John Dirks Jr Posted January 22, 2008 Report Posted January 22, 2008 If I choose to mention mold on my website, do you think this link is a good place to direct people for information? http://www.cdc.gov/mold/ I want potential clients to know that I'm aware of the concern of mold. At the same time I would like to avoid all the hype end of the deal. How do you think I should approach this idea?
ozofprev Posted January 22, 2008 Report Posted January 22, 2008 You will have to answer that one for yourself and your company. There are many opinions, but opinions are often emotional and not sound. I think I understand your point. You want to indicate that mold is not some mysterious boogieman that you're afraid to approach, but at the same time you don't want to claim to be an expert. The CDC link is certainly safe for informational purposes. The real question you need to answer is: What do I want to accomplish? Perhaps you want to establish your site as the place for buyers/sellers to go for all of their concerns. Such a goal takes years of hard research to establish - see Daniel Friedman's site. If your goal is less ambitious, then ask yourself what risks there are in adding a mold link. Might someone go to that link and then hire another - less competent - inspector who took a weekend mold course? Might they quiz you on information they find at that link to see just how concerned you are? If you answer their detailed questions, are you then offering yourself as an expert (legal concerns)? Nobody can answer that but you. On my site (long gone), information was provided only for things I was truly qualified to do. I offered my credentials and qualifications to prove competence. Mold was not on that list, although emails with Friedman made me feel it should be. If I were as qualified as he, I wouldn't hesitate to say I am a mold expert - because it's true! Until then, I wouldn't mention mold. You may want to consider becoming an expert in moisture intrusion. That is very relevant to home inspection and accomplishes the goal of mold prevention. With that under your belt, then you could provide a link to the CDC site showing what your skills can help prevent. Good luck with whatever you decide!
SonOfSwamp Posted January 22, 2008 Report Posted January 22, 2008 Some states have mold info on state-run websites. If I were going to include a link to mold info, I'd link to a state-run website. At a state-run agency, a worried homeowner can reach an actual person on the phone, and get a little hand-holding. These days, though, I'm leaning more toward info such as: 1. Find and fix the leak(s). 2. Throw out the wet stuff. 3. Put in new stuff where the wet stuff used to be. WJ
hausdok Posted January 22, 2008 Report Posted January 22, 2008 Originally posted by SonOfSwamp These days, though, I'm leaning more toward info such as: 1. Find and fix the leak(s). 2. Throw out the wet stuff. 3. Put in new stuff where the wet stuff used to be. WJ Hi, That's pretty much what I tell folks. It's an individual thing. I point out that the percentage of people who are actually allergic to mold spore is very small and that if mold were so "toxic" that most everyone living in the western corridor of Washington State would be walking around with an oxygen bottle strapped to their hip or would be in the hospital because there's so much spore out here you can practically chew it. As outlandish as that sounds, more than once the client has nodded knowingly and told me that he or she was in fact allergic to mold and was taking medication for it while other folks in the same family are unaffected by it. Basically, I tell 'em that I don't do mold; that, if they're concerned about it, they should hire a good indoor air quality testing firm that employs scientists with lots of letters after their names, to address their concerns, and avoid anyone who inspects homes for a living and calls themself a "mold inspector," because all that person will do is take their money for telling them something that they already know - that there's mold in the air of the house. Works for me. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike
Scottpat Posted January 22, 2008 Report Posted January 22, 2008 On a side note with a little thread drift added for extra measure: Pro-Lab was noticeably absent from Inspection World last week. They were listed in the printed info but did not show. Could it be that we are seeing an end to the "Mold is Gold" inspector?
hausdok Posted January 22, 2008 Report Posted January 22, 2008 Originally posted by Scottpat On a side note with a little thread drift added for extra measure: Pro-Lab was noticeably absent from Inspection World last week. They were listed in the printed info but did not show. Could it be that we are seeing an end to the "Mold is Gold" inspector? Dunno, I marked theirs, and every other mold, email flyers as spam years ago and haven't been keeping up with their activities. OT - OF!!! M.
kurt Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 One of my favorite "mold isn't that big a deal" papers is written by Suellen Pirages, Phd, who is a VP of something or other @ the CDC. If I was linking though, I'd just send them to my state health dept. website; they basically debunk & inform.
John Dirks Jr Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Posted January 23, 2008 Yeah, debunk and inform. That's the route I want to take. I'll poke around some more. Since mold is on some poeples minds, I was thinking it would be a good idea to at least mention it somewhere on my site.
kurt Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 I've been trying to upload the .pdf of the Pirages paper for you, but for some reason, it won't go... It takes forever, and then it says "can't display the webpage", and times out. Is anyone else having problems uploading documents? I tried uploading on another forum, and it worked fine. hmmm....
hausdok Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 How big is it and where are you trying to upload it? If you're trying to upload it to a post and it's bigger than about 2Mb it's not going to go and you'll have to upload it to the file library. Go to library and then click on 'contribute files'. Once I see it, I'll approve it and then you can post the url to this thread. OT - OF!!! M.
paul burrell Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 Anyone that is not a certified qualified mold expert is asking for trouble by commenting on mold, especially when writing the report. Same goes for a non licensed termite inspector. PB
hausdok Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 OK, I'll bite, who certifies the "certified qualified mold expert" and who qualified the outfit that's handing out the "certification"? EPA? CDC? NAS? OT - OF!!! M.
inspector57 Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 I link to the EPA/Hud mold site. Good unbiased information that is actually pretty easy to understand for a government document.
