Fungal Contamination in Public Buildings: Health Effects and Investigation Methods

3. Investigation of Fungal Contamination of the Non-Industrial Workplace (Continued)

Some of the following hyperlinks are to sites of organizations or other entities that are not subject to the  Official Languages Act. The material found there is therefore in the language(s) used by the sites in question.

3.5 Conclusion

The guidance offered above on remediation and inspection emphasizes the need to use investigators who are qualified and experienced in this aspect of engineering and industrial hygiene. Because there is considerable variation in construction methods used and in climates across Canada, such investigations cannot be standardized in detail.

The guidance on mold sampling has emphasized that sampling is often a necessary part of investigation for public buildings and less useful for house dwellings.⁹ Sampling should be done by qualified and experienced investigators using laboratories with demonstrated proficiency.

As noted in most current documents concerning mold in buildings, prevention is key. Prompt attention to condensation and water leaks in the building fabric, and wet building materials (resulting from plumbing or other causes, such as flood or storm damage) will eliminate the growth of mold and prevent the increase of other contami nants, such as house dust mites in the built environment. Such preventive actions are relatively inexpensive compared to the costs associated with remediation of mold problems in buildings. The value of prevention appears even more obvious when one takes into account health problems that may be avoided.

---

⁹ CMHC has posted a discussion of the merits of mold sampling in single family dwellings on its Web site: http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca