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TruPro Remediation Service Group is an industry leader in mold remediation and mold removal, servicing the greater Mid-Atlantic region. We provide a common sense approach to removing, killing, and treating mold that provides for safe and efficient remediation of the problem in a cost-effective manner. TruPro holds certifications from the IAQ Council, the only accredited certifying body in the mold and indoor air quality arena and has vast experience in both the residential and commercial sectors.

What is Mold?

Mold Assessment

Mold Testing

Mold Remediation

What is Mold? 

Mold is a particular type of fungi.  Mold’s primary purpose is to decompose cellulose types of materials like trees, leaves or plants.  Molds are naturally occurring in just about any environment and are very resilient. 

Mold needs three main things to survive: a Food Source, Oxygen and Moisture.  If mold cannot get one of these three main necessities, it will normally go dormant and not die.  It acts like a seed awaiting the right conditions and then will grow.

Since mold is so effective at decaying wood and the like, it should not be found growing within our homes.  Normal mold (or what we call Normal Fungal Ecology) exists when our interior levels of mold are approximately the same as the exterior levels and no visible mold growth is found.  When visible mold growth is found, typically our interior air levels rise and cause adverse affects to humans or pets.  Molds reproduce by releasing spores into the air.  Much like pollen, these spores float through the air and can then be breathed into our bodies, or land on our skin and thus can cause an allergic reaction. 

Some molds compete against each other for food and resources and will emit toxins into the air to kill other molds.  These toxins are currently being studied on their effects on humans and animals.  Immediate effects are pulmonary and skin related.  If you suspect your home has mold, a professional inspection including a Moisture Intrusion Evaluation is strongly recommended.  The key to eliminating mold is tracking the moisture and eliminating the moisture.

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Mold Assessment

The basic goals of any mold investigation are always twofold: 1) find the locations of mold growth, and 2) determine the sources of the cause of the mold growth.

The first step in an assessment is to assess the structure as a whole.  Visual observations of the exterior grading, guttering and extensions, ventilation of the home, foundation areas, and the like are all taken into account.  A visual inspection of the interior follows by inspecting the attic, windows, bathrooms, kitchen and interior foundation areas.

Once mold is found or suspected within a home, the inspector will further evaluate those areas.  Using tools like a Hygrometer (relative humidity gage) or a moisture meter, the inspector can sometimes reconstruct how the mold grew. 

These methods are considered to be non-intrusive and only give a general picture of the actual mold within the dwelling.  Sometimes more intrusive methods are needed to assess the level of mold contamination. This would include moving furniture, lifting and/or removing carpets, checking behind wallpaper or paneling, checking in ventilation duct work, opening and exposing wall cavities, etc.

Careful detailed visual inspection and recognition of moldy odors are used to find problems needing correction. Efforts focus on areas where there are signs of liquid moisture or water vapor (humidity) or where moisture problems are suspected. The investigation aims to locate indoor mold growth to determine how to correct the moisture problem and remove contamination safely and effectively.

Mold Testing

In most cases, a proper test should be conducted to find the extent or area(s) of contamination. Mold tests are usually requested when fungus is seen growing within the structure. However, mold testing performed without a detailed site assessment can be misleading. Good testing properly represents the indoor air quality and surface environment of mold within the structure and is evaluated in the context of the site assessment. Testing can be misleading if conducted or reported improperly. Test Samples, both surface (swab, tape, carpet) and air (air-o-cell, micro-5, impaction) should always be compared to a baseline using the exact same type of sample. A baseline shows or represents what is normal for a given home or structure. There are other minor testing parameters, but generally speaking when the above is conducted a proper comparison can be made.

Post remediation testing is performed in order to verify that the remediation was completed successfully and is based on predetermined guidelines. In cases where remediation was performed in unoccupied space, such as attics and crawl spaces, cross-contamination post remediation testing is performed within the living space.

Mold Remediation

 Eliminating the mold from growing can only be done by eliminating one of mold’s main three concerns; Oxygen, Food and Moisture.

The purpose of the clean-up process is to eliminate the mold and fungal growth and to remove contaminated materials. As a general rule, simply killing the mold with a biocide or other cleaning agent is not enough. The mold and contaminated materials and furnishings must be removed since the spores, which cause a reaction in humans, are still present even in dead mold. Various techniques are implemented during the remediation process depending on the level of contamination:

Containment and Air Scrubbing – Before a mold remediation is started, setting up barriers to contain the mold in a specific area of the home is crucial to eliminating the mold effectively.  The best way to accomplish this is with a negative air machine with a HEPA filter that scrubs the air.  The machine is hooked to a hose that forces air through it, through the filter thus eliminating the mold, and then expels the clean air in an exterior environment.  The removal of a volume of air from the contained space creates a negative pressure that keeps all suspended solids like Mold Spores within that area, thus not spreading the mold.

Vacuum -Wet vacuum cleaners are designed to remove water from floors, carpets and other hard surfaces where water has accumulated.

Damp Wipe - Damp wipe is the removal of mold from non-porous surfaces by wiping or scrubbing with a moldicide or fungicide cleaner. It can be used on surfaces various surface types including metal, glass, hardwood, plastics, and concrete.

HEPA Vacuum - High Efficiency Particulate Air filtered vacuum cleaners are used in the final cleanup of remediation areas after materials have been thoroughly dried and all contaminated materials have been removed. HEPA vacuum cleaners are also recommended for the cleanup of the outside areas surrounding the remediation area.

Anti-Microbial Sealant - This is a special paint mixed with an anti-microbial agent that will inhibit mold growth.  The sealant can come in clear or white.

