SARASOTA, FL – It has been six months since Hurricane Ian mowed down Southwest Florida, forcing residents and families to confront agonizing questions about their future.
In many homes and businesses left standing, the receding floodwaters left behind a destructive and deadly reminder of how hard it is to recover from a storm’s floodwaters.
Although the water has receded, the water damage remains.
But it doesn’t take a hurricane to bring Mold. With their strong thunderstorms, South Florida’s spring and summer seasons can lead to severe damage. And Mold can even set in after something as simple as a burst pipe or leaky roof — and constantly running your AC. Mold can grow by feeding on the dust that collects on the blower, the wet cooling coil, and both sides of the ducts.
“In a hot and humid place like Florida, mold is an unwanted guest that thrives on surfaces like wallboard and wood with three things: moisture, warmth, and an organic food source,” said Anthony Lenard, president of Building Performance Solutions (BPS). “It festers 24 to 48 hours after water damage and spreads if it is not removed quickly. And it’s not only buildings that suffer. Mold is hazardous to human health.”
Mold is a product of natural environmental processes and, in small amounts, poses no threat. However, it can become a very real and dangerous problem at high levels. In fact, for certain individuals who have a low tolerance to Mold, even small concentrations can be extremely harmful.
“You may be releasing mold spores into the rest of the house,” Lenard, said. “That’s where not only the issue for additional growth comes in, but the potential for health impact.”
Testing for Mold can be tricky. Many consumers do not know that you should not have the same people testing for Mold – as the company that remediates it. Lenard implores consumers to beware of “mold” remediation companies / “mold experts” that offer to test and remediate mold problems or sell you high price air cleaners and other products; these sales tactics are considered a conflict of interest.
The best way to check if you have Mold is to do PRV (post-remediation verification) testing for homes and businesses. PRV testing involves taking samples in a contained area that was remediated for mold/fungal growth to ensure the remediation succeeded.
“If the test results show that the remediation was successful, we provide a clearance document. This legal document states that the area has been returned to a normal fungal ecology,” said Lenard.
Unfortunately, Lenard had seen so many homeowners that had remediation completed before a test was done – leaving homeowners now with either health issues and/or out-of-pocket money to fix the mold issues. “Test – before you rebuild.
Otherwise, you are just sealing in the microbial Mold.” Microbial growth grows on paper, cardboard, ceiling tiles, and wood. Microbial growth can also grow in dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation, drywall, carpet, fabric, and upholstery.
More information at www.buildingperformancesolution.com
PHOTO ID: Anthony Lenard, president of Building Performance Solutions.
ABOUT BUILDING PERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS (BPS)
Building Performance Solutions strictly adheres to Florida Statutes /2010/468.8419. Simply put, this means that we engage in the inspection, testing, and consultation surrounding mold testing, recommending necessary repairs and assisting in planning these repairs only. This eliminates any conflict of interest and ensures that our clients receive the benefits of an unbiased, impartial, and completely professional service provided by a company with no direct financial interest in any mold remediation to properties that we have inspected.