Example Inspection Report

Work #: 202028

Reason for inspection:

• Client lives in a small apartment where a plumbing line from the unit above burst and flooded their unit. Client was concerned about how well the dry-out was handled and requested Environix to inspect and make any additional recommendations.
  It should be noted that the building manager was present during the inspection and both observed the inspection and was made aware of all remaining areas where moisture was discovered.

Summary of concerns:

• Significant portions of ceiling remained wet at the time of inspection. These locations were primarily limited to the spare bedroom and a section of the living room ceiling.
• Elevated moisture levels were noted in wallboard behind kitchen cabinets.
• Kitchen cabinets were not removed in the drying process. This severely limits the effectiveness of the dry-out and could lead to conditions condusive to mold growth.
• Bedroom side of kitchen/bedroom partition wall still remained wet.

Summary of recommendations:

• Recommend removal of all remaining wet sheetrock to facilitate effective dry-out.
• Strongly recommend removal of kitchen cabinets from wall to dry-out sheetrock and cabinetry.
• Recommend final indoor air quality clearance testing once dry-out has been verified.

Property Description:

• Two bedroom appartment located on the second floor.
• RH:41 % Temp: 65°F CO2: 629 ppm CO: 0 ppm

HVAC & Filtration:

No Abnormal Findings

• Standard electric cadet style heaters located in each room of the home.

Recommendations:

• None

Location: Kitchen

Summary: Abnormal Conditions Found!

Observations:

• Elevated moisture levels of between 80% and 99% were noted in sheetrock on exterior wall above and to the sides of window.
• Elevated moisture levels of between extend around corner and over sliding glass door.
• No remaining areas of elevated moisture levels were noted in the ceiling of the kitchen.
• Elevated moisture levels of above 90% were found in sheetrock that extended behind kitchen cabinets.
• Cabinets were not removed from wall at the time of inspection.
• Elevated moisture levels of 75% – 99% were noted in the back wall of the lower cabinets.
• No visible mold growth was observed at the time of inspection.

Recommendations:

• Recommend removal of kitchen cabinets from wall to allow for adequate dry out and removal of affected sheetrock.
• Recommend removal of all sheetrock that was identified as having moisture levels of above 20% moisture by content.
• Recommend removal of all wet insulation
• Recommend rebuilding only once underlying framing reaches below 20% moisture content.

Location: Spare Bedroom

Summary: Abnormal Conditions Found!

Observations:

• Significant areas of wet sheetrock were found on partition wall between bedroom and kitchen. (see above photos)
• Numerous locations were found where elevated moisture levels of above 75% were discovered in the ceiling of bedroom.
• Thermal imaging was used to map out the wet locations in the ceiling and wall.
• Water damage was beginning to show on partition wall.
• Elevated moisture levels of above 75% were found in sheetrock of exterior wall.
• No significant mold growth observed at the time of inspection.
• Section of high moisture content was also found inside the closet ceiling.

Recommendations:

• Recommend removal of all wet sheetrock from ceiling and partition wall.
• Recommend removal of any wet insulation still remaining inside the wall / ceiling cavities.
• Ensure all underlying framing is below 20% moisture content prior to rebuild.

Location: Living Room

Summary: Abnormal Conditions Found!

Observations:

• Increased moisture noted in ceiling extending out from sliding glass door.
• Elevated moisture levels above 65% were noted in wall above sliding glass door.
• No other locations of elevated moisture levels were noted in living room.
• Wet locations of carpeting had been removed at this time.
• No significant mold growth observed.

Recommendations:

• Recommend removal of remaining wet sections of sheetrock in the ceiling and above and to the right of the sliding glass door.
• Recommend removal of any wet insulation fromc ceiling and/or wall cavities.
• Recommend all underlying framing be below 20% prior to rebuild.

Location: Master Bedroom.

Summary: No Abnormal Findings

Observations:

• No areas of concern noted from flooding incident.
• No increased moisture content noted in building materials.
• No suspicious temperature differentials found with thermal imaging.
• No obvious signs of water damage noted.
• No significant mold growth observed.

