2021-05-10

Carl Grimes/Healthy Habitats

ERMI mold testing is actually a technical specification for the sampling of dust and the analysis by a qualified lab. If the specification is followed for every sample than the results should be consistent and directly compared to other samples.

The ERMI specification is to vacuum 3’ by 6’ area of carpet in a specific room. Vacuuming a bigger or smaller area, a different floor surface like hardwood floors, or vacuuming a couch or drapes for example is not consistent with the ERMI specification. Inconsistent samples, or samples not following the specification, result in inconsistent results. Inconsistent results cannot be compared to a threshold or to each other.

Likewise, samples collected by wiping door frames, counter tops, fan blades, HVAC vents, the mail box, or the garage door  are NOT comparable to the calculated results based on the vacuuming specification for ERMI. Nor can they compared to each other! They each have a different meaning because they each used a different procedure.

In other words, despite all these differences being called ERMI, the testing and the results are not ERMI. That means we have no idea what those results mean.

Furthermore, if a lab supports or advocates ERMI sampling that does not comply with the ERMI specification, then that lab should supply their validation data for the non-ERMI procedure and justify how they interpret the results. I don’t know of any lab that is doing that. If you do, let me know so I can publish a correction.

Now You Know.