Garden Grove, CA, July 28th, 2015
Last month, California’s KTLA reported on a nightmare situation faced by a family in Pomona. According to the news report, the family first noticed a substance oozing in their home that they attempted to remove, but it kept returning. The family had multiple companies come to inspect the home to try and locate any water leaks or other causes that could be behind the unusual situation.
No leaking pipes or other moisture sources were found, so the family decided to open the wall and discovered mold inside the wall cavity. The fungus that was discovered is commonly known as Poria and it is not new to California. As far back as 1998, the Los Angeles Times published an article about Poria destroying wood materials in people’s homes. The article quoted a UC Riverside professor as stating that Poria is the most devastating wood-decay fungus of houses.
Wood rot and decay fungi can occur in any structure built from wood when there are suitable temperatures and enough moisture is present from the air or other sources. These fungi use the wood as a food source and cause decay by breaking down its fibers. They are classified based on the type of decay they cause and the most well-known types include brown rot, white rot and soft rot.
“It’s important that these types of fungi are identified early to prevent costly damage that can even create structural hazards over time,” said Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager at LA Testing’s Garden Grove facility. “Many more common types of fungi, often referred to as mold, are also found in homes and buildings that primarily grow on the surface of materials. These types of fungi often appear after a flooding event, plumbing leak or because of elevated humidity levels. These surface fungi are also frequently associated with indoor air quality issues and health concerns. At LA Testing, we provide a comprehensive range of analytical services for all types of fungi from surface, bulk material and air samples.”
LA Testing has sponsored an educational video about wood-decay, rot and surface fungi that can be seen at:
http://youtu.be/47rQYoETWm4.
To learn more about mold testing, indoor environmental quality or other health and safety issues, please visit
www.LATesting.com, email
info@LATesting.com or call (800) 755-1794.
About LA Testing
LA Testing is California’s leading laboratory for indoor air quality testing of asbestos, mold, lead, VOCs, formaldehyde, soot, char, ash and smoke damage, particulates and other substances. In addition, LA Testing offers a full range of air sampling and investigative equipment to professionals and the general public. LA Testing maintains an extensive list of accreditations including: AIHA LAP LLC., AIHA ELLAP, AIHA EMLAP and AIHA IHLAP, CDC ELITE, NVLAP, State of California, State of Hawaii Department of Health and other states. LA Testing, along with the EMSL Analytical, Inc. network, has multiple laboratories throughout California including South Pasadena, Garden Grove, San Leandro and San Diego.
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