Do You Agree That The U.S. Remediation Market Grows Nearly 3% in 2010?

News Release -- San Diego, Calif. -- The U.S. remediation business grew 2.9% in 2010 to $7.7 billion in total revenues, up from 1% in 2009, according to annual research conducted by Environmental Business International Inc. and published in its updated EBI Report 319 on Remediation & Industrial Services.  See Table of Contents and List of Figures for EBI Report 319.  Purchase EBI Report 319

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NYS Toxic Mold Task Force Completes Final Report

Section 1384 of the New York State (NYS) Public Health Law established the NYS Toxic Mold Task Force.  The goals of the NYS Toxic Mold Task Force was to:

• assess and measure, based on scientific evidence, the adverse environmental and health effects of mold exposure, including specific effects on population subgroups at greater risk of adverse effects;
• assess the latest scientific data on mold exposure limits;
• identify actions taken by state and local government and other entities;
• determine methods to control and mitigate mold;
• and prepare a report to the Governor and Legislature.

To achieve these goals the NYS Toxic Mold Task Force activities were organized into four main areas of inquiry:

• health effects of molds in indoor environments;
• exposure limits and assessment of mold in buildings;
• approaches to mold mitigation and remediation;
• building codes, regulations and other actions taken by other governments and private-sector organizations that relate to building mold problems.

In reading the executive summary it is clear that the NYS Toxic Mold Task Force came to the usual conclusions regarding mold that the many in the industry already know.  For example:

• Since mold problems in buildings are preventable with proper building construction, maintenance, and housekeeping aimed at preventing excess building dampness, mold exposure is preventable.
• Overabundant growth of any mold or other dampness-related organisms is undesirable and can be addressed by removing contaminants and correcting water problems.  Whether or not exposure to mold toxins is likely when mold growth occurs in a damp building does not substantially change the need for mitigation of the water and mold problem.
• Continue to improve building code requirements that address building design, construction techniques, and property maintenance so that they prevent or minimize the potential for water problems to occur.
• The presence and power of the code enforcement official (CEO) can also help minimize the potential mold problems in buildings when approving construction documents, during construction inspections of new buildings, and when issuing property-maintenance violations related to moisture conditions in existing buildings during required inspections.
• Regulating the mold assessment and remediation service industry is dependent upon how desirable it is to have persons poperly trained and following acceptable protocols.  The main public health goal of any regulation or additional guidance to the mold industry will be to reduce the potential for mold exposures and the risk of health effects in damp buildings.  Costs for such a program can range from $150,000 for using already developed general recommended work practices and certification programs to $4.5 million per year for a full regulatory program like the NYS asbestos program.
• The development of reliable, health-based quantitative mold exposure limits is not currently feasible.
• Their is limited evidence of the benefits of chemical disinfectants or encapsulant treatments for mitigating or preventing mold growth on building materials.
• The main approach to mold control and mitigation should be focused on identifying and repairing water damage in buildings and removing mold source materials.  This method of mitigation is less complicated to implement than mitigation based on attaining a numerical clearance critertion, because the main goal is to return the building to a clean and dry condition.

The document is 150 pages including tables and exhibits.  It will be interesting to see if this document actually goes anywhere in regulating the mold assessment and remediation industry.

Related articles

• Tenant, landlord of Watervliet apartment at odds over source of mold infestation (troyrecord.com)
• Beware: Toxic Mold (time.com)
• Timesunion.com: Mold is causing tenant to move (timesunion.com)
• Proper Roofing Maintenance Keeps the Threat of Mold at Bay (eon.businesswire.com)

NYS Mold Task Force Report Open For Comments

Stachybotrys chartrum (toxic mold) growing inside the wall.

