If you have air sample results for mold testing what does it mean? Are the results good, bad, or normal?

Proper testing for mold is a critical part of the remediation process.

The most common type of testing for mold is air sampling. Your mold testing professional will pump a measured amount of air through a collection cassette. Each cassette is sealed and delivered to a laboratory. The laboratory will analyze each sample and report the results. The report will identify the types of mold and the number of mold spores per cubic meter of air. These mold test results allow you to compare one sample to another. The more air samples you have, the more information you can analyze. A sample of the makeup air is also taken. Control samples are from in the building but outside the contaminated area or they may be taken from outside, or both.

The mold testing guidelines below are recommended by Wonder Makers Environmental of the Restoration Industry Association.

Evaluation Criteria for Mold Cleanup and Testing

Is the area visibly free of mold? If so, you are cleared to proceed.

Visual Inspection

Were the specifications followed? Was the moisture source (water-damaged area) identified and remediated? Were all affected contents and debris found and removed? Is the remediation area white-glove dust free?

Total Spore Concentration

Is the total spore concentration less than 2,000 c/m3 (typical of a normal fungal ecology)? If it is less than 800, go to Step 4.

Comparison to Make-up Air Source

Is the total mold spore concentration on the inside sample below that on the comparison sample? (Comparison sample collected from out-of-doors or inside building but outside work area, depending on the location of the containment entry point.)

Rank/Order Comparison

Is the level of each fungal type (and hyphae) recovered inside less than 100 c/m3 above the level of the same fungal type (and hyphae) in the comparison sample?

Indicator Organisms

Was Aspergillus/Penicillium on the inside sample less than 200 c/m3?

Target Organisms

Was the inside sample free of target fungal types, both counted and observed? (There should be no traces found of Stachybotrys sp., Fusarium sp., Trichoderma sp., Memnoniella sp., or Chaetomium sp.)

Don’t delay; get proper mold testing done today!