Basically, the answer is yes: mold testing is highly reliable and extremely accurate. Air sampling is the most common laboratory test used in indoor environmental assessments. There is a good reason for that. Air sampling is the most accurate method for determining exposure.
While a belt lifter can accurately determine if mold growth is present on a particular surface, it won't tell you if that mold growth has actually affected indoor air quality. Only an air sample can achieve this. Most mold inspections are usually a waste of time and money, although mold inspection companies will never tell you this. It turns out that once you can see the mold, there's nothing else you need to do other than get rid of it.
Concerned homeowners call on professionals who perform mold testing to identify the precise species of mold in their home. If you have visible mold in your home, your priority should be to eliminate it, as it is likely to be harmful to your health and to the overall value and comfort of your home. A customer was trying to install built-in bookshelves and, after removing a sheet of rock, found mold growth on the outer lining. An article on the health effect of mold published in the Issues section of the New York Times recommended that homeowners use home testing kits to detect the presence of mold.
As soon as the mold is visible, it's time to call removal specialists, instead of worrying about whether it's a toxic variety or not. The mold test report indicates that the outdoor air had a higher mold spore count than the air inside the house. One of the tasks of a mold inspection professional is to perform a visual inspection of the mold to determine what might be causing it. They do not determine the type of mold present, much less the number of water intrusion molds present.
One of the reasons the EPA doesn't recommend taking mold samples, in general, is that there are currently no officially recognized guidelines for acceptable levels of mold in the home. Fungal DNA analysis that detects 13 species of mold and provides a mold index of the analyzed building. Mold sampling should be performed by professionals with specific experience in designing mold sampling protocols, sampling methods, and interpreting the results. In these situations, an airborne mold test can be extremely useful in determining the spread of those mold spores.
Mold assessments help identify if there really is mold in the environment and to detect the areas closest to the source. Most mold tests are almost always positive because they detect mold in every home.
