John Cosgrove, Certified Indoor Environmentalist,
Florida Licensed Mold Assessor #5
Naples and Ft Myers residents and businesses should understand
that indoor air quality "inspectors" have huge difference in their education or training and especially experience.
Most local Naples and Fort Myers mold assessors / inspectors have their training provided by Laboratories that want
to promote testing (sampling), because the more samples the more money (profit) for them.
They take a couple 8 hours
classes and the "expert" will promote mold air sampling (tests) to every consumers worried about mold.
Experience
collecting hundreds of air samples does not make a mold expert, although many would have the consumer believe this. Experience
interpreting the mold air sampling lab results generally separates the professionals from the "inspector" just trying
to make extra money with an ad on service to his real job as a home inspector or contractor. The lab tech should not
be the person determining if your lab results are a concern, it's the mold assessors (inspectors) job.
You cannot
label a home or structure as having a "mold problem" based on air sampling (testing) alone; too many factors can
skew the results.
A visual inspection of hundreds, in our case, thousands of structures provides the experience to
identify the source and extent of a mold contamination. A through visual inspection takes time if done properly, home
inspectors for example can't take the required time or they would lose the job to the "cheaper" home inspector that
doesn't.
Infrared / digital photo documenting wet area
photo showing location of mold source in Naples home
In the mold inspection business, you really do "get what you
pay for".
Certified Indoor Environmentalists and Industrial Hygienists have to prove years of education /
experience for their certifications. There are about 300 licensed mold assessors serving Collier and Lee
Counties, only about a dozen have proven experience and training as a CIE or IH.
Why would anyone hire a home inspector for formaldehyde testing,
if he has no E&O insurance, training or real experience (buying a questionable test kit with instructions on the internet
is not experience). Formaldehyde testing is usually one of two methods, a bulk sample of suspected material is sent to the
lab or air sampling using a sorbent tube (sorbent tubes need to be refrigerated before and after test- including shipping).
Plenty of home inspectors provide radon testing for Real Estate transactions,
during the last recession many took a two day class to become certified. They perform a couple radon tests a week and
are "experts". We have performed over 23,000 radon tests just for Real Estate sales and thousands more for
schools, assisted-living facilities and home owners associations. Naples and Bonita Springs consumers should understand
that "radon technicians" can have vast differences in experience; something to remember when asking questions concerning
their test.
Best Bonita Springs licensed Mold Assessors (inspectors) are
Certified Indoor Environmentalists. Only about a dozen licensed mold assessors are qualified as CIE's in Naples/Ft
Myers area. (www.acac.org)
About 100 individuals are licensed for mold in Naples
by the state of Florida and only a handful qualified as Certified Indoor Environmentalists. (CIE) www.acac.org
Marco Island Mold Assessors, Home Inspectors and Radon Testers must
be licensed by the State of Florida and usually service
Naples too.
State of Florida
Licensed Mold Assessors (Inspection and Sampling)
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