Mold Scam
# 1: Mold Inspectors Who Do Mold Removal
The worst perpetrators of mold scams are
"mold inspectors" who are also in the mold remediation
business (mold removal). Mold remediation is a very
profitable business. Many mold removal contractors use mold
inspections as a means to drum up expensive remediation jobs
for themselves. This is a very common scam that works almost
every time because most consumers don't know enough to about
mold to realize when they're being bamboozled. Engaging in
both mold inspections and mold remediation is a serious
conflict of interest and the potential for corruption
(fraudulently creating thousands of dollars in bogus repairs
work) is tremendous.
How To Avoid It:
Mold inspectors should never profit from what they find.
The best way to avoid this mold scam is to hire an inspector
who is not in the remediation business. That's the only way
to ensure an unbiased inspection report.
Mold
Scam # 2: Free Post-Remediation Clearance Testing
The final step in the mold removal process is
a post-remediation survey done to verify and document that
the remediation was in fact successful. The survey should be
done before any re-construction work begins so the inspector
can visually see that there is no mold left on the remediated materials. Many mold remediation contractors
offer "FREE" post-remediation clearance testing. Clearance
testing is vital to the mold remediation process. Insurance
companies, mortgage lenders and prospective buyers of your
property in the future will want to see written confirmation
that the mold issue was resolved. Post-remediation clearance
testing should never be performed by a mold removal
contractor waiting to get paid for his work. With thousands
of dollars on the line, it is highly unlikely that a
contractor will fail his own work.
How To Avoid It:
The way to avoid this scam is the same as Mold Scam #1.
Have you post-remediation survey and clearance test
performed by an Certified Mold Inspector who does not work
for your remediation contractor.
Mold Scam # 3: Encapsulating Fungal Growth
Encapsulation is a trade term used by certain mold remediation
contractors. The goal of encapsulation is to essentially
glue any remaining mold in place to prevent the release of
spores. This is possible to do and may even be the preferred
(or the only realistic or economic)
method of choice is some cases. However, if you have fixed
the water problem, dried the remediated materials and
removed all of the mold growth, encapsulation should not be
necessary. As a rule, encapsulation is not an acceptable
stand-alone solution for a successful remediation project.
For prevention purposes, there are now proven treatment
products that work to prevent the return of mold to the
newly installed building materials ? these are not
encapsulants as they are not designed to cover the mold.
Deciding To Encapsulate:
In the remediation process, contractors will scrape,
sand, grind, and wire brush as much mold as they can from
salvageable construction materials such as studs, ceiling
and floor joists. At some point they determine that they
have removed as much mold growth as possible for the amount
of money they are charging you. At that point, if your
contractor is confident in his work, he will inform you that
your project is ready for a post-remediation survey and
clearance test. If they are not completely confident that
the job will pass a post-remediation air test, often times
they will spray a sealant (or encapsulate) over the
construction materials inside the containment area. There
are four reasons why contractors decide to encapsulate:
The Legitimate Reasons:
- He suspects that there may
still be traces of mold left in areas that cannot be
accessed without major demolition and encapsulating those
areas will inhibit spore release.
- He suspects there is a
possibility that moisture is still a factor in or around the remediated area and, as a precautionary measure, he wants to
apply a water seal treatment to the salvaged materials to
protect them from that moisture.
- There are contractors who process their work to exemplary
levels and then apply ?shields? for future prevention
purposes ? these contractors will allow for testing at the
client?s discretion as they normally pass whether at the end
of remediation or after applying their final step products.
The Scam Reason:
His work is sub-standard. He
simply did a bad job of remediation the mold and to hide his
poor workmanship, he uses encapsulation (usually a solid
color) to "paint over" it.
How To Tell the Difference:
When encapsulation is done properly by a responsible
remediation contractor, the encapsulant product should
always be clear so that a third-party Inspector can visually
see the remediated materials in this post-remediation survey
and confirm that no mold growth remains. When encapsulation
is done to cover up a bad job, the contractor will use a
solid color encapsulant product (typically red or white) to
hide whatever mold they left behind, making it impossible
for the Inspector to verify that all mold has been removed.
Some unscrupulous contractors try to encapsualte with KILZ,
which is just a stain killing paint with absolutely no
anti-microbial properties or ability to encapsulate mold
spores. Some actually use regular paint which insidiously
provides additional moisture in support of the underlying
mold issue ? worsening an already costly situation.
