Do-it-yourself mold test kits will only tell you what you should already know -- the fungus is among us, it's ubiquitous and there's a good chance it's in your home.

Any money spent to fight mold is probably better spent correcting problems that cause mold rather than a quick test that reveals the obvious.

When testing is warranted, it should be conducted by a professionally trained and certified laboratory using approved tests that determine mold's location, how much mold is present, what kind of fungus is attacking your home, and how to get rid of it, say experts.

"All homes will test positive when air samples for mold are collected. Mold is a common part of the environment as it and many similar organisms consume dead organic matter such as leaves, tree limbs, dead grass, etc.," says Thad Godish a professor of natural resources and environmental management at Ball State University in Muncie, IN.

"Mold air concentrations in residences and other buildings can only be adequately assessed by using dynamic sampling methods, that is techniques which use samplers with air pumps and an appropriate collection medium," said Godish also an author with "Indoor Environment Notebook" among his works.

Mold producing building techniques and building materials, wet weather, increased awareness, and a score of other factors known and unknown have spawned an increased level of mold concern and complaints in recent years.

Mold is generally harmless, but heavy and prolonged exposure to toxic varieties of the fungi can cause harmful health effects including flu-like symptoms, allergic reactions, asthma aggravation and worse. The symptoms can be more pronounced in infants, older people and those with respiratory and pulmonary disorders.

Selling fear abatement

Along with heightened awareness has come a deluge of mold test kit offers pitching do-it-yourself air samplers for as little as $10 and equipmement-laden analysis kits for hundreds of dollars.

The offers prey on mold fears with headlines like "Innovative Testing Procedure Provides a New Weapon Against Potential Health Hazard," but the tests are almost always unnecessary. Even when you can't see mold it is there. When it is visible, mitigation rather than testing is advised, according to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"In most cases, if visible mold growth is present, sampling is unnecessary. Since no EPA or other federal limits have been set for mold or mold spores, sampling cannot be used to check a building's compliance with federal mold standards," according to the EPA's "A Brief Guide To Mold, Moisture, And Your Home".

Don't hold your breath waiting for those standards.

Testing for nonexistent standards

California in late 2001 passed "Toxic Mold Protection Act, the nation's first such state-level law to set mold standards. The law, effective Jan. 1 2002, also updated related health codes, it has set up a task force to help implement the law, and the state offers extensive mold information resources, but it has yet to set standards for acceptable and unhealthy mold levels.

Federal standards are likely even further off.

"Setting standards and guidelines for indoor mold exposure levels may not be practical," Dr. Stephen Redd, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's chief of air pollution and respiratory health, told a congressional committee in July 2002.

While there are no standards for which to test, you may want to consider professional sample analysis testing, but only after an attempt has been made to clean an area of mold, says the EPA. Such tests are typically performed to make sure the cleaning was successful.

Any such analysis also should follow methods recommended by the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists and other recognized professional organizations at the forefront of research on mold, anthrax, "dirty bomb" and other potentially toxic air quality pollutants.

Mold tests not mandated

Likewise, state health officials, generally give do-it-yourself mold test kits the brush off.

"Instead, you should simply assume there is a problem whenever you see mold or smell mold odors. Testing should never take the place of visual inspection and it should never use up resources that are needed to correct moisture problems and remove all visible growth," according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

And don't be fooled by sales pitches that suggest the test kits will help you comply with disclosure rules when you are selling a home. California's law adds mold to the list of disclosure requirements, but you need disclose only "known" mold conditions. The law does not require testing or even inspections to learn of the existence of mold.

While some insurers are refusing to insure some homes with past mold, water and moisture related claims, and while some home buyers demand testing or inspections specifically for mold, mold testing and inspections are not legally mandated and those with the most need to know don't require testing and inspections.

"I'm not aware of any insurer or lender who has established a policy requiring mold inspection as a condition of a real estate transaction. There almost certainly are cases where home buyers have required a mold inspection at time of transaction, but I'm not aware of any widespread trend in this regard," said Joe Maheady in the National Association of Realtors' government affairs division.

Published: March 26, 2003

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Broderick Perkins parlayed a career in old-school journalism into a contemporary digital news service that really hits home. The award-winning consumer journalist, originally from Wilmington, DE, is founder, publisher and executive editor of the bootstrap DeadlineNews Group, a Silicon Valley-based editorial content and consulting service specializing in residential real estate, consumer news and related editorial consulting services. The DeadlineNews Group includes the website, DeadlineNews.com, offering real estate editorial content and consulting services, and its back shop, the Deadline Newsroom, an open house on news that really hits home. Perkins obtained his formal journalism education from University of Delaware and a journalism boot camp, the Institute of Journalism Education at the University of California-Berkeley. He went on to 20 years of service as a daily newspaper journalist at the Wilmington, DE News Journal and San Jose, CA Mercury News. Perkins covered housing on the San Jose Mercury News reporting team which earned a General News Reporting Pulitzer Prize in 1989 for coverage of the Loma Prieta earthquake. He has also produced real estate, consumer and small business content for the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, RealtyTimes.com, Nolo.com, Better Homes and Gardens, the National Association of Realtors, Homestore/Move and Intuit/Quicken among more than three dozen publications. In addition to managing the DeadlineNews Group, Perkins most recently served as chief editorial consultant for Nolo's Essential Guide To Buying Your First Home, Nolo, and writes real estate television scripts for RealtyTimes.com.