The Stupidity of the Human Race

(I just had to steal a Dr. Bailey line...it seems to fit well here)

The air quality guy came out a few weeks ago and found a couple of things in the air in the crawlspace. I've been saying all along that if no one actually lives in the crawl, what's the point of testing the air there? Anyway, we're told to remove the mold (that a couple of inspectors have said is only a possiblility...not exactly visibly present but I was told that structural engineers are not mold experts - whatever). So I get in contact with a mold removal guy. He asks me questions about how it was found, etc. I tell him that it was found through an air sample. He then says, "I have to ask you a few serious questions to see if the test is even valid. Did they test the air inside the living areas of the home?" No. "Why not?" I tell him that I don't know. He then tells me that because a crawl space is not a sealed environment and is exposed to the elements, you cannot get an accurate reading of mold. He says, "of course there's going to be stuff down there. Crawl spaces are typically damp and dark and are breeding grounds for all sorts of things. It doesn't automatically mean that you need to have anything removed. Unless, of course, it's not coming out of your pocket." I loved that last line. He tells me that typically, the amplification (my new word of the week) must be 10 times greater in the living areas than it is outside for removal to be necessary. He then tells me that I should contact the relo company and if they have any questions he'd be happy to take their phone call.

So, I call our lady. I know she's not happy to hear from me...I know she's not really listening to my voice mails since I left her a message with the guy's name and number and then she e-mailed asking for it! Oh well.

I've been questioning this whole air sample thing from the beginning. Especially so since everything I've read about air test samples says that air samples are unreliable and can fluctuate depending on temperature, season, and a variety of other factors. Which is why the removal guy asked about the samples even being valid. I'm curious to see how this resolves itself.