Mold Inspection near San Francisco, California

Historical Air Quality Data for San Francisco, California

City of San Francisco, California Housing Code Healthy Homes Provisions

I. Overview

The City of San Francisco, California San Francisco’s Housing Code is as a subset of the City’s Building Inspection Commission (BIC) Codes.   The code includes conditions and standards for residential dwellings (including apartment buildings), hotels, and other lodging

§ 1306.  SANITATION.      

Each room, hallway, passageway, stairway, wall, partition, ceiling, floor, skylight, glass windows, door, carpet, rug, matting, window curtain, water closet compartment or room, toilet room, bathroom, slop-sink room, wash room, plumbing fixture, drain, roof, closet, basement, yard, court, lot, and the premises of every building shall be kept in every part clean, sanitary, and free from all accumulation of debris, filth, rubbish, garbage, vermin, mold and mildew and offensive matter. Those portions of the residential building identified by this Section that can no longer by cleaned or made sanitary shall be replaced in an appropriate manner

EPA GIVES SAN FRANCISCO $100,000 FOR ASTHMA EDUCATION

Release date: 11/6/2000

Contact Information: Leo Kay, U.S. EPA Press Office, 415/744-2201, Dr. Rajiv Bhatia, SF County Dept. of Health, 415/252-3818

     SAN FRANCISCO   The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the San FranciscoCounty Department of Health $100,000 today to help asthma sufferers and their families identify and reduce indoor environmental triggers of asthma.

   The funding will allow project staff to conduct environmental assessments in the homes of some 200 asthma sufferers, and educate them on steps they can take to reduce sources that cause or exacerbate the condition.  County inspectors will perform room-by-room examinations to find potential sources of the individual's environmental asthma triggers, which include dust mites, pet dander, cockroaches, mold, and secondhand smoke.  Simple tools and resources are provided to help clients reduce home allergen levels, such as allergen-impermeable covers for mattresses and pillows, vacuum bags and cleaning supplies.

     San Francisco County has an estimated asthma prevalence 1.5 times the national average, resulting in approximately 15,000 children with asthma in the city of San Francisco.  These rates are highest among African-American children, and rates among Latino and Asian and other children ethnic groups are among the highest in the state.

     "This project will ultimately allow thousands of children in San Francisco to breathe easier just by having families take a few simple steps in the home," said Felicia Marcus, regional administrator for the EPA's Pacific Southwest Office.  "Asthma is awful, but attacks often can be prevented with decent medical care and attention to the home environment.  We look forward to working with the county department of health to get this project underway."

     "The San Francisco Department of Public Health is enthralled about this opportunity to help improve the home environments of San Francisco residents with asthma," said Dr. Rajiv Bhatia, director, Occupational and Environmental Health Sections of the Department of Public Health, SanFrancisco.  "These resources from the EPA will assist us in ensuring that our work can reach those most in need and can developed in a manner that is cost-effective, sustainable, and  consistent with the daily realities of our clients who live with low incomes and  limited housing opportunities."

     "San Francisco Healthy Homes for Healthy Airways" will involve about 200 subjects and be completed in two years.  The project builds on current home-based educational interventions by the Children's Environmental Health Promotion Section of the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Environmental Health Section by adding evaluation tools to assess the effectiveness and sustainability of low cost, client-maintained strategies for in-home environmental asthma trigger management.

     Referrals are received from a network of health care providers affiliated with the San FranciscoDepartment of Health's health care delivery system, including San Francisco General Hospital and seven neighborhood health clinics that provide primary care to many low-income families in SanFrancisco.

     San Francisco was one of only two cities nationwide to receive funding under this EPA program.  Philadelphia was the other.

EPA orders pest control company to stop selling illegal pesticide

Release date: 12/8/2003

Contact Information: Wendy L. Chavez, (415) 947-4248

SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with assistance from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, last week ordered the owner of the Diamond Company of Grover Beach, Calif. to immediately stop selling an unregistered pesticide product.

