Carl Brahe, CHI, CCI


There are few homeowner issues that cause as much fear as mold and meth. I get calls from across the country from people who are certain that one or the other is making them sick. My limited experience in these areas is that most of the health problems attributed to mold or meth are actually caused by something else.
Sometimes the causes are obvious. At an office building where I was called to inspect for mold all the employees were complaining of headaches, irritated sinuses and fatigue. As soon as I walked in I was assaulted by a heavy formaldehyde odor from new carpeting that made my eyes water and burned my sinuses. Simultaneously I experienced the worst lighting I’ve ever seen. It made my eyes throb and my head ache. I found no conditions in the building that would allow mold growth.

Consequences of Bad Science in Mold Inspection and How to Do it Right
Mold has received so much media coverage related to terrible deaths and loss of property that people are frightened. Mold spores are everywhere and can grow almost anywhere if conditions are right. Most people have no reaction to most molds, but funguses can be a real concern to people who are sensitive or allergic to molds and people with compromised immune systems.
News reports of “toxic black mold” have lead us to believe that we may die a horrible, debilitating death if we encounter it. Here are some comments made Caoimhin Connell, an Industrial Hygienist, a scientist who is an expert concerning mold in homes:
“It is important to understand that even the term ‘toxic mould’ is a recent creation of the news media — there is no such thing as ‘toxic mould’ per Se, and similarly, there is no significance imparted to “black moulds. Not only are these descriptors created by recent news media. but scientifically there is not even a clear classification for ‘mould’ since any fungus exhibiting filamentous (hairy) extensions is called a ‘mould.’ Therefore, an organism may be a ‘mould’ at certain points in its life cycle, and not a mould at others. Indeed it is possible for a single organism to be a mould, a yeast, and ‘just a fungus,’ at different times in its life depending on its morphological state.”
Testing laboratories and mold remediation companies, in the spirit of the current US business environment, recruit home inspectors to do testing that, as far as I can understand, benefits only the lab. Mr. Connell says this of mold inspectors:
“Recent media coverage of indoor moulds has placed the mould issue into the realm of science fiction. As a result, a plethora of self-certified ‘mould experts’ and ‘certified mould inspectors’ have entered the newly recognized market providing wildly inaccurate and entirely unscientific consultations regarding mould, its occurrence, assessment, significance of human exposures, and remediation protocols.”
A recent TV news investigation found that 4 out of 10 mold experts were unable to tell the difference between “toxic black mold” and mascara. One remediator set up a containment area around a small smear of mascara after asking for $1800 to remediate it.
A condo complex in Durango was damaged by moisture from unusually heavy snows this year. The HOA hired a remediation company make repairs, like replacing wet dry wall, and insulation and drying or replacing wet carpet. “Toxic black mold” was discovered in the process.
Much anxiety, fear and worry followed. The HOA and insurance company diligently worked to restore the integrity of the condos. Tenets feared for their children and reacted as any parents would when their children are threatened. Who wouldn't’t be angry to find that a design flaw in their home might kill them and their children? Who wouldn’t have the urge to run screaming from their homes?
There was plenty of confusion, fear, anger and misery to go around based on mold testing done by a local “expert”. The expert followed the protocol taught in mold testing certification training classes around the country. These are usually one day classes presented by big environmental testing laboratories and attended mainly by home inspectors looking to increase their knowledge base and/or find new income sources. The “expert” did everything exactly as it is taught in these classes, and yet he was ignorant, wrong, caused unnecessary grief and rightfully incurred damages.
Industrial Hygienist, Caoimhin P. Connell, on current attitudes about mold:
“In general, scientists and those in the medical field are not mystified about the health effects of molds so much as mystified about the public’s continued irrational fear of indoor molds; in spite of the vast, overwhelming, knowledge that has placed those risks into perspective and concluded that those fears are unfounded.”
“More recently, we have seen the US gripped by an irrational and unfounded fear of indoor molds, and in particular a mold called Stachybotrys atra. In spite of the fact that seven years ago, that report too was debunked and retracted by the Centers for Disease Control. There is no legitimate evidence to show that general indoor exposures to this mold (or any other for that matter) poses any significant threat to human health over and above that which we would see from the outdoor air.”
Mold testing like that done at this development is commonly offered to homeowners for $200 up. Read Mr. Connell’s assessment of the “expert” mold testing done at this condo project. This details how mold testing is routinely done and why it’s wrong and a waste of money.
Visual inspection is the proper method for initial and most mold testing. This is the protocol set by the American Society for Testing and Measurement. The US Center for Disease Control states the following on their website:
“Mold growing in homes and buildings, whether it is Stachybotrys chartarum (Stachybotrys atra) or other molds, indicates that there is a problem with water or moisture. This is the first problem that needs to be addressed
We do not believe that one needs to take any different precautions with Stachybotrys chartarum (Stachybotrys atra), than with other molds.”
Whether it’s the ignorance of the inspector duped into believing he/she is a mold expert by labs and remediation companies, or the hysteria created by media stories of terrible, slow deaths from mold hidden in the walls, or the dishonesty of some people trying to take advantage of our basic fears, mold is a subject that can paralyze a home buyer.
The truth is that mold will grow almost anywhere there is sufficient moisture for a long enough period and something to digest. Mold spores are everywhere and can lay dormant for thousands of years waiting for moisture to grow. Some molds grow quickly and are territorial. Other molds grow slowly and may not be as aggressive. As in all nature, fungi, including mold, exists in balance with other microbial organisms. It is usually not a good idea to indiscriminately destroy all fungi. We could not live without fungi.
An Industrial Hygiene Critical Review Of Fungal Sampling is a very concise document that illuminates the current state of popular mold testing and its limitations. If you’ve suspected that you have been misled about mold and question the practices of “experts” in the field, here’s your validation.
This report done by Mr. Connell after conducting a proper inspection of the condo complex, involving no lab testing, details appropriate inspection done according to current scientific standards. Meth – Environmental Menace
Meth is often blamed for health problems with no reason except there is no mold in the house so it must be meth. Meth is a terrible environmental hazard. Firefighters and law enforcement personnel wear complete hazmat suits when they are exposed to meth labs for a reason. Making meth can produce many dangerous chemicals during production. Even smoking meth can contaminate a room and everything in it. People and pets can be effected by the residue from meth and the chemicals made to make it.
When I receive calls from people who think they have just moved into their second, third or fourth meth lab in a row I feel skeptical. At times media coverage makes it seem like this could easily happen, but statistically the chances of moving into one meth house are are slim.
When I receive calls from people who say they and their children have been unable to sleep, have no appetite and always feel jumpy I take it seriously. While I have never encountered a meth house that I know of, people do end up living in places left polluted by meth smokers and manufacturers.
If you suspect you live in a meth house it may make more sense to test all occupants hair for drug residue first than to test the property for drug or chemical residue.
I had a call a few years ago from a lady who claimed that she had lost her children after they tested positive for meth. She claimed that they tested positive and she did not because they played in the garage where their father smoked meth and she never went into the garage.
At the time I thought she was lying, but as I learned more about meth contamination I began to wonder if she wasn’t telling the truth. When meth is smoked it coats everything it touches and is very hard to remove. A recent TV network news investigation showed that a headboard, in a hotel in Denver, tested positive for meth 3 years after a meth lab was busted there.

