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Methods of Mold Sampling
Jason Yost • January 22, 2025
Methods of Mold Sampling & Analysis: Part 1 Methods of Mold Sampling
Frequently, people calling our office will ask what kind of mold sampling and analysis methods we offer. This is a good question, because the type of sampling and analysis performed should be directly related to the purpose of the assessment and the assessment’s needs to provide for that purpose. So, in this blog, I want to share with you some of the most popular ways mold is sampled (by industrial hygienists and mold assessors) and analyzed (by an accredited laboratory).
The Purpose of the Sample:
Before anyone collects a mold sample, they should have a clear reason to collect it (e.g., what question will the sample answer?). Without purpose, the mold sample may not provide for the purpose of your assessment. Once that purpose is defined, the method of sampling will be clear to the assessor. Note that no one sample is the preferred method of sampling for mold; rather, each method provides for a different need of the assessor (to answer a question related to the purpose of the assessment). If someone tells you that one method is absolute or attempts to sell you a testing methodology before coming to an understanding of your needs or the needs of the assessment, you may want to look for someone else. Without a competent person, without bias or conflict of interest, you may be left with more liabilities than before you hired that assessor. (This is something I hope to go into more in a later installment of this series.)
Methods of Sampling:
A number of environmental sampling methods are used to assess whether an unwanted or abnormal mold-related condition exists in a given area. The four principal collection techniques include:
- Collecting a bulk (e.g., a piece of wall drywall) from a surface. There are many reasons this may be performed (e.g., the surface has been sprayed or wiped, but a mold-related structure is suspected in the surface, or multiple methods of laboratory analysis may be desired from one surface). While this method of sampling does provide some unique benefits, it also has the con of damaging the material being sampled.
- Collecting some dust from a surface (e.g., the floor or ventilation system). This method of sampling is often performed to determine the accumulated particulate matter (i.e., a term describing a group of particles, such as insect fragments, mold spores, pollen, fibrous particles, skin fragments, and other particles) that has settled on the surface (from the air) over time.
- Tape-lifts or swab sampling (also referred to as wipe sampling). This methodology of sampling may be used to prove observed mold colonization in a given material or clarify if an abnormal surface mold spore population (i.e., the types and quantity of mold spores on a given surface whose identity, location, and quantity are not reflective of typical settled mold spores for a similar indoor environment) exists on/in a given material.
- Air sampling. As you’ve seen with surface sampling, there are many ways to sample the air for mold, each method with its own set of strengths and weaknesses. It’s extremely important that your assessor be competent enough to determine which method is best suited to the purpose of the air sampling; otherwise, you may waste your money having the sample(s) performed. In a later blog, I will discuss this more.
The Gulf Coast Center for Indoor Air Quality Services offers all of these sampling methodologies, and provides college-educated, Council-certified and accredited industrial hygienists and mold assessors to ensure the appropriate sampling methodology is performed to achieve the purpose of your assessment needs. For more information, contact us for a no-obligation review of your needs.
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