Fungi/ Mold Sampling
Any mold or fungi in your home can be potentially hazardous to you or your loved one's health. The consequences range from allergies to asthma to severe pulmonary disease.
Moist or water damaged areas are prime breeding grounds for indoor toxic mold. It is important to get areas of your home or office tested if there has been any water damage, flooding, leaks, or if there is any visible mold growth. Air Assessment, Inc.'s trained professional technicians can thoroughly inspect and test your home to discover the type and extent of mold growth in your home.
Fungal Removal - Start to Finish:
Phase I: Initial Fungal Inspection and Sampling
If you suspect you might have a fungi/mold in your home that is causing you sickness (anything from severe allergies to severe headaches), it is important you have a trained professional visually inspect your home for both water damage (potential unseen fungal growth) and active fungal growth. If a potential problem is discovered, homeowners might consider conducting some fungal air sampling to confirm/negate the presence of an airborne fungal contamination. The air sampling data provides information on the extent of the fungal contamination and the resulting requirements for removing the contamination. For example, if air sampling in a facility confirms a major airborne concentration of Stachybotrys throughout the facility and in the air conditioned air, it is logical to conclude that the carpets, contents of the home, walls, floors, ceilings, and air conditioning system including ductwork all need to be addressed as well as removal of the source (surface sampling confirms the presence of a visible mold growth). On the other had, if air sampling data reveals no 'problematic' genus/species, it is logical to conclude that the carpets, contents of the home, walls, floors, ceilings, and air conditioning system including ductwork do need to be addressed. The source contamination simply needs to be removed (following remedial procedures). Merely removing the source contamination may only be solving half the problem in many cases. Therefore, fungal air sampling may be imperative to determine the entire extent a fungal contamination. Don't get caught only solving only half the problem or spending entirely too much money on a small problem.
Phase II: Site Specific Remediation Protocol
After an initial inspection, a remediation protocol will need to be written for the site specific fungal remediation. Simply knowing the extent of a fungal contamination (Phase I) is only half of what it takes to solve the problem. Therefore, a written plan of action is needed to clearly identify exactly what it is going to take to remove the fungal contamination from the home. All aspects of the the remediation are covered: containment, removal (sheetrock, cabinets, bathtubs, etc), air conditioning, carpets, contents, walls, floor, ceilings, etc. When a protocol is written, Air Assessment, Inc. manages the mold remediation from start to finish. Air Assessment, Inc. personally guarantees the methods described will take care of the fungal contamination and acts as a consultant whenever help or suggestions are needed, available 24 hours a day. Air Assessment, Inc.'s methods are time tested and have been confirmed to work on over 200 mold remediations to date. Air Assessment, Inc. also contracts an engineer/Certified Industrial Hygienist to read and personally back the methods spelled out in the remediation protocol.
Clients have the option to deny a Phase II written protocol. In doing this, clients place all of their trust on a thorough job on the remediation contractors. At this point, Air Assessment, Inc. provides the data and has no responsibility in remediation procedures utilized or the outcome of the remediation.
Phase III: Fungal Remediation
The fungal remediation process is the physical removal of source contamination as well as addressing contents, air conditioning, walls, floors, and ceilings (if applicable). Please see the 'Fungal Remediation' portion of this website for more information.
Phase IV: Post Remediation/ Clearance Testing
Clearance testing is performed after all remediation procedures are complete. Clearance testing is imperative. Clearance testing is the proof that the remediation contractors did exactly what the protocol entailed. More important, clearance testing proves fungal airborne concentrations are "safe to inhabit". This is the documentation you need to have if you ever plan to sell your home. Without this documentation of a successful remediation, selling a home could be difficult. Furthermore, cleaning up airborne spores that you can not see is not easy. Remediation contractors do their best, but in some cases further remedial activities are need after clearance sampling proves indoor air is still contaminated. You can either trust a certified lab and scientific data or you can trust that your contractors did a thorough job....the choice is yours.
Pricing:
The cost to inspect and sample (both surface and air) is all case dependent. It is based on the size of the house, the layout of the house, and what exactly the client wants done. Air Assessment, Inc. can merely visually inspect a property, sample only one area of client concern, take only air or only a surface sample, or conduct a full sampling event. Please call for pricing and we will do everything to accurately quote a price to fit your needs and budget.
Who Are Our Clients?
1) Insurance Companies: Air Assessment, Inc. works with all insurance companies involving mold related claims.
2) Homeowners: Homeowners have visible mold or health problems and want to know if the mold is a problem.
3) Potential Homebuyers: Prior to purchasing homes, homebuyers want to know if the home has a mold problem prior to purchasing that home.
4) Remediation Contractors: Remediation contractors contract Air Assessment, Inc. to perform Phase IV clearance testing on work they have done to ensure the quality of their work.