Project: Residential Fungal Assessment
Location: Fresno, California
Client: Confidential Private Individual
Clark Seif Clark, Inc. (CSC) was requested to perform a fungal contamination assessment at a private residential home. A young child in the family experienced repeated, chronic fungal infections after moving into the home, resulting in the loss of an ear bone, and thus loss of hearing in one ear.
CSC approached this fungal contamination assessment as follows:
- Interview with the parents regarding the child’s condition and diagnosis.
- Interview with the parents regarding the condition of the home, including leak history.
- Visual inspection and moisture survey of the home.
- Collection of surface samples from selected locations in the home for cultureable fungal analysis.
- Collection of dust from the home for Environmental Relative Moldiness Index Analysis (ERMI)
- Collection of air samples from the home and outdoors for several hours for Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (QPCR) analysis specific to the type of fungus that caused the child’s infection.
Result: The sample results revealed an amplification in the type of fungus that caused the child’s ear infection inside the home, both in dust and air samples. Sources of water intrusion and associated fungal growth were found during the inspection. CSC recommended that the family vacate the property until repairs could be completed at the home.