New York State Mold (fungi) Task Force was created by Section 1384 of the New York State (NYS) Public Health Law (enacted in Chapter 356 of the laws of 2005; amended by Chapter 198 of the laws of 2006).  The Task Force was charged with preparing a report to the Governor and the Legislature on mold (fungus)/toxic mold.  The report would assess and measure, "based on scientific evidence, the adverse environmental and health effects of mold exposure, including specific effects on population subgroups at greater risk of adverse effects; assessing the latest scientific data on mold exposure limits; identifying actions taken by state and local government and other entities; determining methods to control and mitigate mold."  The New York State Departments of Health and State have completed a draft report (click on the title link) and are accepting comments from the public  until October 12, 2010.   Comments can be submitted by email to: moldtf@health.state.ny.us


Comments can be submitted in writing to:

Michelle Lavigne
Bureau of Toxic Substances Assessment
Flanigan Square Room 330
547 River Street
Troy, NY 12280

Questions: (518) 402-7820 or 1-800-458-1158

Keeping Your Family Safe Program - Talks about NYC Guidelines

Monday, February 2, 2009, we had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Chris D’Andrea, an Environmental Scientist, and Certified Industrial Hygienist who oversees the Office of Environmental Investigations with the New York City Department Health and Mental Hygiene for our internet radio program “Keeping Your Family Safe” (find it at http://www.voiceamerica.com/ on the Green Talk Network). Mr. D’Andrea is the editor of New York City’s “Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments. In our program, we discussed the guidelines and covered the following points:

• The differences between the current update and the previous guidelines.
• The importance of the visual inspection.
• The different cleaning methods of soap or detergent, disinfectants, fogging, and anti-microbials.
• Importance of removing the mold.
• Health effects appendix of the standard.
• Importance of removing moisture intrusion and its potential health effects.
• Changing remediation to three sizes versus four.
• Addition of the EPA table as a reference.

This Monday, February 9, 2009, we will be discussing Making a Sustainable Home Healthy with Dr. Marilyn Black founder of Greenguard Environmental Institute that oversees the Greenguard Certification Program.

NYC Department of Health Revises Mold Guidelines

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) has updated their "Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments". This document supersedes all prior editions of the guidelines. The document was prepared by the Environmental and Occupational Disease Epidemiology Unit of NYC DOHMH. This update includes discussions on visual inspections, environmental sampling, moisture control & building repair, worker training, cleaning methods, quality assurance indicators, restoring treated spaces and the usual remediation procedures. In addition, the update includes a fact sheet for Building Owners & Managers. Click on the title to link up with the NYC website that has this document.

How many clearance samples should be taken for mold remediation?

In a recent article written by Dr. Harriet Burge, in The Environmental Reporter for EMLAB P&K, she discussed this question and came up with an interesting answer. As we discuss in our mold remediation classes, clearance sampling is used to document that the mold contamination was successfully removed as part of a well designed written protocol (scope of work).

In preparing the scope of work for the project, the consultant should take pre-abatement air samples to have a picture of the air before the remediation. Air samples should be taken inside the area being remediated, outside the area being remediated, and outside the building. This sampling must be representative of the air in the areas sampled. Using these results and the data created, the consultant (writing the remediation protocols) can pre-determine the percentage change they want to see in the clearance samples and add that information to the protocols.

Based on Dr. Burge's article she suggests that the number of air samples should represent 5% of the air in the room or 2% of the air in the room if the air is thoroughly mixed. (when mixing air the method used should not send so much dust in the air that it will require you to sample for less than 10 minutes). Assuming a 10 minute air-o-cell sample represents slightly more than five (5) cubic feet of air, a 1000 cubic foot room would require four (4) samples to achieve 2% with proper mixing and ten (10) samples without mixing.

It is important to remember no single sample is representative of any environment (as discussed in Dr.Burge's article and supported by various publications by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), and others). As consultants, we must ensure the remediations we recommend are complete and this can only be accomplished if the interpetations are supported by quality data that is representative of the environment we are sampling. Multiple samples are the only way to ensure the environment is accurately evaluated.