I have been appointed to carry out post project verification after a mould removal in a large property. A contractor has been appointed to thoroughly clean and decontaminate all internal areas of this property. The overall objectives were to reduce fungal spore level in the internal areas to normal conditions and remove any dust debris [...]
Mould removal principles
Mould remediation (removal) can be a complex task involving cooperation of refurbishment contractors, decontamination contractors, client, loss adjusters and indoor air quality consultants. Because each remediation project is different variety of remediation methods may be used during one project. No one method is suitable for all situations which is particularly true for large and complex [...]
Mycotoxins – Introduction
Fungi produce a whole range of chemical compounds during normal metabolic processes which are generally classed as primary and secondary metabolites. The secondary metabolites consists of a large group of chemicals compounds (over 400 have been identified so far) with various effects on animals, bacteria and plants. The common mane of all of these chemicals [...]
Dust and indoor air quality
Generally the levels of dust are not a problem in the indoor environment unless a close source is present in close vicinity. In this case I have been invited to investigate the indoor air quality in an office building located in an industrial part of the city. The indoor air quality in the building was not bad as [...]
Mould in basement
Basements are particularly sensitive to mould contamination due to water penetration though the walls. Basements have not been designed to accommodate people but were usually used for storage of materials, fuels and the odd items. In recent years the number basements converted into flats or good storage areas have been steadily rising. Many challenges have [...]
Second opinion mould inspection
Tenant – landlord relationships can sometimes escalate into serious disagreements ending up in the layers office. This week I have completed a project where moulds and mould contamination has been blamed for deterioration of tenants’ health thus warranting braking of the tenancy agreement. The tenants in this case obviously concerned with mould have appointed a [...]
Mould inspection reporting – what it should contain
The purpose of a typical mould inspection is to identify mould related health hazards in the property, identify the root causes of mould contamination and to evaluate whether indoor air quality is satisfactory. Adequate mould inspection consists of several parts which are closely connected and without which the inspection would not be complete. Each mould [...]
Deep clean of soft furnishing – Clean verification
Evaluate cleanliness of a particular area or an item can be sometimes very difficult and daunting task. More so, if the items to be evaluated are complex and constructed from porous materials. There are virtually no guidelines on what is considered to be clean and what not, with the rare exception of industrial clean rooms, [...]
Mould clean verification after service leak
Under some unfortunate circumstances properties can suffer from a catastrophic failure of building services which can results in destruction of finishes and contents as well. I have recently completed a project where such catastrophic failure occurred. Relatively minor leak of a bathroom pipe has resulted in flooding of wall cavities with water. The significanly elevated [...]
Penetrating Damp – Mould Removal
Failures in building envelope often result in water penetration through the building construction. Water penetration into the indoor areas may not be always directly visible but can manifest itself through development of mould. In my recent investigation I have encounter such a case. Cracking of the external render has resulted in water penetration through the [...]