Dear Dr. Ed: I have a child who lives with asthma and is under physicians care. He has good days and bad days. We are trying to understand what triggers an attack but so far we have not had much luck. Some time ago you wrote about a new indoor test that can determine if a home is somehow influencing an asthma event. Can you please revisit this topic? — Mrs. Paul M., Naples
Dear Mrs. M: You are referring to the new EPA test called ERMI. There has been considerable news surrounding this test of late, and in the fall Roche Diagnostics, a division of Roche Pharmaceutical, will be launching a national awareness campaign.
The EPA developed this analytical method that extracts the DNA from household dust and then analyzes the DNA for specific molds linked by the EPA to incidents of Asthma.
The homeowner will be able to use the wand attachment from their vacuum cleaners and slip a small dust collector on the end. The homeowner then vacuums two rooms in the house for five minutes each and sends the dust collector to an EPA-licensed lab for analysis. It takes about five to seven days for the lab to complete the analysis, and then the homeowner receives the results via the Internet, fax or regular mail. The lab report compares the home against the EPA database developed during its five-year study. Your home will get a score that is easy to read and understand. You will then know if you are in the low, moderate or high level for those molds associated with asthma and sinusitis. This does not replace physician’s care but may help you know if your home has developed a fungus that could be exacerbating an occupant’s condition. Our laboratory is heavily involved in continuing research on ERMI and is working with Roche and the EPA.
Dear Dr. Ed: We had a sewer backup in our home last month that allowed water to spill from our bathroom into our master bedroom. We still have a slight offensive odor and wonder if there could be any harmful by products left over from this backup? — Ed P., Fort Myers
Dear Mr. P.: The primary concern from a sewer backup is bacteria and in particular E-Coli. If you still have an odor present, I would immediately contract with a professional contractor and have the bathroom evaluated for the presence of residual water/moisture and would have a simple E-Coli test taken in the bathroom and master bedroom area for the presence of this bacteria.
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Dr. Edward Sobek, Ph.D., is director of research and development for Clean Air Laboratory and is responsible for developing new technologies that will be beneficial to mold inspectors and mold remediators as well as the entire indoor air quality (IAQ) industry. Sobek is also a nationally recognized expert in mycology (fungi).
If you have questions regarding mold, mold inspections, water intrusion or other indoor air quality issues as they relate to residential and commercial properties, visit www.cleanairinspections.com and click on the Ask Dr. Ed icon.
For those without Internet connections, questions may be asked by calling 239-333-3506 or by writing to: Ask Dr. Ed, C/O 9180 Estero Park Commons Blvd., Suite 6, Estero, FL 33928.
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