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This article is a special supplement to the Risk Management Reporter article, Mold Is More Than Just A Builder's Problem, and will help educated real estate agents on specific types of mold, how these grow within structures and their potential effects on properties and occupants.

Sick Building Syndrome Hysteria Resulted in Increased Risk

Most people tolerate exposure to moderate levels of many different molds without any apparent adverse health effects. There are only a few known molds that can cause infection in healthy humans. Some individuals have a genetic makeup that puts them at risk for developing allergies to mold. Those with an allergy to mold, especially if they also have asthma, can become ill from exposure to even small amount of mold. Obviously, individuals are quite different in their responses to exposure to various types of mold.

Health effects from exposure to mold can vary greatly depending on the person and the type and amount of mold to which they are exposed. Symptoms that may occur include coughing, wheezing, and nasal and throat conditions. People with asthma or allergies to mold may notice their asthma or allergy symptoms worsen. Scientific evidence shows an association (although not a causal relationship, which is a direct relation) of mold to upper-respiratory, nasal, and asthma symptoms in sensitized asthmatics.

Individuals with severely weakened immune systems who are exposed to moldy environments are at risk of developing serious fungal respiratory infections. As our society includes more elderly people and those with severely weakened immune systems – such as people with HIV and other immune system diseases, chemotherapy patients, and organ transplant recipients – the group of highly sensitized people will continue to increase.

While there is wide variability in how different people are affected by mold exposures, the long-term presence of indoor mold growth may eventually become unhealthy for anyone.

Green Design Could Lead to Mold

An environmentally-conscious facility is attractive in today’s marketplace, but a green structure might also harbor mold. Green projects, which are those that focus on energy efficiency, the use of recycled or regenerative building components, and the inclusion of natural materials and improved indoor air quality, might actually result in a higher level of risk.

Usually such projects require sophisticated systems, appropriate operations and timely maintenance. Such projects might be highly sealed to prevent heat loss with systems to introduce fresh air through heat exchange systems. When properly operated and maintained, such systems should reduce the introduction of mold, include bio-cleansing features, and preclude the environmental conditions where mold could grow. However, there are both design and construction errors that could render such systems irrelevant in terms of mold prevention.

Often, natural ventilation is a basic part of a green design – energy use is minimized if outside air is at the right temperature. However, this often happens in the spring and fall when outdoor mold is at its worse. Mold spores might accompany the gentle breeze into a structure, thus providing both a natural, energy efficient ventilation of the structure and a vehicle for mold to be introduced. An increased reliance on natural building materials because they can be regrown, combined with appropriate indoor humidity and temperature levels, and you could have an incubator of mold. If humidity is not appropriately controlled, there might be a greater, rather than lesser, likelihood of mold growth. A facility planned to provide a healthful indoor air environment could result in the growth of mold and the creation of a hazardous indoor atmosphere.

The tighter building construction that is necessary for energy efficiency does not, by itself, promote mold growth. Choices in design and the improper installation of building materials or operation of the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems can increase the probability of mold growths. In a system that does not depend on natural ventilation, tight construction permits the control of the air exchange between the inside and outside and can prevent the accumulation of moisture. By controlling moisture, including the indoor relative humidity, mold growth can be prevented even if mold has been a problem in the past.

Buildings with tighter construction and sophisticated heating and air conditioning systems now often use ultraviolet light in central systems to prevent contamination by mold, bacteria, and virus growth inside ductwork. This is to counter the moisture and warmth found in and around air conditioning coils and within ductwork, which create an excellent host environment. If installed next to drip pans and along air conditional coils, simple ultraviolet lamps can destroy and prevent mold and other microorganism growth. But many of these “mold elimination systems” are small and ineffective in the commercial and residential markets and create a false sense of control and protection.

What Agents Can Do

The presence of mold in a structure is entirely out of the control of real estate agents. As such, agents are well-advised to develop procedures for the parts of their business they can control—documentation and disclosure on the properties they are attempting to sell. If an agent becomes aware of a mold infestation, or even suspects that a property may have a mold problem, that should be disclosed on any relevant property documents and reported to potential buyers before any transaction is complete. If not, agents could find themselves embroiled in litigation if the buyer later sues due to health issues or property damage.