Indoor Environmental Quality

Mold Management Program

Molds are a part of the natural environment and generally do not pose a hazard to healthy individuals.  They are found everywhere, indoors and outdoors, throughout the year.  They enter buildings on shoes, clothing and air currents. Molds need moisture and a food source to grow.  Indoors, mold growth becomes an issue where moisture or water is present, especially in poorly ventilated areas.  Molds may produce adverse health effects, such as allergy-like reactions, in a portion of the population.  There are currently no federal standards or recommendations for airborne concentrations of mold or mold spores.

Responsibilities

Facilities Services personnel have been trained to manage most mold problems at Boston College.  Small areas are treated with an appropriate surface cleaner that kills mold, and the area is checked to determine the source of moisture.  If the problem is larger than can be handled internally, qualified remediation contractors are brought in.

The Office of Environmental Health and Safety is available to answer questions, educate the community, and assess potential mold-impacted areas.  They call in consultants when necessary to provide testing.  The testing procedure includes air and surface sampling and takes several days to provide results.

What To Do If You Think You Have Mold In Your Room Or Office

If you observe mold growth or detect musty odors, complete a Facilities work order.  Someone will contact you to do an inspection and, if necessary, treat the affected area, or develop a plan to manage the mold.

Prevent Mold Growth

Because mold is everywhere, the key to controlling mold growth is controlling moisture. 

There are things you can do:

• Residence hall bathrooms 
  • Use the exhaust fan while showering and leave it on for a few minutes after you're done.  
  • If the fan is not working, put in a work order.  
  • Wipe up standing water, and clean bathroom surfaces regularly with commercial cleaning products.
• Bedrooms, kitchens and common rooms
  • Do not leave any food out or in an uncovered trash container. Dispose of all trash regularly.
  • Keep an eye on any indoor plants. Mold growth can occur when soil is too wet due to improper drainage.
  • Create a cleaning schedule and stick to it. Wipe up spills as soon as possible.
  • Do not block heating and air conditioning units with furniture.  
  • Also do not block supply and return air vents.  Unobstructed air flow is required for proper ventilation.
  • If water condenses on windows, wipe it up.
  • If you notice leaking around or under a sink, submit a facilities work request.  
• In your office or classroom
  • Report leaks immediately. 
  • If it is humid outdoors and your air conditioning is working, don't open windows! You are bringing in moisture that will condense and create conditions for mold growth.
  • Drying efforts, cleanup, and removal of water damaged material should be done within 48 hours of initial water infiltration to prevent mold growth.
     

Information About Home Test Kits

The Office of Environmental Health & Safety has noted an increase in the use of mold settling plates (petri-dishes or “Do-It-Yourself” mold test kits). While these kits can be inexpensive and readily accessible, the Office of Environmental Health & Safety does not recommend the use of these at home test kits to determine if there is indoor mold growth in your area for the following reasons:

• Mold is ubiquitous; it is everywhere – outside and inside. If mold sampling were to be done, mold will be found most anywhere. The mere presence of mold does not necessarily mean that there is a problem or that occupants will be exposed or will have adverse health effects. However, if you have visible mold or suspect you have a mold problem, it is more important to spend time and resources solving the moisture problem and getting rid of the mold than on mold sampling.
• These Do-It-Yourself test kits typically use a petri dish with agar to collect mold spores that fall from the air called “gravity” or “settling” and create an environment (food source) for the mold to grow.
• Because mold spores exist naturally, it would be rare not to get mold growth on the petri dishes.
• A positive result in a petri dish does not indicate that a space has a mold problem. Molds grow easily and the agar is a perfect nutrient for the mold to cultivate. By creating this habitable environment also creates inaccurate data for assessing suspect microbial growth in your room/home. 
• Do-It-Yourself mold test kits do not offer quantitative and reliable results for suspect microbial growth, so they can give a false impression of there being a mold problem in a space when there is not.

The best course of action if you suspect microbial growth is to submit a work order. A trained Facilities Maintenance staff member will respond to inspect the space to identify any visual growth or sources of water that should not be present. Inspection requires an understanding of building construction, water sources, and other factors that may not be apparent to many people. Without a moisture source, mold will not likely grow. 

Resources:

http://www.epa.gov/mold/ten-things-you-should-know-about-mold

If you have questions, please contact matthew.lagor@vbj4.com.

Chemical Odors

If you notice any strong or persistent chemical odors in your area, please contact Matthew Lagor in the Office of Environmental Health & Safety at ext. 2-0300.