How Environmental Hygienists Find Mold Spores
Once upon a time if you couldn’t see something you generally weren’t worried about it. Today, with the advances in science and technology, we now understand that gases and micro-pollutants in the air – even those that can’t be seen or smelled – can affect our health and well-being. So, air quality can no longer be judged by our senses alone, especially indoors. And one of those invisible micro-pollutants that can affect the quality of inside air is mold.
How Mold Enters the Airstream
Molds are fungi often hidden away in warm, humid corners of your South Carolina home. Although they look stationary, molds have ways of getting into the air and thus into your lungs. To reproduce, they release spores into the air. And if the mold dries out, fragments will break off and attach to existing dust in your air where they can harm both the air quality and your health. Molds can stimulate allergic reactions, and some toxic molds might even weaken your immune system.
How Technology Helps Find Mold
During mold remediation, environmental hygienists test the air during and after mold cleanup to determine how effectively the contaminants are being removed or contained. This is done by using a laser particle counter to determine the number of airborne particles. This device draws in a sample of air, shines a laser light across the air stream inside of it, and electronically counts the particles that cross the path of the beam. In contaminated environments, the number of particles will be very high, but after a thorough cleaning, they’ll be significantly lower.
Laser particle counter measurements show over 99% of the particles floating in indoor air that are one micron (1/1,000,000 of a meter) or smaller. The EPA calls these lung-damaging particles because they can lodge deep in the lungs when inhaled. Although a particle counter can’t differentiate between spores, skin fragments, or cotton fibers, using one can help determine if the property is experiencing a mold problem and can be used for additional quality-control and post-remediation checking.
Certain software allows mold testing companies to enter data from a particle counter and get prompt online results so that you’ll have an answer quickly, instead of having to wait days or weeks for results.
Kingsley Water Damage Restoration Works With Environmental Hygienists
Many of our customers who research mold cleanup, mold removal, or mold remediation services may be surprised to discover Kingsley Water Damage Restoration provides professional mold remediation, cleanup, and removal in South Carolina. After an independent, licensed, and insured environmental hygienist has tested and observed the air in your home or business and a positive report is received, our licensed technicians identify the problem and possible causes, such as water leaks or moisture issues.
Our IICRC Certified technicians follow a systematic and well-planned mold abatement and remediation process to clean up mold and repair your property to your satisfaction. Contact Kingsley Water Damage Restoration today for free on-site estimates for mold removal and remediation in South Carolina.
