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Here we discuss the advantages and shortcomings of using vacuum cassettes or spore traps to collect mold test samples (or other dust or particle samples) from indoor surfaces such as carpets, couches, or multiple hard surface dust samples. In this article series discuss the validity of nearly all of the popular mold testing methods currently in use, pointing out the strengths and weakness of each approach to mold sampling in the indoor environment, beginning with air sampling for airborne mold levels indoors. Because mold test validity and mold test accuracy are often confused, readers should also see ACCURACY OF VARIOUS MOLD TEST METHODS. People who need to conduct mold inspection and testing indoors should see MOLD TEST PROCEDURES and TECHNICAL & LAB PROCEDURES

Our MOLD INFORMATION CENTER includes more broad discussions of the overall approach to building investigation, as do many expert references cited at that web. For a more comprehensive collection information about mold test methods see INDOOR AIR QUALITY METHODS COMPARED. For more on "mold classes" (Cosmetic mold vs. allergenic mold vs. toxic or pathogenic mold) see MOLD CLASSES, HAZARD LEVELS and more references such as a Mold Action Guide are at the end of this document.

© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

A Guide to Using Vacuum Samples for Screen Buildings for Toxic Mold

15th Annual North Carolina/South Carolina
Environmental Information Association Technical Conference
Myrtle Beach, SC
Daniel Friedman 23 September 2005, Updated 4/14/2009

A collection canister is connected to an air or vacuum pump which is used to draw particles onto a filter-surface or into a special collection container.

A collection device, slide, cassette, or tape are used with a calibrated air pump to collect surface particles.

The lab prepares a slide from the cassette (of the types below) or if an MCE filter cassette was used to collect particles, the lab clears the filter onto a microscope slide, washes the filter onto a microscope slide, or uses another method to transfer particles for examination by microscope for preparation by culture.

Using a simple portable pump calibrated to a known flow rate allows rough estimation of particle density per square inch of surface tested if that analysis is needed.

People using this approach may make use of a disposable paper square template that defines a precise surface area to be vacuumed (photo above left). In our opinion a precise quantitative approach to surface vacuuming is silly because there is normally large particle variation over building surfaces for many reasons. But the approach is useful to screen for high levels of particular particles (such as mold spores, animal dander, insect allergens).

Our photo (left) shows five vacuum test areas on a hallway carpet during a study conducted by the author to examine the variation in particle deposition by foot traffic in a residential hallway.

Our hypothesis was that more outside dirt and debris could always be found in the center of the main path of foot traffic even though that area also received more aggressive vacuum cleaning than the hallway sides. We have tested carpeting before and after various types of cleaning and after suffering various types of contamination.

Surface vacuuming for mold

We emphasize that in this article we are discussing surface vacuuming to collect particles from an exposed surface onto which the vacuum device and collector can be placed directly.

This is an effective and useful particle or mold sampling method.

We are not referring building wall or ceiling cavity vacuuming methods that attempt to draw air and particles from the building cavity through a punctured opening and tube into a collecting device - an approach that our test found was ineffective.

We discuss building cavity vacuuming below at Vacuuming building cavities.

Vacuum samples can be useful for testing soft goods (clothing, bedding, curtains, carpets) for high levels of contaminated spores in a qualitative approach. We particularly like vacuuming a number of surfaces in an area using a single collection device as a less-costly way to make a more confident inspection of the level of contamination by moldy dust in buildings with a known problem.

We also use this method as part of a mold clearance inspection to evaluate the thoroughness of both the containment system and the general cleaning effort. For example we may collect a sample of vacuumed surface dust from 10 different surfaces in 5 rooms on a floor of a home, forming a more broad screen for moldy dust than single tape lifts of surface dust.

We've found wide variety in levels of mold found growing in or on carpets, depending on a number of variables including even the level of other dirt present in the carpeting. Some experts question this measure. Carpet vacuuming for mold is interesting as a pre and post remediation baseline data source for areas out of the remediation/containment area, but for any carpet this method quickly overloads a particle sampler.

The Burkard personal air sampler (photo at left) can also be used to vacuum particles from surfaces provided that a strong air flow is not required to lift the particles from the surface (this device pumps at 10 lpm).

Shortcomings of surface and carpet vacuuming for mold

1. Vacuuming will not collect identifying structural components of mold as well as tape and will almost certainly damage or destroy the structures which it collects, imposing some limits on identification
   
   
2. Vacuuming will not collect all of the material on a hard surface (which tape handles well). Particles which are easily lifted by the airflow into the canister will be over-represented compared with sticky particles which are adhered to the test surface.
   
   This problem is particularly sensitive to the flow rate (LPM) used. A low-flow rate (1LPM) avoids a sample overload problem (too many particles, can't read the sample) but may fail to collect or under-collect certain particles. A high flow rate improves particle pick-up but then limits the number of sample sites (increasing test cost) in order to avoid sample overload. We suspect that no vacuum method we have tested could reliably pull mold or debris reliably from deep inside a heavy upholstered couch.
   
   
3. Carpet vacuums and some furniture or drapery vacuums will either be overloaded or restricted to culture (to which we have already objected).

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Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

MOLD TESTING METHOD VALIDITY
Introduction
  Air samples
    Shortcomings of air sampling
    Mold in Air: Quantitative Analysis
  Tape sampling for mold
    Determination of mold genera
    Determination of mold species
    Shortcomings of tape sampling
  Vacuum samples
    Surface vacuuming
    Shortcomings of surface and carpet vacuuming
    Vacuuming building cavities
    Vacuuming exposed insulation
    Shortcomings of vacuuming insulation
  Cultures to "Test for Mold"
    Shortcomings of culturing
  Swab sampling
  Shortcomings of swab sampling
  PCR methods for Mold Identification
  Mold "Testing" vs. Mold "Problem Identification"
  Are Mold Test Kits Useful?
  Reasons to Test for or Identify Mold
    1. Save Money if it's Just Cosmetic Mold
    2. Mold Related Illness
    3. Mold Cleanup Data baseline

• Mark Cramer Inspection Services Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, Mr. Cramer is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors and is a Florida home inspector and home inspection educator. (727) 595-4211 mark@BestTampaInspector.com

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