How To Avoid It:
Before your remediation contractor begins, ask him if he
intends to use an encapsulant and, if so, insist that
whatever product he uses must dry clear. No solid color
encapsulates and no KILZ. Secondly, before your contractor
applies an encapsulant, ask him to take you into the
containment area (the work area) and explain to you why he
believes encapsulation is necessary. This is different than
a professional contractor who has performed the necessary
remediation and then applies a preventive shield ? ask about
their warranty coverage to uncover any suspect disclaimers
or restrictive limits of liability.
Tips on Encapsulation:
Before encapsulation can be considered:
- Whatever water problem that occurred which led to mold
growth must be corrected and unlikely to occur again. Mold
will grow on encapsulating materials if the get wet.
- All mold growth has been removed from surfaces where it
is possible to remove it. Encapsulating is not an
alternative to mold removal.
- The substrate or surfaces to be encapsulated must be
completely dry. Otherwise mold will grow right through the encapsulant.
- Encapsulating mold growth may not be safe or an adequate
safeguard where immunocompromised people live.
- Encapsulating should be considerably less expensive than
actually removing all of the mold contaminated materials.
Encapsulation is not a permanent fix. Completely removing
all of the contaminated material is always best.
- Encapsulants are very limited in their effectiveness and
should not be confused with anti-microbial bonding agents
that work specifically to deny mold spores the ability to
grow by separating them from their food sources.
Encapsulants, by their nature and design, leave mold spores
in place on their food sources and are not effective in
inhibiting future growth and damage.
Mold
Scam # 4: Off-Site Sampling
Off-site sampling is the most blatant form of
deliberate mold fraud. It is a scam often perpetuated by
mold inspectors who are either in the remediation business
themselves or receive referral fees from remediation
contractors. It works like this: The inspector has a private
shed where he stores construction materials such as drywall.
The materials are periodically sprayed with water and left
inside the shed where mold is allowed to grow rampant.
Before coming to your property, the inspector collects
samples from the shed that are sure to have very high counts
of dangerous molds and then passes them off as your samples.
After frightening you with the alarming results, he then
urges you to take immediate action, which of course includes
remediation, either by him or a contractor he is in cahoots
with. The result is tens of thousands of dollars in mold
remediation that never needed to be done.
How To Avoid It:
The best way to avoid this scam is to avoid using mold
inspectors who are also in the remediation business. Another
safeguard against off-site sampling is to ask your inspector
to show you the sampling media he uses at your property. Air
sampling media such as spore traps have a unique serial
number printed on the by the manufacturer to identify the
location from where the sample was collected. The location
and the serial number should be written on a Chain of
Custody form and sent to an AIHA EMLAP accredited
laboratory* for analysis. Ask you inspector to show you the
sampling media serial numbers and confirm that the same
numbers are written on the chain of custody. When you get
you lab results from the lab, make sure the same serial
numbers on the documents match the numbers on the sampling
media and the chain of custody. Most inspectors do not
supply the client with a copy of the chain of custody, so
you may have to write the serial numbers down yourself, but
a little bit of writing is worth the peace of mind. Some
sampling media, such as tape, swabs and dust collectors, are
not marked with serial numbers, which is fine, but make sure
your inspector writes an identifying mark on the media and
that the same mark is written on the Chain of Custody to
identify it's origin.
*AIHA's EMLAP accredited laboratories specialize in analysis
of microorganisms commonly detected in air, fluids and bulk
samples, as part of IAQ investigations. The AIHA
accreditation program is a rigorous, thorough and lengthy
process involving all operations and personnel of the
accredited site.
Mold
Scam # 5: Using Heat to Remediate Mold
Some contractors claim that applying heat to
a structure is an effective way to remediate mold. This is a
bogus claim. While mold can be killed by heat, as can every
other living organism, there is no evidence to support the
notion that heat treating a house will kill all the mold,
not will heat destroy all of the allergens and irritants
that are associated with mold growth.
Killing Mold Is Not the Same as Remediating Mold:
The goal of remediation is not to "kill" mold, it is to
remove it. If mold is not removed, it has not been
remediated - it is still in your house. The only good news
about dead mold is that it stops eating the construction
materials in your home. But mold spores, whether viable or
non-viable (alive or dead) still have the same harmful
effects on humans and animals.
The small amount of research that has been done with the
current heat treatment technologies has been done only in
laboratories. Even if killing mold was the goal of
remediation (and it is not), but even it was, there is no
documentation available that supports any claim that
whole-house heat treatments actually kills hidden mold. In
fact, some studies indicate that hidden growth inside walls
is still culturable (alive) after heat treatment.
