Do you know whether your drywall is actually dry wall? Recently Gypsum, a Chinese drywall, has been spreading throughout the construction industry. This would not be a problem if Gypsum had the same moisture control as authentic drywall.

The moisture content of Gypsum is a concern. Ideally moisture content should be completely different from how much it takes to support mold. Gypsum is a chemical of calcium sulfate hemi-hydrate. This means it is a compound that is 50% water. It is bound water, which is not available for mold growth. It counts for dry weight in gypsum drywall. Gypsum, no matter how dry you make it will always be half water. If an environment is greater than or equal to the water contained in gypsum it will support mold.

To learn about the dangers of using Gypsum dry wall in your home and prevent contractors from installing this type of wood in your home, read this article, How Dry Is Your Drywall? from IeConnections.com.

The article will give you statistical data and how to prevent mold growth with or without Gypsum drywall.

For professional help and questions on remediation, contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

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Do you know how to avoid mold amplification when it comes to water intrusion or dampness? If you do not, we are here to tell you how to locate and remove it. Read below to get started.

Water leaks often originate from roofing and window system failures. You do not notice it until a heavy rain comes through or a pipe becomes busted. Large buildings such as schools often experience repeated issues with leaks that go undetected for long periods of time. Some common leaks in large buildings are as followed:

Ø      HVAC water pipe leakage.

Ø      Sweating Valves.

Ø      Pipes of potable water distribution piping through overflows and leaks.

If the air in a building is dry, the water intrusion or dampness will dry quickly and it becomes difficult to detect signs of mold growth.

 The Forms of Dampness

Dampness can come in multiple forms. It can be in the form of condensation in non-insulated crawlspaces or basements. Dampness can be discovered in a poorly functioning HVAC system or site drainage.

 What is the Difference Between Water Intrusion and Dampness

The difference between water intrusion and dampness is the source of leakage and how that leakage absorbs and condenses itself. Water intrusion leaks water through openings and falls to the lowest point. Dampness includes liquid water and vapor that gets transported through solid concrete. This allows it to harbor itself in flooring. When air holds high quantities of moisture vapor loses heat. When that happens, it turns to liquid form.

To learn ways to resolve water damage and prevent mold growth, read Moisture Control In Schools: Water Intrusion or Dampness? Avoiding Mold Amplification. This article can be found on page 19-20 of Indoor Environment Connections.

For professional help and questions on remediation, contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

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Do you know what Stachybotrys is? If you do not, we are here to tell you and how Stachybotrys can get in your blood stream. You can get Stachybotrys from your house. Read below to get informed and learn how to prevent yourself from danger in your own home.

What is Stachybotrys?

Stachybotrys spores and hyphae have never been reported being in blood. Stachybotrys does not grow in the body. The spores that are discovered in the body come from ingestion or inhalation. Your body naturally ejects the spores. Luckily every body has fungal antibodies in their blood. Antibodies are formed during the natural exposure to fungi that has been happening since your birth.

The Danger of Mold in Your Home

When growth of Stachybotrys happens in your home, formation of antibodies may occur. No matter of the amount of antibodies your body can produce, it does not mean you can not be harmed by living in a dangerously moldy home. Your quality of air will be affected in your home. Your health will be affected badly by a mold infested home. Take action to improve your living conditions by reading this article from IeConnections.com.

For professional help and questions on remediation, contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

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Did you know the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded $93 million in grants to 39 local projects? Do you know why HUD did this?

HUD awarded these grants to conduct activities intended to protect children and families from potentially dangerous lead-based paint and various other home health and safety hazards.

The funding will clean up lead and other health hazards in roughly 7,000 high-risk homes, train workers in lead safety methods, and increase public awareness about childhood lead poisoning. Lead is a toxin that can impair development in children that can affect them for a lifetime.

HUD hopes the grants will help communities around the nation to protect families from lead exposure and other important health and safety hazards.

In addition to the lead hazard control work, HUD will be awarding funds to promote and develop programs that identify and address multiple housing related health hazards with lead hazard control intervention work. The mission is to eliminate dangerous lead hazards from lower income homes, stimulate the private sector investment in lead hazard control and educate the public about lead-based paint danger.

