Although any mold in elevated levels indoors can cause severe health problems for mold-sensitive occupants, several toxic molds such as Stachybotrys, Aspergillus, and Penicillium pose far greater health risks than others, according to Phillip Fry, Certified Mold Inspector and author of
book Mold Health Guide. Thus, many homeowners, rental property owners, tenants, employers, and employees in Canada,
USA, and worldwide want to know, and need to know,
precise identities of
various mold species infesting their moldy home, apartment, or workplace.
The accurate identification of mold species requires two steps: (1) physical collection of mold samples from
moldy building; and (2) mold laboratory analysis of
collected mold samples.
For
first step, a property owner, manager, tenant, or employee usually hires a certified mold inspector, an industrial hygienist, or an environmental hygienist for mold inspection and collection of mold testing samples, at a typical cost of US $500 to $2,000 for a 2,000 square foot (186 square meters) home.
This inspection and testing fee usually includes mold laboratory analysis and mold species identification for a small number (3 to 10) of collected mold samples.
Alternatively, if
available funds for mold testing and mold lab analysis are low, it is possible to achieve
same accurate mold testing results for just $60 to $200 by using---
(1) inexpensive, transparent, sticky, adhesive tape (“lift tape sampling”), such as Scotch® brand tape, to collect
mold samples; and
(2) a low-cost Asian mold analysis laboratory (e.g., $20 per sample for mold species identification and quantification, compared to
usual $50 to $150 per sample in North America or Europe).
Lift tape sampling and testing is an easy, practically-free (except for
cost of
tape), and an effective way to collect mold test samples when you---
(1) Can see mold growing on a wall, ceiling, floor, carpeting, furniture, heating/cooling duct register, or other surface;
(2) Want to know whether a particular stain, discoloration, or mystery substance on
wall or another surface is actually mold growth; and/or