in crawl spaces.

To prevent mold problems from developing during the construction process it is important to store building materials in a dry place and dry out and ventilate crawlspaces as soon as they are covered with subfloor sheathing. Methods to prevent moisture from becoming trapped in crawlspaces include the installation of sealed vapor barriers and adequate ventilation. Exterior insulation finish systems (EIFS), a modern synthetic stucco type of building system have experienced numerous problems from water intrusions. Mold claims from this type of construction have made it difficult to obtain insurance for homeowners and contractors.

The key to preventing mold problems during and after construction is to aggressively manage moisture intrusion by proper architectural engineering and building designs and construction and maintaining adequate ventilation and dry building envelopes. 

Gary Gilman, President and owner of SteamMaster Restoration and Cleaning is a Certified Microbial Remediation Supervisor. SteamMaster offers mold inspection and remediation, and will provide informed, rational explaination  of your situation, and remediation options. We utilize innovative cryo cleaning, or "dry ice blasting" techniques to effectively clean and remove impregnated mold from structural wood surfaces.