ATLANTA, GA — (Marketwired) — 07/17/13 — recently did a story on a local couple that was upset about how indoor mold growth was handled in their apartment.
The couple first noticed what they thought was dirt on their bathroom wall but once it returned after cleaning, they had a good idea that it was mold. Management was notified and they did respond by trying to fix the problem. A maintenance worker replaced the damaged drywall and painted everything. Then the issues came back and the Ausburns were unhappy with how things were handled. They brought Channel 2 news in hopes of forcing the management company to take action. MI&T was also hired to perform mold testing and offer their expertise on the situation. A surface sample was performed on the visible growth in the already renovated bathroom. That sample was sent to an independent lab for analysis and came back positive for the species of mold called stachybotrys, otherwise known as Toxic Black Mold. According to an MI&T representative, stachybotrys is a slow growing mold that is an indicator of a long standing problem. Air samples were also taken and indicated the indoor air quality had elevated levels of mold.
When asked to assess the current situation, the owner of MI&T Adam Pacha offered the following statement. “This appears to be a case where the management is simply uneducated about how to treat mold problems. They were notified about the problem and did attempt to fix it, but a mold remediation is more complicated than simply cutting out the old drywall and replacing it with new material. What needs to happen is removing contaminated materials, stop the water leak within the wall, clean and treat the entire area with antimicrobial solutions and sealants. Since stachybotrys and other mold species do have the potential to cause health problems, all this work should be done in a contained area with negative pressure and air scrubbers running to filter mold spores in the air. Every worker should be wearing personal protective equipment to avoid contact with the mold. If you have a real mold problem and fail to get a professional to remediate it, you run the risk of it coming back.”
Management has followed up on the news story stating it has responded to every request of the Ausburns and will once again reassess the situation at their apartment. According to Adam from MI&T, “how they respond the 2nd time around will be the true indicator of whether they are being negligent or are simply misinformed and were simply doing their best to fix the problem the first time around.”
If you are in Atlanta and experiencing mold problems, having an inspector independent from the restoration process perform testing is the best first step to take whether you are a landlord, tenant, or owner. This way you get an unbiased opinion about what is going on and have evidence of whether or not a problem exists. For more information please visit
Adam Pacha
404-907-3097