The company owner sold and distributed from its Web site a product called, "Siamon's MoldControl," which was never registered with the EPA. The company made several public health claims that its product eliminated or inactivated mold, bacteria, fungus and viruses. Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, the EPA requires products that make these claims to be registered with the agency and provide data proving their effectiveness.

"Without EPA registration, we have no information on the ingredients and possible effects of this product, which could result in harm to public health and the environment," said Enrique Manzanilla, director of the EPA's Cross Media Division for the Pacific Southwest region. "It is the company's responsibility to register its pesticides with the EPA."

If the Diamond Company fails to comply with the EPA order issued on Dec. 4, it will face criminal action or civil fines.

The EPA will not register a pesticide until tests show that it will not pose an unreasonable risk when used according to the directions. The agency also ensures that pesticide labels provide consumers with the information they need to use the products safely. Pesticides that have been registered with the agency will have an EPA registration number on the label.

The EPA's action was based on an investigation of Web sites that sell or distribute illegal or unregistered pesticide products.

For more information, visit: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/7/ch6.html

U.S. EPA presents Mt. Whitney High School student national air quality award

Release date: 11/13/2003

SAN FRANCISCO - Wayne Nastri, regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, today presented Mt. Whitney High School senior Emily Fulmer a National Excellence Award for improving indoor air quality using the EPA "Tools for Schools" program.

Fulmer, along with classmates Aaron Drake and Chelsea Nycum, received national recognition for founding the school's Applied Environmental Science Working Group and introducing the Tools for Schools program to students and teachers.

Additionally, Nastri presented a school-wide Tools for School award to Henry Pasquini, Principal of Mt. Whitney High School.

"These students have taken the EPA's Tool's for Schools program and shown how it can not only benefit their school, but the entire district," said Nastri "The challenging Central Valley air problem will benefit from these kinds of innovative efforts by everyone."

"Tools for Schools is a tremendous value to us providing a healthy and safe learning and working environment for the students and staff of Visalia Unified School District," said Mark Fulmer, assistant superintendent Visalia Unified School District. "The support provided by EPA staff has enabled us to implement a comprehensive program serving all schools in the District."

Mold, mildew, dust, animal dander, radon, secondhand smoke, asbestos, and formaldehyde can affect indoor air quality and trigger various allergies and asthma. Asthma alone accounts for 14 million missed school days each year. The rate of asthma in young children has risen by 160 percent in the last 15 years, and today one out of every 13 school age children has asthma.

The EPA's Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools kit is a voluntary program teachers, administrators and students can use to evaluate and indoor air quality. The program is a comprehensive resource that can help schools maintain a healthy environment in buildings, by identifying, correcting, and preventing indoor air quality problems. Nearly 56 million people in the United States spend their day in our nation's elementary and secondary schools. According to the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics in 1999, 43 percent of American schools--about 33,800--reported at least one unsatisfactory environmental condition.

Since the creation of the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools program, more than 10,000 schools across the country have voluntarily become involved. The program teaches schools how to identify, resolve, and prevent indoor air quality problems through low- and no-cost measures. The program explains indoor air quality management, facility planning and maintenance, financing, communications, and emergency response. The kit also includes easy-to-use checklists for all school personnel, sample management plans, and a unique indoor air problem solving wheel.

U.S. EPA Applauds Fresno Teachers and School District for Commitment to Indoor Air Quality in Schools

Release date: 11/14/2002

Contact Information: Lisa Fasano, U.S. EPA, (415) 947-4307

     SAN FRANCISCO   Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency applauded the Fresno Teachers Association and the Fresno Unified School District for their district-wide commitment towards improving and protecting air quality in Fresno Schools by adopting the EPA's indoor air quality Tools for Schools program.  

      One hundred and fifty Fresno schools teachers, staff and nurses participated in an EPA-sponsored day-long indoor air quality Tools for Schools training workshop today at Bullard High School.  A memorandum agreement was signed by the EPA, the FTA and FUSD which outlines the goal of assuring the best achievable indoor air quality in Fresno schools by implementing the voluntary program.  A "Great Start" certificate awarded to both the teachers and the district by the EPA marked the kick-off of the Tools for Schools program in the district's 99 schools and nearly 4,000 classrooms.
  
     "This is a great partnership by the Fresno Teachers Association and the Fresno Unified School District to improve schools' indoor air," said Jack Broadbent, EPA's air division director for the Pacific Southwest region.  "Working together to implement the Tools for Schools program I'm confident the teachers and the district will improve classroom air quality creating a better teaching and learning environment for Fresno's children."

     "After working almost two years on improving classroom air quality, the Fresno Teachers Association is extremely pleased that the EPA saw Fresno's need and agreed to work with FTA to make this program a reality," said FTA President Sherry Wood. "There is an ongoing commitment from FTA's 4,600 teacher, nurse, librarian and speech therapist members to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for our students and we ask the community to join FTA in making that commitment to our children."

     "We are committed to our focus of ensuring maximum health and safety for our students and staff and have been a statewide leader in environmental issues related to schools," said Santiago Wood, FUSD Superintendent, "The Valley's air quality is a huge challenge and our children are most susceptible to long-term exposure to polluted air.  Monitoring our indoor air quality through the Tools for Schools program is an important measure in ensuring the best learning environment."

      Nationally, 10 million school days are lost each year due to asthma. The Fresno Unified School District is the fourth largest in the state educating 82,000 students.  The Tools for Schools program helps teachers and staff identify environmental asthma triggers within classrooms and the low-cost steps that can improve indoor air quality in schools to prevent future problems. 

     Indoor air quality expert, Dr. Richard Shaughnessy, University of Tulsa, led the day's session by introducing the audience to the problems associated with poor indoor air quality and the practical solutions to maintaining a healthy environment in the classroom.  

     Typical findings from a school indoor air quality walk-through include:
     - artwork covering thermostats
     - improperly operating ventilation systems
     - roof leaks
     - classroom arrangements that make custodial work difficult
     - carpeting in areas that cannot be properly maintained
     - overzealous carpet cleaning resulting in soaked carpets and padding and potential moldgrowth.

     Today's training will provide teachers and staff with the tools to identify and minimize potential air quality problems in the classroom and a system for reporting them.

    To learn more about the EPA's Tools for Schools program visit the agency's website at:http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/index.html .

     For more information regarding indoor air quality at home visit:
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/homes/index.html .

     Or contact the EPA's Tools for Schools coordinator, Shelly Rosenblum at (415) 947-4193 or you can email questions to: rosenblum.shelly@epa.gov

Respiratory Mold Allergy - A 12 Months Atmospheric Survey in San Francisco

WILLIAM C. DEAMER, M.D., San Francisco, AND HERBERT W. GRAHAM, Ph.D., Oakland

CONSIDERABLE evidence of the importance of mold allergy in the etiology of some cases ofasthma and allergic rhinitis has accumulated in medical literature. There are a number of clinical reports in which atmospheric contamination by mold spores has been shown to be a factor in producing allergic respiratory symptoms.  These studies have chiefly incriminated two molds, Alternaria and Hormodendron. Not only have these two molds been the most frequent clinical offenders but they have usually been the most abundant numerically in atmospheric surveys made in various parts of the United States. The present study was undertaken because of the suggested importance of the problem and the paucity of available data relating to the Pacific Coast.  From a theoretical point of view San Franciscowould appear to be a city where atmospheric mold spores might be found in abundance. An average annual rainfall of over 20 inches falling in the winter months and frequent fogs in the summer periodgive a rather damp climate. The temperature is usually moderate and rarely falls to freezing levels. Our object was to determine the type of mold spores present in the atmosphere and to obtain data on their relative frequency.