Here are some details about the Lead Hazard Control Grant Programs:

Lead based paint was banned in residential areas in 1978. Presently, HUD claims 24 million homes still have large amounts of lead-based paint hazards. Lead contaminated dust is the main reason why so many homes have high levels of lead-based paint hazards. Some health problems resulting from young children being exposed to lead-based paint hazards are reduced IQ, learning disabilities, developmental delays, reduced height, and impaired hearing. At very high levels, lead can damage a child’s kidneys and central nervous system. When the central nervous system is affected it can cause anemia, coma, convulsions and death.

To learn more about the affects of Lead Hazards, HUD’s grant funds focus, and HUD’s energy efficiency goals, read this article from IeConnections.com called HUD Grants Focus on Lead Paint Abatement.

For professional help and questions on remediation contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

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 There are new details on 2012 version of LEED, a green building program. LEED 2012, updated by the U.S Green Building Council (USGBC), will include updates to the Materials & Resources (MR) credit category.

The updates have write-in comments and include changes to the existing LEED credit categories as well as two new credit categories. The two credit categories are Integrated Process (IP) and Performance (PF).

 The update of Materials & Resources (MR) credit category addresses waste reduction and aims to improve the environmental impact of materials selection and waste disposal. MR has been revised to include an increased focus on an application called the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCA assesses environmental impacts of every stage of a product’s life: Extraction. Manufacture. Use. Reuse. Disposal.

 The LCA in LEED is meant to encourage project teams to use analytical tools that are based on information about resource flows through environmental and economic systems. USGBC hopes project teams will make more informed decisions as a result of LCA being used.

 For more information on the 2012 version of LEED read this article called New Details on 2012 Version of LEED at Ieconnections.com

For professional help and questions on remediation contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

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Do you think Mold Remediation Standards are outdated? If yes, you are not alone. Many people believe it is time to toss out mold remediation guidance and standards.

The Indoor Air series of conferences, presented by the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ) every three years and every nine years in the United States, believe if research procedures are moved to the field, they need to know what they are measuring.

Often workers have been denied compensation claims, plaintiffs have been harmed, and property managers and insurance adjustors use the argument that “ If I can’t measure it, it doesn’t exist,” to discount claims by office workers and occupants of homes.

Now there is a new tune spreading in the Industry: “ If we can’t measure it, we aren’t measuring correctly.” This new tune spreading in the mold remediation field may mean the fundamental assumption that reduction of spores, below the original count is no longer sufficient to conclude that a Post Remediation Verification (PRV) was successful.

To read more on this developing story, review this article called Is It time To Toss Mold Remediation Standards? by Carl Grimes, President of Healthy Habitats in Denver Colorado at Ieconnections.com.

For professional help and questions on remediation contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

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Three states have been making changes that will affect indoor environmental professionals. The three states are Virginia, Georgia, and Michigan. Read below to learn what each state has been doing to change IAQ Policies.

Virginia

New laws are affecting individuals and businesses regulated by the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). The Senate Bill 1375 creates a licensure program focused on residential building energy analysts. Recommendations to improve energy consumption and efficiency will be mandatory to receive a licensure issued by the Virginia Board for Contractors.

The Qualifications for licensure are under development by the board. The new developments of the regulatory process can be followed through the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall website.

As for HB 1610 and SB 942, these policies require disclosure about defective imported Chinese drywall in real estate transactions. Any real estate licensees with real knowledge of defective drywall and fail to disclose this knowledge will be subject to disciplinary action by the board of Real Estate.

Georgia

The state of Georgia now has the authority to administer and enforce EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Program. The EPA appreciates the leadership Georgia is demonstrating by protecting children from being exposed to lead based paint.

The RRP program mandates that contractors, property managers and people working for compensation in both homes and child occupied facilities.

Michigan

The Department of Treasury in Michigan has made its smoke free air law increase sales tax from 2.73% to 2.84% in taverns with beer and wine only, nightclubs, family restaurants, cafeterias and fast food pizza. Taverns with liquor are seeing 1.57% decrease in year over year sales tax collections. Taverns with beer and wine only have seen 1.54% increase since May.

For information on IAQ policies in these three states, read this article from Ieconnections.com.

For professional help and questions on remediation contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

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Are you a parent that has a child with Asthma? If yes, you should know there is a strong link between Mold and Asthma in children.

