Protecting Building Occupants and Workers from Exposure to Mold and Other Common Asthma Triggers

Throughout the United States, asthma caused 5.8 million physician office visits and 1.6 million emergency department visits as recently as 2021. Tragically, there were also 4,145 deaths due to asthma the year before. These figures point to the toll asthma has on individuals and families, as well as lost time in classrooms, decreased productivity in the workplace and the tremendous medical costs associated with the disease.

In addition to receiving proper medical care, one of the best ways for asthmatics to manage the disease is to avoid asthma triggers, when possible. Asthma triggers are things that can cause asthma symptoms, cause an episode or attack, or make asthma worse.

One of the more common environmental asthma triggers is mold. While mold is a natural part of the environment, exposure to elevated levels of it in homes, schools, work environments and other places where people spend time can trigger asthma for some asthmatics, and cause various respiratory issues for others.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) states that studies indicate exposure to mold in the workplace can make pre-existing asthma worse. The agency also shares that inhaling or touching mold or mold spores can cause a person to become allergic to mold, and people who do not have allergies can also become irritated.

“Mold can grow or amplify in indoor environments if moisture conditions are uncontrolled. Moisture issues can include wet building materials, damp contents or even elevated humidity,” said Derrick A. Denis, Vice President of Indoor Environmental Quality for Clark Seif Clark (CSC). “Visible mold growth is generally defined as mold amplified to a size visible to the unaided eye. Visible mold growth may exist in readily accessible locations, but can also occur in obstructed inaccessible locations like inside wall cavities, behind furniture or under cabinets. This is why a thorough mold investigation often involves an experienced indoor environmental quality professional with a discerning eye, state-of-the-art tools, various sampling methods and qualified laboratory analysis. At CSC, our industrial hygiene and IEQ professionals offer testing, monitoring and consulting services to identify and mitigate exposure risks to mold and a wide range of other biological and chemical asthma triggers, respiratory irritants and allergens.”

CSC recently sponsored an educational video about mold as an asthma trigger that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/LKb4pVrztM0

To learn more about this or other indoor air quality, building science, occupational, environmental, health and safety services, please visit www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com or call (800) 807-1118.

About Clark Seif Clark
CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both public and private sectors address indoor air quality, occupational, environmental, and health and safety (EH&S) issues. CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering, making them the preferred environmental consultants to industrial clients, healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

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