Another TV news report quotes about meth labs: "You have a fire hazard. You have a poisonous hazard, a caustic hazard, explosion hazard. There is just an untold number of hazards in one of these sites."
People who find themselves living in places where meth has been made or smoked report the same symptoms as users. Children seem especially vulnerable reporting hyperactivity, inability to sleep, irritability and other physical and emotional problems. Adults also feel the effects.
There is no doubt that meth residue in very small quantities is capable of effecting people and probably pets. Smoking and manufacturing meth destroys property in an insidious way, fouling it and leaving it poisonous to future occupants. It is reported that only one in ten meth labs are busted, but one estimate is that only one in ten thousand homes in Colorado are effected.
That doesn’t count homes where meth is smoked. The chances of finding yourself in a meth house are low, but it does happen. A recent Denver TV news investigation revealed people unknowingly living in former meth houses that are publicly listed by various law enforcement and health departments. A list of Denver metro addresses for known meth houses can be found here .
You can check any address for environmental hazards for free at: Prudentialproperties.com
This site will give you a quick heads-up to environmental hazards in the neighborhood. This includes meth houses if they have been listed on the National Clandestine Drug Lab Registry. Most meth houses are not on the list. Be sure to check with the local police, sheriff, health and fire departments. Some Denver area databases can be accessed on line.
Expanded residential environmental reports can be purchased from EDR for $99. You can purchase the exact same report at a discount price of $65 from Inspection Perfection Inc.








Carl Brahe, Certified Home Inspector, Certified Commercial Inspector

Inspection Perfection, Inc - 303-816-5556
info@inspection-perfection.com