Commercial buildings are increasingly battling mold problems.

By Natalie Kostelni, nkostelni@bizjournals.com
Staff Writer, Philadelphia Business Journal, http://philadelphia.bizjournals.com
February 6, 2004

While mold’s become a common problem in residential properties, it’s now also an issue in commercial buildings — feeding on the “sick building” phenomenon.

Energy-saving construction techniques and cellulose-based and processed-wood building materials with higher paper content help spawn the problem of mold inhabiting and spreading throughout commercial buildings, be it office, industrial or retail. The real threat comes in office and retail properties where people spend a lot of time.

Mold in homes and schools has garnered most of the spotlight, spurred by huge jury awards paid by insurers to people whose homes were overtaken by so-called toxic mold that caused health-related illnesses. In Texas, a jury awarded $32 million three years ago to a woman who suffered from a moldy home.

But the issue isn’t a new one for commercial buildings, said Stephen T. Zeiner, a senior quality assurance chemist at Environmental Standards Inc. This Valley Forge-based consulting firm focuses on environmental chemistry, geoscience services, ecological and human health risk assessment.

“The new aspect of it is that most commercial buildings no longer have open windows, so the ability for buildings to shed moisture reduced,” Zeiner said. “In recent years, the manufacturing of the building materials and the building process has gotten to the point where they are very tight, which means there is very little air movement from the inside and outside.”

The other issue with commercial properties is size. Because most office buildings are bigger than houses, mold can go undetected for a longer period, thus causing even greater damage.

Water is always the culprit.

While water isn’t harmful in and of itself, it’s the length of time it has contact with wood, carpeting, drywall, air conditioning filters, or any other item that could spawn mold spores.

“You have a 48-hour window to get it dry,” said Charlotta Thuander, director of the Philadelphia-based Mid-Atlantic Environmental Hygiene Resource Center, which trains people on detecting mold, remediation, and prevention. “If you don’t take care of it within 48 hours, you are opening up yourself to mold growth.”

Two examples of well-intentioned products that can contribute to the problem include double-paned windows that keep fresh air out and the Tyvek lining used outside of structures. The latter is great for not letting moisture in but, on the downside, if moisture sneaks in, it keeps it there. Even construction during inclement weather can pose a problem. If materials rained or snowed on and then sealed up without completely drying, leftover moisture could ignite a mold problem — enough to eventually compromise a building’s structure.

A defective roof, hidden sources of moisture, or a water emergency such as a flood may cause water to seep into the building, said Joseph M. Manko of Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox. This Bala Cynwyd law firm concentrates on environmental issues.

But that’s only the beginning.

“They clean it up, but did they get it all?” Manko said.

“The moral of the story is to be proactive during the construction of the building and building maintenance,” Zeiner said.

Mold is tricky. Like an allergy to peanuts, not everyone is affected by mold or its spores.

“It’s very person-specific,” Zeiner said.

That has led some observers to roll their eyes at issue and scoff that it’s not a problem.

Yet, insurance companies are taking it seriously. When there is a problem, landlords, brokers, construction companies, engineers, architects, inspectors, and others can be held liable, Manko said.

More and more, with increased injury awards, insurers are adding mold exclusions in their policies, said Howard J. Wein, an environmental attorney with Klett Rooney Lieber & Schorling. A property can still get coverage but at a premium.

Air quality and mold have become a big enough problem for the Environmental Protection Agency to take note of.

The EPA gave a grant to the Mid-Atlantic Environmental Hygiene Resource Center, or MEHRC, in 1992. The grant helped establish the company, which is based in the Science Center. The company is a nationally recognized trainer in indoor air quality. It trains building owners, engineers, facility managers, and even custodians on moisture, mold, water damage, remediation, and related issues, said Thunander. MEHRC is a nonprofit and stresses its independence from special interest groups.

“There was a need for training on this subject,” Thunander said, adding that the center and the EPA teamed up to develop software to help building managers get a handle on indoor air quality programs.

No federal or state agency has limited the amount of mold that is harmful or benign or how long a person is exposed to mold spores without harmful effects.

“The environmental laws are not helpful, and part of the reason is environmental laws don’t deal with indoor health quality,” Wein said.

Not only that, the science on mold, its impact, and indoor health quality isn’t conclusive, he said.

“What will end up happening is the standard of care will go up through litigation and case law,” Manko said.

Before a mold issue ends up in court, experts have some simple advice.

For landlords, regular maintenance and quickly addressing water and moisture issues is necessary. Tenants might want to consider having a landlord test air quality regularly; if they don’t, make such testing part of the lease.