ECOH News

Mould Awareness, Remediation & Prevention Webinar: January 27, 2021

Presented by Rob Fernandes, CIH

February 1, 2021

ECOH’s webinar highlighted a variety of topics related to mould, especially the health and safety of building occupants. Rob Fernandes explored the causes of mould in indoor environments, potential health effects, the steps for conducting mould investigations and remediation, and best practices to prevent mould growth.

How can ECOH help?

ECOH is committed to providing excellent and timely services to assist you in assessing and investigating potential mould growth and creating remediation plans. If required, we deploy our experienced team to:

· Conduct water damage assessments;

· Perform inspections to identify conditions conducive to mould growth;

· Assess and sample mould in response to:

– Employee and tenant concerns

– Leaks

– Floods

– Sewage contamination

· Use a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods to determine mould type and growth, where required;

· Perform designated substances surveys prior to mould abatement;

· Design remedial scope of work/specifications for safe mould removal;

· Perform inspections and air sampling during abatement;

· Design and implement infection control measures; and

· Develop site-specific recommendations to mitigate the potential for future mould growth.

Webinar Q&A

Thank you to all who attended our webinar. Some fantastic questions were asked in our Q&A session:

Mould Health Effects

· Are there some mould types that are more hazardous than others, and if so, which ones?

· Are health effects possible after prolonged exposure to mould even if a person has little or no symptoms?

Mould Assessment

· Are hyphal fragments in air samples indicative of an active mould issue? If so, what levels of these fragments would indicate an issue?

Mould Cleaning and Remediation

· Is it safe to use bleach to clean mould?

· Is there a biological, natural control for mould?

· If not bleach to clean black mould on windows, how about rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, dish soap or Pine Sol?

· Given how dusty dry-ice blasting is, how do you ensure that you are not making a bigger mess?

· There is a mould control product that lists trisodium phosphate and sodium carbonate as active ingredients. What are your thoughts on that?

Mould and Building Design and Humidification

· Are you familiar with smart air barriers [to reduce condensation and potential mould growth]?

· Dehumidifiers and operable windows can prevent environmental conditions conducive to mould growth, correct?

· Can humidifiers in the home be a source of mould growth. Do you recommend against using them in the home?

For answers to these questions access a PDF copy of the Mould Awareness, Remediation & Prevention webinar slide deck using the link below. You can also watch the full webinar recording at the top of the page.

If you have any further questions, please contact us via email.