Home inspection interview

Mold Testing

With over 20 years of experience, we provide mold inspection and mold testing services to residential and commercial clients at reasonable rates. As a NY state-licensed company, we offer next-day service with guaranteed mold test results. Call us today!

We serve New York City, Brooklyn, Long Island, Queens, Bronx, Westchester, and other areas in the NYC tri-state region. We assist homeowners, property managers, hospitals, attorneys, insurance companies, schools, and healthcare professionals by providing residential and commercial mold inspection and testing services to evaluate water damage and mold growth in homes and workplaces.

To ensure accurate mold test results, only New York State accredited laboratories are used to analyze samples that are collected during inspections.

Our mold inspection reports include mold remediation protocols, as mandated by NY State law, guiding remediation contractors on the necessary work.

We also conduct follow-up clearance inspections once other contractors complete the mold remediation work.

SCOPE OF OUR MOLD INSPECTIONS

1. Evaluate levels of musty and mold-growth-related odors.
2. Identify surfaces displaying water damage and mold growth conditions.
3. Take air samples for laboratory analysis as may be necessary to determine if indoor air quality is being affected mold growth conditions.
4. Take surface/bulk samples for laboratory analysis to evaluate/document mold growth as may be necessary.
5. Take moisture measurements and evaluate water damage sources (eg. rainwater intrusion, plumbing leaks, condensation) in areas displaying water damage or that are susceptible to becoming wet.
6. Develop a mold remediation plan based upon the observations and test results.
7. Recommend corrective actions or further evaluation by an architect/engineer/plumber as may be necessary.
8. Provide a verbal report of any preliminary findings at the time of the inspection. The written report is issued within a few days of our receiving all laboratory results (turn around time for lab results is two to three days).

MOISTURE & MOLD

Moisture Meter Mold Test
Pin-probe Moisture Meter
Air Testing on Airplane
Air Testing for Mold on an Airplane

Water Damage & Moisture Intrusion

Based on the reported history of water damage and moisture intrusion in your home or office, we will take moisture measurement reading of the affected floors, walls, and ceilings to evaluate whether ongoing moisture intrusion problems exist that require further evaluation.

 

Excessive moisture in building materials can cause mold to grow, which may occur inside wall and ceiling cavities or beneath floors. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have conclusively determined that living or working in damp indoor environments causes respiratory problems, including sinusitis, wheezing, and excessive coughing.

Mold Air Testing

Airborne mold sampling for laboratory analysis is performed by NY state licensed Mold Assessors to evaluate levels of airborne mold spores to determine whether there may be an exposure health risk to you or your family.

Laboratory results are interpreted by comparing indoor levels to outdoor levels. In relative terms, if the indoor air contains significantly higher levels of any molds related to water damage conditions or occupant health complaints (“marker fungi”) than are present in the outdoor air, then appropriate action should be taken to identify and remediate the underlying mold growth problem(s). The primary “marker fungi” are Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Stachybotrys.

Visit our FAQ's page if you would like further information.

Hidden Mold Testing

During our mold inspections, surface mold samples may be collected to evaluate whether molds are growing on the surfaces of the walls, ceilings, and/or floors that could potentially adversely affect indoor air quality. Samples are sent to an accredited laboratory, where microscopic examination of the sample is performed by laboratory personnel to identify all of the viable and non-viable mold spore types that are present in the samples.

mold inspection and mold on a blower
Surface Mold on an AC Schematic
Mold Testing NYC
Hidden Mold Inside a Wall Cavity

Hidden mold growth conditions often exist beneath wood floors or inside walls that measure wet or that have sustained water damage. Moisture measurements can be taken using a hand-held moisture meter, which can often uncover hidden mold growth conditions, especially in basements, where wood floors and carpets are often installed directly over moist concrete floor slabs.

Call Angstrom Testing Services to have a mold Inspector perform a mold assessment in your home by performing a visual inspection, evaluating odors, taking moisture measurements, and by taking airborne mold samples to evaluate whether hidden mold growth conditions may be present.

