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When do I know if I have a problem?
Some people go into their basement and say "I smell mold!" or they notice what looks like mold growing on the basement walls. Some people experience chronic health problems and become convinced that the air is contaminated. When can a person say that there is something to be concerned about or corrected? Our first steps are: a thorough inspection of the structure, a detailed interview with the resident, and performance of appropriate testing.
When the results are back, we know that you have a problem if the 'rank order of magnitude' is unbalanced. What does this mean? Air samples are all about spore counts, what's in the air and how much of it. Rank order of magnitude is all about the proper order and amounts of spores in the air, both inside and outside your home. Basically, if you have spores A, B, and C outside your home, it would be common to find spores A, B, and C inside too, only in lesser amounts (about 1/3 as a general rule). That means the rank order of magnitude is fine. However, if you find identical spores but at higher levels inside the home than outside, that is an obvious problem with rank order of magnitude. The same can be said if you have spores A, B, and C outside but find spores X, Y, and Z inside the home.
Remember, it is not what you find that determines if you have a problem or not. It is the rank order of magnitude of whatever you find. If you would like to find out if you have a real situation or not, contact us, and a trained air quality specialist will answer your questions and arrange for a complete inspection and interview.
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