Exposure to mold prior to the age of seven greatly raises your child’s risk of developing a lifetime battle with asthma. What is more alarming is that homes with high levels of mold double the risk of a child developing asthma more than a mold-free home. So, if you are a parent with an allergy or asthma, living in a house ridden with mold, your child is at the greatest risk of developing asthma. But you will be happy to hear that indoor air cleaners can greatly reduce household air pollution and lower the rates of daytime asthma symptoms. Indoor air cleaners can ease daytime asthma symptoms more than some anti-inflammatory asthma drugs!

Although indoor air cleaners can lower household air pollution and daytime asthma symptoms, they have not reduced air nicotine levels or counter all detrimental effects of second-hand smoke that can harm children and adults alike.

Asthma affects roughly 9% of school-age children. Rates of asthma are even higher for children from poor, urban families. Asthma results in thousands of deaths and millions of lost work and schools annually in the United States. The Institutes of Medicine and World Health Organization (WHO) discovered in a study on environmental relative moldiness in homes, that dampness, mold and asthma are associated. However, the link between the three has never been quantified.

To learn the details on the study, read this article at Ieconnections.com.

The results of the study concluded that remediation of homes result in significant reductions in emergency medical attention for children with asthma.

For professional help and questions on remediation contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

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Have you experienced mold from heavy rain that has saturated the paper-covered gypsum around the units of your ventilator air intake and relief damper? Was it not a small and limited area of growth? Did it take over your home or office?

When this happens, you must find the primary source of the excess moisture. This source must be permanently eliminated to allow exterior walls stay warm and dry. When a Brick Rain Screen Wall fails you, you can repair and recover. Here are just a few tips on how to repair a failed Brick Rain Screen Wall.

1. Look at your HVAC system relief dampers and outside air intakes on the unit ventilator. Water intrusion into the cavity is often associated with poor flashing details that relate to the HVAC system. You do not have to replace exterior brick, if you can remove mold from within the wall cavity. You can remove mold growth and porous cellulose materials that have been living in the wall cavity. Once you do that, you can rebuild the walls from the inside because the interior spaces are under full containment.
2. Unit Ventilator Outside Air Intake Boot must be redesigned and replaced. The Unit Ventilator Outside Air Intake Boot must be redesigned and replaced because it needs to keep rainwater out of the ventilation system. The air duct outside should be well sealed. When air is drawn from the exterior wall cavity, it creates more molds to thrive in the wall cavity.

For more tips on how to remove mold and rebuild from the interior where a drainage plane behind the brick veneer has failed, read this article on pages 23,25 & 26 from Ieconnections.com. There you will find how to repair and recover from rainwater penetration and mold growth.

Or for professional help and questions on cleaning and restoration of a failed Brick Rain Screen Wall, contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

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If you feel you may have a mold problem in your home, it is important to hire a well-qualified mold remediation service to deal with the outbreak as soon as possible. Mold, while most is harmless, can trigger serious allergic reactions and health problems, such as respiratory distress.

This article from MoldRemovalFacts.com explains the importance of hiring a professional mold contractor.

Mold removal specialists make their living by removing mold and mold damage from homes, offices, schools, etc. There are many companies around who make outlandish claims about their mold remediation prowess. So how can you tell the professional mold cleanup experts from the swindlers?

Well, research.

Talk to friends and family and ask about their experiences with mold remediation specialists, who they would recommend and who they would never use again. Your family’s health is nothing to mess around with, so be sure to hire a qualified, professional contractor, like Advance Mold Remediation.

Advance Mold Remediation is a service-oriented corporation dedicated to thorough, efficient analysis and treatment anywhere mold is an issue.

Our professional mold remediation team consists of certified inspectors, environmental scientists and abatement technicians. Together, we furnish exceptional services which include:

• Initial investigation and thorough testing of mold contamination
• Complete remediation services
• Post-remediation report preparation
• HVAC decontamination
• Final clearance testing

All remediation services at your residence or business are performed by highly trained, skilled technicians who are directly employed by Advance Mold Remediation – never subcontractors. We use procedures and protocols established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), along with our own proven proprietary technologies. Our successes are verified through final clearance testing.

If you have any questions, contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

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Living in a mold free home will benefit your health and make your home more aesthetically pleasing.