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Mold & Moisture
(Revied 5/04)
High asthma rates in the US, and especially amongst residents of high-risk housing, have made mold and moisture detection and correction a new national health priority. Mold is a natural part of our ecosystem that helps break down dead elements in our environment. To grow, mold needs moisture, warm temperatures, and food (paper, glues, fabric, wood, solid surfaces, or food). While in small quantities it does not cause health problems, mold can cause allergic reactions (including sneezing; irritation to eyes, skin, and nose; and asthma symptoms), toxic reactions (including bleeding lung disease in children), and infections in cases where mold has flourished. Finding and fixing moisture problems can minimize problems with mold - a mold problem cannot truly be solved until the source (whatever is causing the moisture) is fixed.
The CEHRC Mold and Moisture protocol includes both a visual survey for mold and moisture problems, as well as the use of a moisture meter to equip the Hazard Investigator to detect the presence, source, and extent of moisture problems.
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