American Council of Accredited Certifications (formerly the American Indoor Air Quality Council) is the certifying body for indoor air quality professionals, which includes testers, remediators and consultants. All ACAC awards are board certified and comply with ASTM Standard E 1929, Assessment of Certification Programs for Environmental Professions: Accreditation Criteria, and the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB) which has a national reputation for accrediting certification programs in engineering and science-related fields. (For more information on this visit http://acac.org/about/accreditation.aspx) George Vincent has been a Certified Microbial Remediation Supervisor (CMRS) since 2004 and is a member in good standing. The CMRS designation requires a combination of technical expertise, industry knowledge and construction field experience. (See CMRS program description included in this packet.) Amy Liposky Vincent is also a member in good standing since 2004. For more information visit www.acac.org
Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) is the main education and training provider for the indoor air quality industry. Both George and Amy are members in good standing and recently attended the annual continuing education conference in Nashville, TN. George has also recently attended the Certified Indoor Environmentalist training in Atlanta, GA. For more information visit www.iaqa.org
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOH) has developed a very good mold remediation protocol titled Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments. The relevant sections of this protocol are part of the packet.
United Stated Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) recommends professional remediation be conducted in areas where mold contamination is 10ft2 or greater see Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Building. There are currently no Federal threshold limit values (TLVs) for indoor concentrations of mold or mold spores due to the varying concentrations of naturally occurring molds in different parts of the country. With this in mind, individual states have been charged with setting thresholds. See A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home, a good general resource, which is also included in the packet.
Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) represents carpet inspectors and cleaners and specialized fabric cleaners and restorers. They have developed two standards which are widely used and accepted in the IAQ industry: IICRC S500 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration and IICRC S520 Standard Procedures for Mold Remediation. For more information visit http://www.iicrc.org
The Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB) is an independent, voluntary membership body created for its member organizations who recognize, through specialty certification, the expertise of individuals practicing in engineering and related fields. Its creation on April 24, 1990 was the culmination of organizing work by volunteers from among the 130 attendees (23 organizations represented) who participated in the April 1988 National Conference on Engineering Specialty Certification. For more information visit www.cesb.org
Florida Department of Health (FL DOH) has developed a brochure to address some of the common questions and concerns regarding indoor mold and how it affects human health. Attached is the printer friendly version of this brochure titled Indoor Mold and Health: A Fungus Among Us.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FL DEP) deals mostly with outdoor exposures and air quality. For more information visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/air/
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For more information visit http://www.cdc.gov/mold/default.htm
American Lung Association (ALA) mission is to help prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Founded in 1904 to fight tuberculosis, the American Lung Association today fights lung disease in all its forms, with special emphasis on asthma, tobacco control and environmental health. The ALA has been a leader in public education on indoor air contaminants, including mold. George Vincent regularly speaks throughout Palm Beach, Broward and Martin and St. Lucie counties on behalf of the SE FL Chapter at their Better Breather Programs and at fundraisers for the Association.
For more information, visit Southeast Florida Chapter of the American Lung Association at http://www.lungfla.org
Indoor Environmental Standards Organization (IESO) develops consensus standards for the IAQ industry, although the NYC DOH and IICRC standards are more widely utilized. For more information visit www.iestandards.org
American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) provides research, education and technical publications to support members in their role of protecting individuals from exposure to hazardous substances, (i.e., lead, asbestos, noise, radiation, biological chemicals) including exposure to fungi and other potentially hazardous microorganisms, commonly referred to as “mold”. For more information visit www.aiha.org
EMLab P&K(formerly Aerotech P&K) is a full service indoor air quality testing facility, specializing in the analysis of mold, bacteria, allergens, and chemical testing. Delivering the highest quality, legally defensible data in a timely manner is our top priority. Their website contains an excellent microbial glossary and technical papers. For more information visit www.emlab.com
Other Resources
EPA
- For more information visit epa.gov/mold
Indoor Air Quality Publications and Resources from the US EPA
- “Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings”
- An Office Building Occupant’s Guide to IAQ
- Biological Contaminants
- IAQ Building Education and Assessment Model (I-BEAM)– I-BEAM updates and expands EPA’s existing Building Air Quality guidance and is designed to be comprehensive state-of-the-art guidance for managing IAQ in commercial buildings. This guidance was designed to be used by building professionals and others interested in indoor air quality in commercial buildings. I-BEAM contains text, animation/visual, and interactive/calculation components that can be used to perform a number of diverse tasks.
- Building Air Quality: A Guide for Building Owners and Facility Managers
- Building Air Quality Action Plan (for Commercial Buildings)
- Flood Cleanup to Protect Indoor Air Quality
- For more subject-specific links, go to: Creating Healthy Indoor Air Quality in Schools, or EPA Gov's page on Asthma, or Indoor Air Quality General Page.
- Antimicrobial Testing Program