METHODS

Both the culture method and the slide method were used in this study. Standard size Petri dishes containing Difco Sabauraud's medium were exposed twice a week for half an hour on a southern window ledge outside of the fifth floor of the clinic building on the campus of the University of Cali·fornia Medical School in San Francisco. The building is partially protected from the prevailing westwind by a forested hillside. In addition Vaseline coated slides were exposed daily for 24 hours onthe same window ledge. The Petri dishes were mailed to Mills College, Oakland, immediately after exposure. Once a week the vaseline slides exposed during the preceding seven days were also sent to Mills College where both slides and Petri dishes were examined by one of us (H.W.G.). The colonies which developed on the Petri dishes were counted and identified as to genus. The slides were examined microscopically over an area of 5.3 square millimeters and insofar as possible' the spores present on that area were counted. No attempt was made to identify spores by genera on the slide.  Ten culture plates were exposed during the study at another area in San Francisco in the Marin a residential district, and five more were also exposed in Sacramento, California.

RESULTS

Our survey indicates that Hormodendron spores are the' most common in the abnosphere. in SanFrancisco and that Alternaria spores are rarelypresent. Table I indicates the various genera identifiedon the Petri dishes in their order of frequencyand it covers the entire 12-month period of October,1942, through September, 1943. It will be seenthat almost 60 per cent of all colonies were Hormodendronand only 2.4 per cent were Alternaria. Asalready mentioned these two molds are those towhich the greatest clinical importance has been attached.Other molds have not appeared to be clinicaloffenders nearly so often. Numerically, in additionto Hormodendron, one other mold has a prominentplace in Table 1, namely Penicillium. Justover 19 per cent of the colonies were of this genus.While several other molds were identified, none ofthem appeared in any considerable number.

Figure 1 shows the average daily number of all types of colonies found on the Petri dishes. It also indicates the number out of this total which were Hormodendron and Penicillium.  As a check on how representative the main station at the Medical School was, plates were occasionally exposed to outside air in a section of San Francisco considerably removed from the school.  

Ten such plates exposed at different times of the year did not demonstrate any significant differenceeither in number or type of colonies. They grew 109 colonies of which 65 per cent were Hormodendron, 22 per cent Penicillium and none Alternaria. A few plates were also exposed 90 miles distant in Sacramento where there is less dampness and a hot summer characteristic of the interior California valleys. Here again Hormodendron was the most common colony on the Petri dishes, over 80 percent being of this genus. Penicillium was again the second most common and Alternaria occurred in only 2.2 per cent of the colonies. This suggests considerable uniformity' in the areas studied.

Figure 1 shows that no marked seasonal incidencewas found in respect to either the total number of colonies or the genera Hormodendron and Penicillium. This is in contrast with some other reports such as those from Boston 11 and Chicago 1 where the period from May through November is one of considerable increase in abnospheric spores. Durham,5 referring to the United States generally, makes the statement that 90 per cent of the total yearly crop of Hormodendron and Alternaria spores is found between November and May inclusive-a seven-month period. This did not hold true of our study where· only 72 per cent of the combined Hormodendron-Alternaria crop fell in that period. If there were no seasonal fluctuation present at all, 58 per cent of the crop would be expected in the period. This lack of a clear-cut seasonal fluctuation obviously makes more difficult the detection of a clinical mold sensitivity by history.

The total number of colonies per Petri dish wasnot high. Comparison with other reports is difficult and of doubtful significance as so many uncontrolled factors are involved.  It is of interest nevertheless to note that in our study the average number of colonies grown per Petri dish after 30 minutes exposure was 16.4 at the main station at the Medical School and 11 for the 10 plates exposed elsewhere in San Francisco. A comparable period of exposure in Chicago and Boston, as nearly as can be determined from the reports, yielded about 39 and 15 colonies respectively.

Figure 1.-Mold Counts In San Francisco (1942-1943). Total mold colonies are shown by the solid line. Hormodendron colonies are indicated by the broken line and Penicillin colonies by the dotted line. The average number of colonies resulting from a thirty-minute exposure is shown, calculated for semi-monthly periods.

ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS

We exposed Vaseline coated slides daily in addition to employing the Petri dish method, and attempted to make spore counts directly from the microscopic examination of these slides. Some investigators have used this method exclusively not only to count the spores but to identify them, and claim to differentiate as many as eight genera by slide alone. It is our feeling that identification of most genera is not possible by this method and that the method is very unreliable at best. Indeed an experienced mycologist may not be able to determinewhether a bit of material he is studying ona slide is a mold spore or a bit of dust of totally different origin. Spores of some genera are typical when completely developed but not recognizable when present in a poorly developed form as is frequently the case. This makes counting the spores difficult, quite apart from their classification. Inaddition, slide counting is made even more unreliableby the tendencv of some spores to cluster.  This same factor would, of course, also make colony counts on plates inaccurate.

In the light of these facts, we were not surprised to find a poor numerical correlation between slides and cultureplates when each was calculated on a "spore persquare millimeter per 24 hour" basis. The plates showed one spore per square millimeter and the slides three tenths of a spore when calculated in this manner. Thus, the number of spores as calculated by the plate method was over three times that indicated by the slide method.

This report deals with the presence of mold spores in the atmosphere over a period of one year and does not attempt to evaluate their clinical importancein causing allergic symptoms. This has been established already, particularly by Feinberg. It is possible, however, that molds are of considerably greater importance in one part of the country than in another. From our survey it can be assumed that Alternaria, which appears to be the most important mold in a large section of the United States, can probably be ignored as a general atmospheric contaminant in San Francisco, and that Hormodendron is present in sufficient amount to have potential clinical importance.

At first glance, rather different deductions might be made from the data we obtained on scratch tests, (Table 2) in which almost twice as many positive reactions to Alternaria occurred as to Hormodendron. Eighteen per cent of 107 patients with respiratory complaints in the Children's Allergy Clinic gave positive scratch tests to Alternaria while 9.3 per cent (four) of 43 patients had positive scratch tests to Hormodendron. The implied inconsistency of being exposed more intensely to Hormodendron spores and reacting more frequently to skin tests with Alternaria may not be as great as it appears. Feinberg' considers Hormodendronand Alternaria, which are closely related members of the family Dematiacere, to have a common antigenic factor, even though other factors specific for each of the two genera may possibly also be present. Alternaria extracts are frequently more potent in respect to the common factor than are Hormodendron extracts. This could explain an increased incidence of Alternaria reactions in individuals sensitized by Hormodendron. In support of this possibility in the present instance, all four patients who reacted to Hormodendron also reacted to Alternaria.

Also to be considered is the possibility that the atmosphere in our patients' homes may have contained more Alternaria spores than we found in the outside air. Petri dishes exposed in the homes of several patients who gave positive skin tests to Alternaria, however, did not indicate a greater incidence of Alternaria spores in these homes.

SUMMARY

1. A report is made on the type and frequency of mold spores found over a one-year period in the atmosphere of San Francisco.

2. Alternaria spores were shown to be relatively absent, while Hormodendron was the most common spore found. These two molds are probably of chief clinical importance in other sections of the United States.

3. No striking seasonal incidence of mold spores was found. This makes recognition of the patient with respiratory complaints due to mold sensitivity more difficult than would be the case if a clear-cut seasonal incident were present.

REFERENCES

1. Bernstein,T. B. and Feinberg, S. M.: AirborneFungus Spores: A Five Year Snrvey of Daily Mold SporeContent of Chicago Air, J. Allergy,.13:231 (March), 1942.2. Bemton. H. S.: Asthma Due to a Mold-AspergillusFumigatus, J.A.M.A., 95:189 (July 19), 1930.3. Bemton,. H. S. and Thom,' C.: The Importance ofMolds as Allergic Excitants in Some Cases of VasomotorRhinitis, J. Allergy, 4:114 (Jan.), 1933.4. Dimond, N. S. and Thompson, K. W.: AirborneFungi in New Haven, Connecticut, Yale J. BioI. & Med.,14:395 (March), 1942.5. Durham, O. C.: in Allergy in Practice by S. M.Feinberg, The Yearbook Publishers, page 274, 1944.6. Feinberg, S. M.: Seasonal Hay Fever and AsthmaDue to Molds, 'I.A.M.A., 107:1861 (Dec. 5), 1936.