Recommendations:

• None

Location: Master Bathroom

Summary: No Abnormal Findings

Observations:

• No areas of concern noted from flooding incident.
• Ventilation fan was present but was noisy and inefficient at removing relative humidity from the room.
• No increased moisture content noted in building materials.
• No suspicious temperature differentials found with thermal imaging.
• No obvious signs of water damage noted.
• No significant mold growth observed.

Recommendations:

• Recommend installing a Panasonic Whisper Green ventilation fan inside each bathroom to assist in removing relative humidity from inside the building.

Location: Hall Bathroom

Summary: No Abnormal Findings

Observations:

• No areas of concern noted from flooding incident.
• Ventilation fan was present but was noisy and inefficient at removing relative humidity from the room.
• No increased moisture content noted in building materials.
• No suspicious temperature differentials found with thermal imaging.
• No obvious signs of water damage noted.
• No significant mold growth observed.

Recommendations:

• Recommend installing a Panasonic Whisper Green ventilation fan inside each bathroom to assist in removing relative humidity from inside the building.

Laboratory Results

Individually, the following types of mold spores were identified in your samples.
*results shown in spores/m3

Species	Threshold	Sample 1 Upstairs
Alterneria:	310
Ascospores:	5400	53
Basidiospores:	20000	53
Botrytis:
Chaetomium:	120	120
Cladosporium:	5900	1200
Epicoccum:	290
Nigrospora:	240
Penicillium/Aspergillus:	2600	960
Pithomyces:
Rusts:	290
Smuts, Periconia, Myxomycetes:	850	40
Stachybotrys:	460
Ulocladium:		680

Analysis of Your Results

• Probable Amplification: At least one of the fungi tested was collected at levels above the threshold, indicating a site of probable mold amplification and growth.
• Based upon the conditions noted inside the home, the levels of airborne mold are consistant with a flooding event of this nature.
• Based on EMLab data, the fungi in question reaches these levels in outside control samples less than 2.5% of the time. Please refer to the attached report for more detailed information.
• It is recommended that a final indoor air quality test be conducted inside the unit once all wet/moldy materials have been removed and/or remediated and the home has been made ready for occupancy again.

Additional Sampling:

• Tape Lift:
• Bulk Sample:

Interpreting Your Laboratory Results

Though toxic molds have received significant media attention lately, little is yet known of their interaction with the human body. The most common reaction we feel comes from an allergic response to airborne spores. This occurs when our body produces histamines in a response to mold spores entering our bodies, in the same way grass pollens can bring about sneezing and congestion. Toxic molds, on the other hand, are still a matter of contentious debate among the scientific and medical community.

Thus it is important to interpret your laboratory results with caution, recognizing that every day our bodies come in contact with toxic mold spores. We are looking for levels elevated beyond our natural environment.

The following is a brief description of the terms commonly found in your report:

Volume (m) Volume is provided in cubic meters. 5 minutes at 15 liters per minute yields 75 liters, or .075 cubic meters.

Result: This column expresses the spore count per cubic meter, useful when comparing samples with different quantities measured. Also can be used to extrapolate total counts in a given space.

Limitations:

Please note that while air sampling is a useful tool for identifying probable sites of mold growth, the number and type of samples collected during routine investigations is not sufficient to provide statistically significant data. Therefore we cannot depend on the results of air sampling alone to determine a site of abnormal mold growth. Additionally sampling can be performed to provide statistically significant data. However, due to the high cost of obtaining this data, Please contact your Environix technician for more information.

Please refer to your Environmental Microbiology Laboratory (EMLab) report for a detailed explanation of additional terms.

Air Samples:

No government guidelines currently exist for determining threshold limit values of mold airborne mold concentrations. Individual contractors and organizations must establish their own criteria for determining the presence of indoor mold amplification. Our criteria is based on the Typical Outdoor Data by Location as provided by EMLab.

The following criteria is used to determine the presence of an elevated number of indoor mold spores.

The indoor sample must be elevated beyond the 97.5% range for the average ‘high’ spore count for the type of mold in question. Aspergillus/Penicillium, for example, reaches a ‘high’ reading at 2,600 spores/m3. Therefore, an indoor sample is considered elevated and statistically significant if the number of Aspergillus/Penicillium spores is greater than 2,600 spores/m3.