ASHRAE TO HOST SATELLITE WEBCAST ON MOLD

ATLANTA — Concerns about mold in the building environment are no longer limited to just humid environments or North America, says the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Mold is now a global concern for designers, contractors, building owners/operators, and building occupants.

Information on how to properly control moisture and humidity conditions in order to minimize mold will be presented in an April 13, 2005, satellite broadcast and Webcast, “Mold in Our Building Environment,” offered by ASHRAE. The program is sponsored by ASHRAE’s Chapter Technology Transfer Committee (CTTC).

“Moisture management and humidity control require a team effort during the design, construction, startup, and operation phases of a facility,” said Wilfred Laman, chair of CTTC, P.Eng. “If any part of the team fails to perform their tasks in proven and prescribed methods, the facility may promote mold formation and growth. This broadcast will be beneficial to all team members by describing how each should perform their tasks properly.”

The level of interest in mold has also expanded to the legal profession due to the claim that “mold is gold” based upon recent jury awards in mold-related cases, according to Laman.

For situations where mold is present, various proven assessment and remediation processes will be addressed for different types of facilities. Speakers will include biological, chemical, investigative and health experts, design architects, engineers, and contractors who specialize in mitigation.

Program and site registration details will be announced soon. Questions and requests for site registration materials may be emailed to CTTC-SatelliteBroadcast@ashrae.org.

More information about ASHRAE’s work on mold and moisture can be found at www.ashrae.org.