Do you have a testing laboratory that is flexible to your needs and can offer guidance?
When you need your samples tested, we believe you shouldn’t have to wait. If you’re looking for a testing laboratory that can guide you through the test results, then you will want to watch this important three minute presentation from MBL.
3-Minute Video: Click To Watch!
So, are you handling a mould remediation project for a large commercial building and have to do mould sampling? Or, is it that you have mould in your home? May be you panicked, picked up the phone or maybe Googled “mould problems” and find your search results full of all different kinds of mould photos and it becomes a little bit more confusing because you don’t know what type of mould you’re dealing with. Or maybe you are a home inspector or a contractor and your clients have come across mould issues?
Well, whichever is the case, ultimately, what you will need is a laboratory to analyze your mould samples. You may need to know just the type of mould that is on your bathroom ceiling or you may just want to know the mould spore counts in your air samples.
And when it comes to choosing a laboratory for your analytical needs, there are certain factors that you must consider. While there are lots of labs – local, just around the corner or out of the country labs (maybe in the USA), and labs that will charge you unbelievably low prices, you must ask yourself – is this the right lab for my mould samples? Do I get quality results for my mould samples? Do I get help with understanding the test results?
If your answers to the following questions are positive, chances are that you have selected the right one.
Does your Lab follow Proficiency Testing or is it Accredited?
Proficiency Testing is a special quality assurance program that enables laboratories to monitor their performance and compare their results against similar laboratories. Unknown fungal culture samples are sent to the lab for identification. Correct results indicate successful rating and the laboratory is rated as proficient in fungal analysis.
Accreditation means a public certification by a recognized body indicating that the lab meets quality standards of that particular agency for accreditation. In North America, AIHA – American Industrial Hygiene Association and CAEAL/CALA – Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation offer both proficiency testing and accreditation for fungal analyses. Before being accredited, the lab has to be rated proficient.
Laboratories following any of the above –mentioned programs ensure that standard analytical procedures are followed in a standard laboratory setting and that the analysis is performed by qualified personnel. This means you are assured of the quality of your analytical results.
Does the lab have QA/QC departments?
The QA (Quality Assurance) and QC (Quality Control) departments are the backbone of any microbiology laboratory. All the procedures that the lab follows – right from the point of submission till the issuing of results – will be handled according to protocols. And all these protocols are documented in what is called a QA/QC Manual. The Lab Management ensures that all the critical functions beginning from sample receipt, sample logging, analysis, reporting and data archiving are done according to standard operating procedures (SOP). This means your samples are recorded and stored well in case you need to retrieve them. The analysis is performed by well trained analysts and reports are reviewed with considerable expertise. Your company data or reports data are all retrievable and stored confidentially.
Does the lab provide you assistance with results interpretation?
The reports issued by such labs generally state a method of analysis in a an easy to understand manner and this gives you an idea of how your mould samples are being analyzed. The results section will state a summary of findings. This means you get to know the names of moulds in your samples and a short explanation on them. For your air samples, you may get ready computed data on the mould spore counts and types. Your lab should be able to explain to you what the counts mean and what does the presence of certain mould spores indicate. Your lab should be able to provide you a formal presentable document or report of analysis.
So now you know what to ask your lab when you want to get your mould samples analyzed. If you have some queries, please feel free to browse our web-site www.moldbacteria.com or call 905-290-9101.
Watch this 3-minute video from MBL.
Article by: Sneha Panchal, M.Sc., Senior Microbiologist, MBL Inc.
Edited by: Dr. Jackson Kung’u, Principal Microbiologist, MBL Inc.
References:
Bradley P, Weekes Donald, Miller D. Recognition, Evaluation and Control of Indoor Mould. American Industrial Hygiene Association. 2008.
Penicillium aurantiogriseum is frequently isolated from feeds and food since it’s common in maturing crops, especially cereals. It is a producer of a number of mycotoxins. These include:
The health effects of these mycotoxins has not been reported.
The growth temperature for Penicillium aurentiogriseum ranges from 15-40 oC with an optimum temperature at 25 oC.