The Institute of Medicine & World Health Organization - Mold & Health

In 2004, the Institute of Medicine stated in its report entitled Damp Indoor Spaces and Health that there is sufficient evidence of an association between exposure to mold and other agents in damp indoor environments and upper respiratory tract symptoms, coughing, wheezing, asthma symptoms (in sensitized individuals with asthma), hypersensitivity pneumonitis (in susceptible persons), respiratory infections and fungus-related illnesses (in immuno-compromised persons), and colonization and potential lung infection in individuals with chronic pulmonary disorders.

The World Health Organization stated in its report entitled Dampness and Mould (2009) that “There is sufficient epidemiological evidence of associations between dampness or mould and asthma development, asthma exacerbation, current asthma, respiratory infections, upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, wheeze and dyspnoea.”

SURFACE DUST TESTING

E.R.M.I.

To evaluate the mold burden in a home, the EPA developed a test/tool (the ERMI/ Environmental Relative Moldiness Index).

The test involves collecting a settled dust sample and determining the number of mold spore equivalents (SE) of 26 water-damage-related molds and 10 common molds per milligram of dust using mold-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (MSQPCR), a highly specific DNA-based laboratory analysis method for quantifying mold species. Then, the ratio of water-damage-related molds to common molds in the sample is calculated using a simple algorithm to produce an ERMI score or value. ERMI scores typically range from -10 and +20.

The ERMI score of the test sample is then compared to a national database of ERMI values that were obtained from 1,096 homes across the U.S. as part of a 2006 HUD American Healthy Home Survey to evaluate the mold burden.

To evaluate the mold burden in a room, Angstrom Testing Services can collect (microvac) a composite settled dust sample from the horizontal surfaces of the furniture/furnishings throughout the room for laboratory analysis (by quantitative polymerase chain reaction) to evaluate levels (in spore equivalents per square centimeter; SE/cm2) of fungi (mold) in settled dust. By comparing the ERMI score for the room to the national database, we can conclude whether there had been or is a mold problem in the room.

Please contact Angstrom Testing Services if you would like to discuss further.

Mold Spores in Carpets

Airborne mold spores settle and accumulated on the floors and other horizontal surfaces over time. Sources of airborne mold spores include visible and hidden mold growth on surfaces indoors and the outdoor air, which enters homes and apartments through open windows and doors. Therefore, it is essential to periodically HEPA vacuum and damp wipe floors and furniture/furnishings to keep mold spore concentrations in settled dust deposits at low levels.

In carpets however, mold spores settle and accumulate deep in the carpet weave, despite recurrent vacuuming. When carpets become wet during a water intrusion event or during periods of high prolonged humidity, mold spore levels (and levels of bacteria) increase exponentially. Wet cleaning methods, even when anti-microbial disinfectant cleaners are used, also cause levels of mold spores to drastically increase.

When carpets are disturbed, dust containing elevated levels of mold spores and bacteria inside the carpet is unavoidably plumed into the air. This airborne mold spore- and bacteria-laden dust can cause allergy-like symptoms in sensitive individuals. Asthmatics may also experience respiratory distress if significant quantities of airborne dust from the carpet are inhaled.

Samples of dust may be collected from carpets and cultured during laboratory analysis to evaluate levels of mold spores and bacteria in the carpet. If levels of mold and bacteria are substantially higher than background levels, the carpets should be disposed of.

Please call Angstrom Testing Services at 516-724-4574 if you would like us to test the dust in the carpets in your house or apartment to evaluate levels of mold spores and bacteria in the carpets, especially if you are experience upper respiratory problems and recurrent sinus and throat infections. There may be an association between your adverse health symptoms and the presence of elevated levels of mold spores and bacteria in your carpets. Mold testing NYC, Long Island, Westchester

SERVICE AREAS

Serving NYC, Nassau & Suffolk Counties, Long Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx,
Staten Island, Manhattan, Eastern New Jersey, & Southern Connecticut
Mold Testing NYC, Mold Testing Long Island, Mold Testing Brooklyn,
Mold Testing Westchester