What is Mold?  

Molds are particular types of fungi.  Fungi are a distinct and unique group of organisms that are classified into an individual kingdom (the highest level of classification).  There are five (5) kingdoms:

1. Animals
2. Plants
3. Portozoa
4. Fungi
5. Bacteria

Some scientists also recognize a 6^th kingdom, Viruses.

The trend of grouping like and unlike organisms continues beyond the level of kingdoms, each of which is subdivided into smaller groups: 

• Phyla (sometimes called divisions)
• Classes
• Orders
• Families
• Genera
• Species

Each level of classification is used to indicate the things the organisms have in common with others in the same group.  Fungi are similar to both plants and animals.  Fungi and some plants produce spores that serve as a basic reproductive unit for the organism.  Plant cells are bounded by a cell wall composed mainly of cellulose.  Fungi are similar to plants in that they also have a cell wall that contains cellulose; however, in addition to cellulose, the cell walls also contain chitin.  Most fungal walls also contain substances of glucans, which can be toxic to animal cells. 

The presence of chitin is one of the things fungi have in common with animals.  Chitin is also the principal component of the exoskeletons of crustaceans and insects.  Another similarity between fungi and animals is that they are non-photosynthetic, unlike plants.  Plants are able to convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates for food through the process of photosynthesis; however, animals and fungi must find complex carbon in the environment.  Overall, fungi are more similar to animals than to plants. 

Fungi are basically heterotrophic, which means that they have to obtain carbon by breaking down complex sources of organic carbon (unlike “autotrophs” like plants, which can make use of inorganic carbon via photosynthesis).  Fungi that feed on dead materials are “saprophytic”, while fungi that feed on living material are “parasitic”.  Both secrete enzymes that break down materials into a more readily absorbable food source.  Although most fungi need oxygen, some species can be found underwater or in low-oxygen environments.  Fungi also require sufficient quantities of moisture to live.  Every organism grows most readily and survives under different conditions, which it may be said to prefer.  Fungi are no different.[1]  Their main three concerns are Oxygen, Food and Moisture.  When mold gets these three components, they grow.  Continued good conditions allow mold to reproduce and flourish. 

Molds produce tiny spores to reproduce. Mold is naturally occurring in the exterior environment, decaying leaves, fallen trees, etc.  Mold spores waft through the outdoor air continually, and as such will enter our indoor air environments. When mold spores land on damp spots indoors, they may begin growing and digesting whatever they are growing on in order to survive.  Molds can grow on wood, paper, carpet, and foods.  When excessive moisture or water accumulates indoors, mold growth will often occur, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or un-addressed. 

Molds should not be indoors growing on anything, as that constitutes an abnormal condition.  Tracking the moisture can help find out why mold is growing.  Having a professional perform a Moisture Intrusion Evaluation will show what areas of your home can be at risk for mold growth and how to eliminate those risks.  Once the moisture is corrected, the mold needs to be professionally eliminated from the home.  Performing a remediation without proper equipment typically results in cross contamination of other areas, including our own bodies.

Mold Sensitivity

We first must realize that we all react to things in the environment differently.  Therefore, some people are sensitive to molds, where others may not be.  For these sensitive individuals, exposure to molds can cause symptoms such as nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, wheezing, or skin irritation. Some people, such as those with serious allergies to molds, may have more severe reactions. Severe reactions may occur among workers exposed to large amounts of molds in occupational settings, such as farmers working around moldy hay. Severe reactions may include fever and shortness of breath. Some people with chronic lung illnesses, such as obstructive lung disease, may develop mold infections in their lungs. 

We always recommend speaking to a health professional when it pertains to your health.  Your doctor or primary care physician can best assist you and diagnose your symptoms.  TruPro can diagnose a building, provide information on indoor air environments within the structure, but cannot diagnose humans or animals.

Basic Causes of Mold in Indoor Environments 

Water in your home can come from many sources. Water can enter your home by leaking or by seeping through basement floors, from groundwater in the exterior, a sump pump malfunction, or even water pooling against the foundation due to a gutter/drain spout failure.  In addition, interior plumbing can leak, or the humidity from showers or even cooking can add moisture to the air in your home.   

Basements and crawl spaces of homes have particular problems with relative humidity, as they are surrounded on five (5) surfaces by the ground.  The contact with the ground keeps this area cool and moist.  If areas like a basement or crawl space are not conditioned and controlled, high relative humidity conditions can prevail and affect your structure’s building components like joists, floor sheathing, walls and flooring.

Attics can also be and area where mold can grow, primarily due to lack of ventilation within the attic area.  Most people realize the importance of insulating an attic, but few realize that the ventilation of the attic is as important.  If the attic has in-adequate ventilation, the warm air of the home will rise into the attic and be unable to exit this area.  The amount of moisture that the air in your home can hold depends on the temperature of the air. As the temperature goes down, the air is able to hold less moisture. This is why, in cold weather, moisture condenses on cold surfaces (like attic roof sheathing/decking). This moisture provides a perfect situation where mold pollutants to grow.

Moisture problems in commercial buildings can be caused by a variety of conditions, including roof and plumbing leaks, condensation, improper ventilation, flooding, closed area conditions, and excess humidity. Some moisture problems in commercial buildings have been linked to changes in building construction practices during the past twenty to thirty years. These changes have resulted in more tightly sealed buildings that may not allow moisture to escape easily. Moisture problems are also associated with delayed maintenance or insufficient maintenance, due to budget and other constraints. Temporary structures such as trailers and portable classrooms, have frequently been associated with moisture and mold problems.

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