References
Pitt, J.l. (1988). “A Laboratory Guide to Common Penicillium Species”. 2nd ed. North Ryde, N.S.W.: CSIRO Division of Food Processing.
When it comes to indoor mold, “Black Mold” is one of the most searched phrases on Google, Yahoo and MSN. According to the SEO Book Keyword Suggestion Tool, daily total search for “black mold” from Google, Yahoo and MSN is about 710 and if we include all phrases that contain the phrase “black mold”, the total daily search from the 3 search engines comes to about 1700.
But what is “Black Mold”? It refers to a mold known by the scientific name as Stachybotrys chartarum. It is not the only mold that appears black. Stachybotrys species thrive well on wet cellulose containing materials. Since it requires extremely wet conditions to grow, it’s one of the molds used as indicators of moisture damage.
Scientists generally agree that exposure to damp, moldy home and workplace environments has serious health effects. However, clear causal relationship between individual or groups of mold and ill health is yet to be established. However, despite lack of proven evidence, the detection of Stachybotrys in the indoor environment has led to fear and panic and subsquent closure of office buildings and schools, and even burning of houses and household belongings in some situations.
Stachybotrys was first associated with a toxic response in horses in Eastern Europe and the Ukraine in the 1930s. Horses consuming contaminated straw or hay showed shock, dermal necrosis, leukopenia (a decrease in the white blood cell count), nervous disorders, and death. What fueled the fear for Stachybotrys was an outbreak, between 1993 and 1998, of idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage (bleeding of lungs) in the Cleveland, Ohio, area where 37 infants were affected (see Infant Pulmonary Hemorrhage in a Suburban Home with Water Damage and Mold (Stachybotrys atra) ). An investigation led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention originally linked the outbreak to household exposure to Stachybotrys chartarum, and other molds (see Overview of Investigations into Pulmonary Hemorrhage among Infants in Cleveland, Ohio).
Most of the symptoms attributed to black mold still remain controversial since none of them has scientifically been proven. These symptoms include:
People spend around 80 and 90% of their time in indoor environments (office, school, home, etc) and there is increased awareness of the potential health effects of indoor biological contaminants such as bacteria. Therefore, when considering work or indoor living conditions, the air quality requires special attention.
In indoor environments, biological contaminants are often found in areas that provide conducive conditions for microbial growth. These include damp or wet areas such as cooling coils, humidifiers, condensate pans, draperies, bedding, carpet, and other areas where dust collects.
Bacteria are an important component of indoor biological contaminants. Some of them are pathogenic (that’s they are capable of causing disease) and are involved in respiratory diseases. If the environmental and nutritional conditions are favourable bacteria can colonize and grow on many surfaces (including standing water) from where they and their by-products can become airborne. A number of diverse activities can result in the dispersion and generation of bacterial aerosols indoors, for example, the operation of heating-ventilation-air conditioning systems, hot water systems and water spray devices.
Health Effects Associated With Indoor Bacteria
There are several health effects associated with exposures to bacterial aerosols. Some of them include irritative and nonspecific respiratory symptoms, respiratory infections, and allergic reactions such as alveolitis and chronic bronchitis.
Some of the infectious bacteria include Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Legionella pneumophila, Bacillus anthracis. These bacteria cause pulmonary tuberculosis, legionellosis (Legionnaire’s disease) and anthrax respectively. Infection is primarily through inhalation.
Bacteria As Causes Of Bioderioration
Bacteria are rarely thought of as biodeterioration agents. However, they are involved in biodeterioration of various types of materials. Bacillus sp, Nitrosomonas sp, Nocardia sp and Streptomyces are involved in biodeterioration of diverse materials in several regions. They cause physical damage and some are capable of producing acids that cause biochemical deterioration.
Conclusion
In general, several microorganisms including bacteria are present in indoor environments. They can contaminate indoor air and pose health risks especially when certain species are present or when they are in high numbers. Apart from the health effects microorganisms have the ability to cause damage to materials they are growing on.