Brian G Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 Originally posted by paul burrell Anyone that is not a certified qualified mold expert is asking for trouble by commenting on mold, especially when writing the report. Same goes for a non licensed termite inspector. That depends entirely on the comments made. I certainly have to talk about either one if I find them, as I'm sure you do. Like most members here, on mold I concentrate on the issue of moisture (the source), along with the visible physical damage and whether this looks like a real money eater. I'm comfortable with that. I don't get into identifying what all does or does not have to be torn out, what kind it might be, or what health issues are relevant. All of that falls to others. Brian G. Investigate, Document, and Report; Mold & Termites Included [:-magnify
paul burrell Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 Originally posted by Brian G Originally posted by paul burrell Anyone that is not a certified qualified mold expert is asking for trouble by commenting on mold, especially when writing the report. Same goes for a non licensed termite inspector. That depends entirely on the comments made. I certainly have to talk about either one if I find them, as I'm sure you do. Like most members here, on mold I concentrate on the issue of moisture (the source), along with the visible physical damage and whether this looks like a real money eater. I'm comfortable with that. I don't get into identifying what all does or does not have to be torn out, what kind it might be, or what health issues are relevant. All of that falls to others. Brian G. Investigate, Document, and Report; Mold & Termites Included [:-magnify Right on. Paul B.
paul burrell Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 Originally posted by hausdok OK, I'll bite, who certifies the "certified qualified mold expert" and who qualified the outfit that's handing out the "certification"? EPA? CDC? NAS? OT - OF!!! M. Never could figure that out either Mike but there are lot's of mold experts out there that say they are certified. They must be experts cause they say they are. I think they are attending $500 weekend courses for certification and get a fancy looking piece of paper to show their un suspecting customers. I get brochures quite often in mail. Best place for them is in trash. Paul B.
John Dirks Jr Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Posted January 23, 2008 While I understand the responsibility about reporting what I see, I also understand the importance of being "very" careful about how I report it. Yes, it can be tricky. I think you all can relate to this. In the public eye, it's best for business to hide it where you can. However, in the backs of our minds ring the steady chant....CYA CYA CYA..... I found this link to a page from my State of Maryland. It seems to down play the hype. What do you think of this link? http://www.cha.state.md.us/oeh/html/mold.html
ozofprev Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 Originally posted by hausdok OK, I'll bite, who certifies the "certified qualified mold expert" and who qualified the outfit that's handing out the "certification"? EPA? CDC? NAS? We've been there. It's the wrong question. The people in this industry are too focused on certification. That's natural, I suppose, since many have entered this line of work by simply becoming "Certified." Hell, some are lame enough to be "Certified Masters!" The word, certified, can be replaced by one of the following phrases: 1.) "I have no scruples or skills so I hope the purchase of this logo convinces you that I am a qualified _______________." 2.) "I have put in a modicum of work to be minimally qualified to ___________." Native intelligence, education and experience are all that matter. Because of certification, most in this line of work have very little of each. We all know this - just thought I'd write it down. Pro-Lab is to mold as (a popular HI organization) is to home inspection.
jon_ran Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 I have had no formal training in the mold field and could not tell you the difference from penicillin and stachybotrus, but I can guarantee you that if I see mold, it goes into my report. This has been a sticky area in the past and will continue to be an issue well into the future, especially for ones with health issues. I do not even attempt to identify the mold. I state that it is present, where I found it at, issues that may be contributing to its growth and are in need of repair/improvement and recommend testing by a lab of they are concerned with it. It is also important to state that all homes will have mold of some kind somewhere within the home. Most molds are in-active and will remain that way with proper humidity levels and ventilation. Have a moisture issue and see how fast it goes from inactive to active though. If there is mold, call it as such. Don't skirt the issue to keep the realtor happy and for your own sake, don't keep your mouth shut because you are not "mold certified". If it is mold, it is mold. Call it as such but don't even attempt to say that since it is not black mold it is not hazardous. Only an analysis can determine that.
Les Posted January 23, 2008 Report Posted January 23, 2008 Jon, There is the problem. Words mean "something" and that "something" is/has become become problematic. God knows, I am painfully direct during my inspections. I agree with most of your comments. Do we send the sample (incorrectly gathered) to a "lab" and get a two page report that tells us that the material is mold? That is what you get with 99% of the mold for gold people. It is my opinion that I am very good at my job and my job ain't about mold. The word itself is fraught with error. I've always thought it should be mould, if it is alive.
kurt Posted January 24, 2008 Report Posted January 24, 2008 Here's that Pirages paper. No bunk. Informative. Download Attachment: PiragesMoldHealthIssues090606_1_.pdf 193.23 KB
John Dirks Jr Posted January 24, 2008 Author Report Posted January 24, 2008 I saved the PDF. I plan to link it from my site. It just so happens that the doctor who wrote the piece is addressed in Maryland. I think I'll use the MD state link I posted above as well. It talks about simple cleaning methods, removing the old, installing the new and keeping things dry by repairing leaks. No BS, just decent information. Thanks for the info.[]
Les Posted January 24, 2008 Report Posted January 24, 2008 This is a mold report I received this am from an atty. The photos show the entire report, without any identifying info. Sorry about the way I am attaching it, as this was the down and dirty way. Please note the gourd that is moldy in the background on our conference room table! The fee for this valuable service was only $720.00! Oh ya, no photos or lab papers - just what you see here. Image Insert: 189.32 KB Image Insert: 151.19 KB Image Insert: 165.25 KB Image Insert: 171.07 KB
kurt Posted January 24, 2008 Report Posted January 24, 2008 That's how I usually find roof leaks; I ask the wet insulation if it has seen any......
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