I cannot begin to tell you how many times I hear from people dealing with "mold growth" or "regrowth" "after they" (the mold remediators) "left".
"I hired this company to get rid of the mold," one Terre Haute (Indiana) lady states. "After they got done, they told me all was back to normal. But a few weeks later I see mold growing again."
That's just one example of what I'm talking about. So, let's talk about what might cause mold regrowth after the remediation crews leave the property.
1.) They didn't remediate the property; they mitigated the situation. The very word itself, remediate, means to remedy a situation. One cannot do that if they aren't addressing all of the causal factors related to mold growth. If the causal factors are left behind - irregardless of how much work they do - the mold will return. So, make sure all of the causal factors are addressed prior to or in conjunction with the demolition and cleaning of moldy building materials and systems.
2.) New causal factors have arisen since the remediation crew left. There are situations where new issues arise after proper remediation is completed. For example, I performed a post-mold remediation verification inspection on a home that had extensive remediation performed. Everything looked and measured great. Then, shortly after the remediation crews had left the property, a water-supply line began to leak in the crawl space. At first the leak was slow enough to go undetected, but eventually (nearly six-to-seven weeks after the remediation crews left...) it ruptured completely. By the time the plumber had finished fixing the leak, the home owners found mold in the crawl space.
The best way to avoid situations like this and the conflict (between building owner and remediation companies) is to follow the advice of the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification's S520,
Standard & Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation, and hire an "independent Indoor Environmental Professional" to perform pre-remediation assessments and post-remediation verification inspections. This person's job is to independently and without conflict of interest assess the building situation and report on his or her findings. These findings should include:
1.) causal factors for any ill-condition they discover;
2.) extent of contamination in the building;
3.) disclosure of their analytical processes;
4.) interpretations of measures for clear understanding;
5.) photographs from their investigation;
6.) a corrective action plan (i.e., mold remediation protocol); and,
7.) other relevant information pertaining to the inspection.
If you have questions about this process or your situation, contact me at jasony@solutionsiec.com or call (812) 229-4097.
