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About-Mold | Health-Effects | Mold Outbreak | Detection-of-Mold | Clean-up-Procedures | Useful-Publication
DETECTION OF MOLD
How can I tell if I have mold problems in my house?
If you can see mold, or if there is an earthy or musty
odor, you can assume you have a mold problem. Allergic individuals may
experience the symptoms listed above. Look for previous water damage.
Visible mold growth is found underneath materials where water has damaged
surfaces, or behind walls. Look for discoloration and leaching from
plaster.
Should I test my home for mold problems?
The California Department of Health Services does not
recommend testing as the first step to determine if you have a mold
problem. Reliable sampling for mold can be
expensive, and requires equipment not available to the general public.
Residents of individual private homes must pay a contractor to carry out
such sampling, as it is not usually done by public health agencies. Mold
cleanup is usually considered one of the housekeeping tasks of the private
citizen, along with roof and plumbing repairs, sweeping and house
cleaning.
Another
mold problems is that there are few available
standards for judging what is an acceptable quantity of mold. In
all locations, there is some outdoor levels of molds. If sampling is
carried out, an outdoor air sample needs to be taken at the same time as
the sample indoors, to provide a baseline measurement. Since the
susceptibility of individuals varies so greatly, sampling is at best a
general guide. The simplest approach is: if you can see or smell mold,
you have a problem. Once you know the problem exists, follow the
procedure given next.
Unless the source of moisture is removed and the
contaminated area is cleaned and disinfected, mold growth is likely to
reoccur.
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