How Employers and
Commercial Landlords Can Maintain a Mold-Safe Workplace
February 7, 2005 — By Phillip
Fry
VANCOUVER, CANADA. Exposure
to workplace mold infestation can cause serious health problems for
employees, customers, and visitors, according to DangerBusters, a
worldwide environmental inspection, testing, remediation, and training
firm.
Employers, commercial
landlords, and employees in Canada, the USA, and worldwide should suspect
a mold health threat if any of these three mold warnings occur in the
workplace---
(1) Visible mold growth
appears on or in ceilings, walls, floors, heating/cooling ducts and
registers, attic, basement/crawl space, and/or on furniture, equipment,
and inventory of raw materials or finished products.
(2) Workers or customers
report experiencing any of the most common, possible mold health symptoms:
allergies, asthma, bleeding lungs, breathing difficulties, central nervous
system problems, recurring colds, coughing (chronic), coughing up blood,
dandruff problems (chronic) that don't go away despite use of
anti-dandruff shampoos, dermatitis, skin rashes, diarrhea, and/or:
Eye and vision problems,
fatigue (chronic, excessive, or continued) and/or general malaise, flu
symptoms (chronic), sudden hair loss, headaches, hemorrhagic pneumonitis,
hives, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, irritability, itching (of the nose,
mouth, eyes, throat, skin, or any other area), kidney failure, learning
difficulties or mental functioning problems or personality changes, memory
loss or memory difficulties, and/or:
Open skin sores and
lacerations, peripheral nervous system effects, redness of the sclera
(white of your eyes), runny nose (rhinitis) or thick, green slime coming
out of nose (from sinus cavities), seizures, sinus congestion, sinus
problems, and chronic sinusitis, skin redness, sleep disorders, sneezing
fits, sore throat, tremors (shaking), verbal dysfunction (trouble in
speaking), vertigo (feelings of dizziness, lightheadedness, faintness, and
unsteadiness), and vomiting.
People differ significantly
in their sensitivity and reaction to mold exposure. Consequently, there
are no federal standards or recommendations, (e.g., OSHA, NIOSH, and EPA)
for airborne concentrations of mold or mold spores in the workplace. Even
the smell of mold can make some workers sick.
Thus, if only one or a few
workers or customers experience one or more possible mold health symptoms,
the employer or landlord should still inspect and mold test the work
premises for the health protection of both the mold-sensitive employees
and others who may ultimately be harmed from time-cumulative mold
exposure.
(3) Workplace mold
inspection and testing discover elevated levels of indoor mold in the air,
on visible surfaces, or hidden inside walls, ceilings, floors, the
heating/cooling equipment and ducts, the attic, or the basement/crawl
space.
"All molds have the
potential to cause health effects. Molds can produce allergens that can
trigger allergic reactions or even asthma attacks in people allergic to
mold. Others are known to produce potent toxins and/or irritants,”
according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.).
As to asthma, a health
study by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health links adult-onset
asthma to workplace mold exposure. “The present (health study) results
provide new evidence of the relation between workplace exposure to indoor
molds and development of asthma in adulthood. Our findings suggest that
indoor mold problems constitute an important occupational health hazard.”
The Finnish workplace mold
study estimated that the percentage of adult-onset asthma attributable to
workplace mold exposure to be 35%. (Reported in Environmental Health
Perspectives, May, 2002)
Furthermore, a number of
commonly found indoor mold species are, in fact, toxic mold, a description
applied to any mold that produces mycotoxins in its spores. Stachybotrys
("black mold"), Aspergillus, and Penicillium are three of the most
dangerous indoor toxic molds.
Mycotoxins are cytoxic,
meaning they have the capacity to pass through the human cellular wall and
disrupt certain cellular processes---potentially causing serious health
damage to workers and customers.
What should employees do?
”If you see or smell mold, or if you or others are experiencing
mold-related symptoms, report it so the problem can be investigated. You
may need to tell your employer, supervisor, health and safety officer,
union representative, or school board. Find out whether co-workers are
experiencing any [mold-related] symptoms,” recommends the California
Department of Health Services.
What should companies and
property managers do for mold prevention, maintenance, and remediation?
Step 1 is to conduct periodic and thorough physical inspections of the
workplace for evidence of water and mold problems---whether visible or
hidden.
For effective mold
inspection and testing, the employer or property owner should hire a
certified mold inspector, environmental hygienist, or industrial
hygienist. Alternatively and less expensive, utilize mold test kits for
all-around mold testing.
The inspector or hygienist
will collect samples of all visible mold growths, mold test the air of
each room and area of the employer’s facility, and obtain mold laboratory
analysis and mold species identification and quantification of the
collected mold and air samples.
The most common
mold-causing water problems are roof leaks, siding leaks, plumbing line
leaks, sewer line breaks, a wet crawl space or basement, flooding, and
high humidity. Finding and fixing the underlying water problem are always
required for successful mold remediation.
For step 2, follow the U.S.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommendation that
the employer and the building owner should notify workers in the affected
area (s) of the presence of mold in their workplace.
Notification should include
a description of the proposed remedial measures and a timetable for
completion. Group meetings held before and after remediation with full
disclosure of plans and results can be an effective communication
mechanism.
Individuals with persistent
health problems that might be related to mold exposure should be
encouraged to visit their physicians for a referral to practitioners who
are trained in occupational/environmental medicine or related specialties
and are knowledgeable about medical mold diagnostic and treatment
procedures.
Step 3 is for the employer
or landlord to do safe and effective mold killing, mold removal, and mold
remediation of all mold growths and of all airborne and surface-deposited
mold spores. After the completion of mold remediation, the workplace needs
to pass “clearance tests” to be safe for employees and customers.
For more information about
mold prevention, inspection, testing, and remediation techniques, please
visit---
http://www.moldinspector.com
http://www.certifiedmoldinspectors.com
http://www.mold.ph
http://www.envirosurf.com
http://www.epa.gov
http://www.osha.gov
Contact: Phillip Fry, author
Phone: 011-63-921-352-1287
Email:
moldinspector@yahoo.com |
