Dr Jackson Kung'u- Mold Specialist

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Dr. Jackson Kung’u (PhD)- Mold Specialist.
Phone: 905-290-9101
Mobile: 437-556-0254

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Culturing of indoor mold

Question: I have a question concerning mold in a home that will be put up for sale. There was a general test for mold done and we were told we had a high level of Aspergillus/Penicillium but not what type of either of these. After doing some research we realized that this did not tell us if we had one of the more toxic varieties or not and are wondering if we could get these cultured to determine the type of these we had. The test done was an air sample. The count in one area of the home was 4,960 spores per cubic meter of air. Please advise as to the best course to follow for culture.

Answer: For the purpose of selling the house, you possibly don’t need to culture the mold to know whether it’s toxic or not. All molds are a potential health hazard and should not be allowed to grow in buildings occupied by people. I would suggest you get a professional to thoroughly check for any hidden mold and/or water issues that require to be corrected.
 
Culturing of indoor mold is only necessary if you want to determine the specific types of molds present in the air (and if still viable). Although culturing is also recommended in situations where occupants complain of ill health which they suspect to be associated with mold, it does not prove that the mold is the cause of the sickness.

Can this be mold?

Question: My parents are in their 60s and they both suffer from a chronic cough. My Dad has asthma, diabetes, has had a heart bypass and while otherwise well now – he now suffers from a chronic chough and frequent chest infections (unrelated to colds). My Mum, – cannot get rid of a chronic chough that she has had for over a year. My Dad sees a cardiologist, an internist and is currently seeking help from a pulmonary specialist. He has had numerous tests and they can’t find anything. His asthma is under control but he still has this cough and coughs up stuff several times a day.
 
I have seen mold in their home. They had a leak in their roof a year ago and didn’t know it for awhile – then had it patched. I am fairly certain there is mold throughout areas of their home. My sister moved in with her young children and all 3 of them now have this chronic cough.
When I spend time there, I end up clearing my throat all of the time due to an irritation.
 
Can this be mold? They don’t believe me that they could have a mold problem – but I have a feeling that is what it is.

How can they get their home tested?

Answer: It’s possible that mold could be the cause. The best way to find out if mold is a possible cause is to test for airborne spores to check whether the spore counts in the house is excessively high. If it turns out that mold may not be an issue, then other possible indoor pollutants could be tested.

Unique Mold Training Course

A Unique Mold Training Course

The primary objective of the mold training course is to provide course participants with skills and background information to enable them Recognize Indoor Mold, Design Effective Sampling Strategies, Interpret Laboratory Results and Understand the Current Mold Guidelines.
Mold Training Course Materials
The MBL Mold Training Course provides insight into the causes of mould growth and control, the most important indoor moulds, including important species of Penicillium, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Trichoderma, Cladosporium, Mucor, Rhizopus, Alternaria and Scopulariopsis and also mycotoxins that may occur in an indoor environment.

Participants will learn in detail the methods used to investigate mould growth in buildings, types of samples as well as how to interpret laboratory results. The mold course provides a basic understanding of the biology of moulds.

If you have been considering attending a similar course, don’t delay in registering as we have limited spaces! Click Booking Calendar to book for the course.

Results Of Tapelift Samples

When Laboratory Results Make No Sense

Use of tapelift sampling is a perfect method to determine the type of mould growing on a substrate, say on a wall, ceiling and other flat surfaces. Since the mould sticks on the tape with it’s structures intact, identification of most moulds is possible to genus if not species. Results from a tape sample are generally a listing of the identified moulds in a ranking order.

Due to lack of standardized methods labs tend to report analytical results of tape samples in different ways. Below are a few examples:

Laboratory 1:

  • Cladosporium sp- Heavy growth
  • Penicillium sp- Moderate growth
  • Ulocladium sp- Slight growth
  • Stachybotrys sp (a few spores)

Laboratory 2:

  • Cladosporium sp- Major
  • Penicillium sp- Minor
  • Ulocladium sp- Trace
  • Stachybotrys sp- trace

Laboratory 3:

  • Spores, conidiophores and hyphae of Cladosporium detected
  • Spores, conidiophores and hyphae of Penicillium detected
  • Spores, conidiohores, and hyphae of Ulocladium detected
  • Spores of Stachybotrys detected

Which of these lab results would be useful to a mould investigator? The only common factor in these results is that the 3 labs have identified the same types of mould. The additional information they have provided is rather subjective and/or confusing and hence of little if any practical use to a mould investigator.

One great disadvantage of tape sample is that the area analysed is very small. Unless one has taken hundreds of tape samples, trying to apply results of one or two tape samples to the whole building is a big mistake. For example if a lab reports that the growth on the tape was heavy, it’s a big mistake to say there was heavy growth of mould in the building. Visual assessment of the extent and density of mould growth in a building is more reliable and of practical use than the assessment of tape or bulk samples in the laboratory. 

In conclusion, use of tape lift samples as a tool for mould investigation should be limited to determining the type of mould present on a specific surface.

Testing Carpets For Mold

Carpets are reservoirs of health hazard particulates including mold spores, dust mites, and animal hair. These particulates are allergenic to some people when inhaled. Mold spores are very tiny and easily become airborne when the carpet is disturbed as people walk in the house or when the carpet is being cleaned.

Cleaning the carpet with a good vacuum cleaner on regular basis significantly reduces the number of settled mold spores and other particulates. In fact there is no need to test carpets for mold if they are well maintained.

Carpets can be tested for:

  • Settled mold spores
  • Mold growth.

To test a carpet for settled spores a dust sample is required. Dust can be collected from an area of 1 square meter. It’s important to ensure that enough dust is collected to enable the laboratory perform both culture analysis and direct microscopic examination of the dust.  

When is it necessary to test a carpet for mold growth? You can test a carpet for mold growth following water damage if the carpet was not completely dried within 48 hours. This test may involve cutting a piece of carpet from the affected area and sending it to the laboratory for testing.