Beware, The EPA Scale ERMI To Assess A Home For Mold Is Misleading!
Dont ever think that all research is for the advancement of science. Some research actually impedes progress and makes us go backward. Have you heard about the latest breakthrough on testing a home for mold with a single dust sample? It is based on DNA analysis of the concentrations of 36 species of mold. Sounds very scientific indeed. But is this test practical to test a home for mold? We say it is not. As a result of a research project, EPA researchers devised a scale to assess a home for mold, called ERMI, for EPA Relative Moldiness Index. Then, the EPA patented their so-called new technology, and now the dust sample test along with the ERMI scale is touted as the standard for the field of mold testing. Some background – The EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD), together with the Case Western Reserve University Medical School, conducted a five-year study in the Cleveland area on the effect of mold exposure on children.
