Michael A. Pinto CSP, SMS, CMP, RTPE, FLS, ERS

No, that is not a typo, it is definitely meant to be furry and not fury. We are talking about indoor air quality (IAQ) here, not Armageddon. But, make no mistake about it, for severe allergy sufferers the differences often feel like semantics.

The purpose of this discussion is to revisit the notion of a spore trap “Clearance Criteria,” and discuss what such a standard is and why it can be useful to everyone involved in a mold remediation project. Because of the turnover of professionals in the industry over the last 20 years, we will focus on a long-established spore trap post-work verification criterion as a teaching example.

Mold-sensitized individuals need to have a living/working environment that is better than the normal understanding of clean. Standard mold remediation techniques for source removal have to be completed with an acute attention to detail; the job is not done when the source material has been removed.

By now, everyone is either resigned to them or tired of them. The “them” is filtering facepieces, masks, scarves, neck gaiters, respirators, and other face coverings. 

Many people in the environmental industry have heard of the terms “sick building syndrome” and “indoor air quality” (IAQ), but substantially fewer understand the concept of “building bake-out”. 

Protecting return-to-work individuals who had been restricted from gathering in an effort to minimize the spread of COVID-19, and efforts to reopen public indoor spaces safely have led to a lot of interest in how HVAC systems may be adjusted to reduce the spread of the virus. 

Working for a state occupational safety and health program and as a safety and health consultant for over 40 years, I have learned the value of understanding the peculiarities of any chemical being used on the job site.