ATLANTA—In today’s marketplace, a green building means an energy efficient, healthy building, but nothing can tarnish that sparkling image faster than indoor mold growth. Lenders and insurers as well as building owners and managers know that when mold takes hold, it can cause deterioration of building materials, which can be expensive and inconvenient to replace. Indoor mold growth also can become a source of indoor air pollutants, which can lead to serious health problems, including allergic reactions and asthma attacks.
To help take the guesswork out of selecting building materials that resist mold growth and to support product manufacturers in their efforts to provide products that meet this critical need, Air Quality Sciences (AQS) has developed a unique test method that reliably predicts the ability of newly manufactured building materials to resist mold growth. This method also can be used to qualify products for the new Greenguard Microbial Resistance Listing Program.
Unlike other ASTM test methods used to evaluate microbial resistance, the AQS mold resistance test method provides quantitative results across a wide variety of building materials, within a reasonable amount of time and under conditions favorable for indoor mold growth. Once tested, a newly manufactured product receives a performance rating, based on a quantitative growth of mold colonies during testing. Products measured to be resistant are eligible to be listed under the new Greenguard program.
Resource for Specifiers, Contractors
“This publicly available listing of mold resistant products, which may be found on the Greenguard website (www.greenguard.org), is an invaluable resource for specifiers, contractors, builders and others who may use these products,” says Marilyn S. Black, PhD, CEO and chief scientist of AQS.
The test method that supports this rating system, Method For Measuring Microbial Resistance From Various Sources Using Static Environmental Chambers, is based on ASTM D 6329-98 (2003), Standard Guide for Developing Methodology for Evaluating the Ability of Indoor Materials to Support Microbial Growth Using Static Environmental Chambers, which was developed for the study of indoor materials. AQS conducted a rigorous trial of the test method, followed by a yearlong pilot study of various products.
The final pilot study report is also available to download at no cost by visiting the Reports & Studies tab of the Resources page on the Greenguard website. A white paper that provides perspective on the usefulness of this new test method and rating system is currently available in the White Paper tab of the Premium Content page of the AQS – Aerias IAQ Resource Center website (www.aerias.org).