Traditional Drying Methods Are Best:
Heat treatment technologies can help dry out a structure
and slow mold growth, provided sufficient ventilation is
factored into the process into remove the water vapor
resulting from the heat. However, in the final analysis,
traditional methods of drying, such as dehumidifiers and
fans, will also dry out a building without subjecting the
entire structure to the thermal stress that heat treatments
cause.
How To Avoid It:
If you want to avoid exposure to molds that can effect
your health, you must physically remove all mold growth
(dead or alive) inside your building. If mold is not
removed, it has not been remediated, and could return if
moisture from humidity or water intrusion ever reoccurs. The
best way to avoid this scam is with a standard remediation
protocol that involves the actual removal of mold growth.
Mold
Scam # 6: Ozone Generators
Many sellers of ozone generators have jumped on the mold
bandwagon. Resellers and dealers of ozone generators make
false statements about the ability of ozone air purifiers to
kill mold. It is not true. False advertisements of ozone
devices often use misleading terms such as "energized
oxygen" and "pure air" suggesting that ozone is a healthy
kind of oxygen. The fact is, ozone is a toxic gas with
vastly different chemical and toxicological properties from
oxygen. Claims that ozone generators sold as air purifiers
are effective at controlling indoor air pollution are simply
not true.
Several federal agencies have established health standards
or recommendations to limit human exposure to ozone. The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established an
ozone level of .05 ppm (parts per million) as the maximum
level allowable in an enclosed spaces. Relatively low
amounts of ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness
of breath, and, throat irritation. Ozone may also worsen
chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and compromise
the ability of the body to fight respiratory infections.
Exercise during exposure to ozone causes a greater amount of
ozone to be inhaled, and increases the risk of harmful
respiratory effects (US EPA, 1996a, 1996b).
Some manufacturers and resellers of Ozone Generators sold as
air purifiers claim that these products help to control
mold. According to the Environmental Protection Agency,
however, (EPA) these products may very well add to indoor
air pollution and even make indoor mold conditions worse.
The EPA web site states that:
- available scientific evidence shows that ozone has little
potential to remove indoor air contaminants
- ozone is not effective at removing viruses, bacteria,
mold, or other biological pollutants
- ozone is not even effective at removing odor-causing
chemicals.
In fact, results from controlled studies show that some
ozone generators produce unsafe concentrations of ozone even
when a user follows the manufacturer?s operating
instructions.
Buyer Beware:
Beware of misleading advertising claims stating of implying
that a particular brand of ozone generator is "EPA
APPROVED". Several brands of ozone generators have EPA
establishment numbers on their packaging. This number helps
EPA identify the specific facility that produces the
product.
THE DISPLAY OF THIS NUMBER DOES NOT
IMPLY EPA ENDORSEMENT OR SUGGEST IN ANY WAY THAT EPA HAS
FOUND THE PRODUCT TO BE EITHER SAFE OR EFFECTIVE.
The EPA does not certify air cleaning devices, recommend air
cleaning devices or endorse manufacturers of air cleaning
devices. For more information from the EPA regarding the use
or effectiveness of ozone generators, please visit their web
site at:
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html
Mold
Scam # 87: Insurance Scams
It's hard to imagine insurance companies doing anything
improper or unethical. But like any company in business to
make money, what is proper or improper, ethical or
unethical, right or wrong, is not defined by moral absolutes
or standards. It is defined by legal technicalities.
Fairness, integrity, and conscience are nice words to
flaunt. But the bottom line is always comes down to profit
margins, not nice words.
Here are some profit-driven business practices of insurance
companies to look out for. (DISCLAIMER: Not ALL insurances
companies)
1. Hiring only "preferred" inspectors and remediators who
are loyal to the insurance companies (not the insured) and
who will not look too hard for mold.
2. Requiring preferred testers to restrict the air flow of
their sampling pump to purposely lower the spore count in
air samples.
3. Requiring the inspector to inspect only, and not sample.
How To Avoid It:
The best way to avoid getting one-sided mold information is
to hire your own professionals. More unbiased reporting,
hire a mold inspector certified by the American Indoor Air
Quality Council (AmIACQ). For proper mold removal, hire a
mold remediation contractor trained by the Institute of
Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC).
For reconstructing your project after remediation, hire a
professional licensed by the Contractors State License
Board.
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