Mould Assessment
Mould can grow indoors behind walls, above ceilings and
underneath flooring. Even though mould is a
natural occurring fungi, mould that grows indoors can
have serious health effects on many people.
There are many mould types that can cause a variety
of symptoms such as skin rashes, nose bleeds, itchy and
watery eyes, breathing difficulties, migraine headaches,
just to name a few. Some moulds are extremely
toxic such as Stachybotrys Chartarum.
Mould needs moisture and a cellulose nutrient source
(drywall, carpeting, fabrics) to grow. If you've
had a water leak or flood that was not cleaned up
properly within 24 - 48 hours of its occurrence, you
could have mould growth. If you have a hidden
plumbing leak, excess condensation or high relative
humidity, you could have mould growth.
Mould growth in buildings is not always visible or
detectable through a visible inspection. The
majority of indoor mould growth issues are hidden inside
walls, behind wall paper, underneath flooring or behind
built-in cabinetry.
Mould does not always produce a musty odor.
Mould growth can occur without any scent or visible
signs noticeable by the homeowner whatsoever.
Indoor mould
testing has just become easier, faster and cheaper with Canada's
first Certified Mould Detection Dog.
We have a valuable tool
in our indoor mould inspection
service. "Quincy" is a three year old yellow
Labrador Retriever that has been professionally trained and
certified to sniff out mould.
You've heard of
bomb detection dogs and drug detection dogs? Now there
are mould detection dogs. There are over 50 Certified
Mould Detection Dogs in the United States and we have Canada's
first!
If you've had roof leaks, basement leaks, plumbing leaks,
high relative humidity or condensation indoors, you could have
a hidden mould problem. 80% of indoor mould issues are
hidden and don't produce odors or visible growth. They
can however, cause a variety of health problems.
The age of the building has no bearing on whether there
could be a mould issue.
Most Indoor Air Quality companies in Canada use the
following technique to determine mould growth in an indoor
environment.
Their Method
- Visual Inspection of the
building for evidence of moisture intrusion and visible
signs of mould growth.
- Moisture Meter to determine
if walls, floors and ceilings show signs of active
moisture problems.
- Viable Laboratory Testing (only)
by way of drawing air (living mould spores) into a petri
dish or testing strip with an agar solution that grows
mould.
Disadvantages
- Difficult to determine location of mould growth.
- Only active mould growth would be detected, inactive or
past mould events would not be detected.
- High possibility of falsely determining that there is no
mould issue in the building.
- Higher cost because the exact location of the mould
still needs to be found once the building is put under
containment.
At Haverkate
& Associates we use the
latest techniques in the industry to determine if a building
has mould growth.
Our Method for Mould Assessments
- Visual Inspection of the
building for evidence of moisture intrusion and visible
signs of mould growth.
- Moisture Meter to determine
if walls, floors and ceilings show signs of active
moisture problems.
- Air Quality Testing to
determine air patterns and relative humidity in the
building which could lead to mould issues.
- Airborne Laser Particle Counter
to determine which areas of the building show the highest
dust load (which could be mould spores)
- MVOC meter (Microbial Volatile
Organic Compounds) to
determine off gassing levels for mould in the indoor
environment.
- Mould Dog Inspection to pin
point areas of the building that have active mould
growth. This will indicate in a non-destructive way
which walls, floors, etc., have mould growth.
- Thermal Imaging to locate
hidden moisture issues inside wall cavities without any
holes, marks or other destructive techniques.
- Viable Laboratory Testing
by way of drawing air (living mould spores) into a petri
dish with an agar solution that will grow active mould
spores.
- Non-Viable Mould Sampling by
way of drawing air (dead mould spores) into a spore trap
which will identify mould spores that have either died,
dried up or have been killed by a biocide.
- Tape lift sampling for
source identification.
(Green indicates optional
procedure for determining what kind of mould is in the
building after mould growth has been found)
Our Advantages
- More precise investigation.
- Able to pin point exact location of active mould
growth.
- Able to locate hidden mould problems.
- Less destructive since walls that do not have growth do
not require opening. Note: opening of any wall must
be done under containment.
- Able to detect viable mould spores as well as non-viable
growth. Non-viable mould spores which are dead or
have been killed by a biocide retain the mycotoxins.
Dead mould spores are just as toxic as live mould spores.
It is essential in a mould investigation to determine both
viable and non-viable spores.
- Faster and Less cost to the homeowner or property
owner.
Marijuana Grow House / Clandestine
Drug Lab
Illegal drug houses and Marijuana grow houses are on the
increase. It is estimated that Toronto may have over
10,000 illegal drug houses. The indoor environmental
hazards in these homes should be tested before moving into one
of these homes.
We also do Marijuana grow house testing and clandestine
drug lab investigations for Toronto and southern
Ontario. If you're buying or selling a marijuana grow
house, have it tested for potential mould problems. Call
us today.
Welcome to our mould and indoor air
quality information
web site. Here you'll find information on mould as well
as indoor mould
testing and mould inspections for the Toronto and southern
Ontario area.
We have Canada's first Certified Mould Detection Dog.
Together with our state-of-the art Indoor Air Quality Testing
instrumentation, our mould K-9 and our expertise, we're
confident we can assist you in your environmental issues in
your home or office.
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