News | August 3, 2007

AIHA Hosts Mold Assessment, Remediation, And Prevention TeleWeb

Fairfax, VA - The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) will host "Mold Assessment, Remediation, and Prevention: Applying Current Best Practices," an introductory TeleWeb Virtual Seminar, on September 19, 2007, from 2–4:30 p.m. EST. Mold exposure in buildings is a major problem in today's society. Besides damaging property, mold exposure can cause various health effects, depending on the susceptibility of individual occupants. Today there are liability issues with few regulatory or professional guidelines to reasonably address moldy buildings.

Featured speakers include Philip Morey, PhD, CIH, director of microbiology at Boelter Associates, Inc.; J. David Miller, PhD, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council research chair on fungal toxins and allergens at the department of chemistry at Carleton University; Ling Ling Hung, PhD, leads the Environmental Microbiology Laboratory of the Environmental Health Program at the U.S. Public Health Service, Division of Federal Occupational Health in Philadelphia; and Clifford Mitchell, MD, MPH, director of Environmental Health Coordination and Residency Program at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Participants will receive the AIHA guideline Assessment, Remediation, and Post-Remediation Verification of Mold in Buildings, 2004. There are many factors related to the construction, operation, and maintenance of buildings that contribute to creation of mold exposures in buildings. During this TeleWeb, the presenters will discuss:

  • Health effects of mold: What's known and what's currently being researched
  • Mold biology
  • Assessment of mold in buildings
  • When to sample and when not to
  • Sampling techniques
  • Development of remediation criteria
  • Factors to address during remediation
  • Remediation validation procedures
  • Postremediation follow-up practices

Attendees will learn to:

  • Identify what is known about health concerns associated with mold exposure and what aspects require further scientific research
  • Understand the biological nature of common mold species found in buildings and the various ecological factors they need to grow
  • Identify techniques to investigate buildings for mold exposure, how to determine when sampling for mold is appropriate, and to determine appropriate remediation strategies
  • Determine some critical operations and maintenance activities necessary to prevent the growth of mold on surfaces within buildings

TeleWeb Virtual Seminars deliver cutting-edge educational content live via the Internet and telephone from the convenience of an attendee's home or office; multiple attendees can participate for the cost of a single registration. Since TeleWebs debuted in 2000, nearly 12,000 individuals have used this convenient and cost-effective format to further their education and careers.

Participants need Internet access and a telephone, or just a phone, to be part of these live educational events. Additionally, an archive copy of the TeleWeb will be available on CD for purchase.

To register for "Mold Assessment, Remediation, and Prevention: Applying Current Best Practices," please call toll free at (800) 651-7916, or register online at http://www.aiha.org/Content/CE/DL/MoldAssessmentTeleWeb.htm. AIHA members who register by September 3, 2007, can attend the TeleWeb for $295, nonmembers for $325. After September 3, tuition will be an additional $75 for both members and nonmembers. Every site registered will receive materials prepared by the course presenter, which may be duplicated for each participant.

Please contact Stacey Talbot, AIHA's program manager for distance learning, at (703) 846-0749 or stalbot@aiha.org with questions regarding TeleWeb Virtual Seminars or AIHA's Distance Learning Program. For more information, including system requirements, please visit http://www.aiha.org/TeleWeb.htm.

SOURCE: American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)