Mould Contamination

Mould Guidelines 

Regardless of the type or severity of health effects that may be caused by microbial exposure, mould growth inside a building should be considered unacceptable from a building operations and maintenance standpoint as well as from a health risk standpoint.  In Ontario the Ministry of Labour (MOL) recognized this and in September of 2000 issued an alert regarding mould titled "Mould in Workplace Buildings".  This alert outlined potential health effects caused by mould exposure, causes of mould growth in buildings and the need to properly remediate mould-contaminated building materials.  The requirement for employers to provide a safe and healthy workplace for all employees was indicated by the MOL within this alert by citing section 25(2)(h) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which states that employers are required to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of workers.  This includes protecting workers from mould in workplace buildings.

Further to the MOL alert, several government agencies and special interest groups have developed guidelines for the proper assessment and remediation of fungal-contaminated buildings.  In Canada, recent guidelines have been published by the Canadian Construction Association while in Ontario the Environmental Abatement Council of Ontario (EACO) has also published guidelines.  Several other guidelines have been issued by groups such as Health Canada, the Manitoba Department of Labour, the New York City Department of Health, the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Common to all is the need to remediate contaminated building materials under controlled conditions, with the extent of safety measures employed based partially on the extent of contamination.