WHAT TIME / TEMPERATURE / MOISTURE CONTENT COMBINATIONS ARE EFFECTIVE FOR KILLING MOULD?
There is little information in the literature on killing molds found in indoor environments or on wood per se, but scattered data are available for food-spoiling molds or other wood-inhabiting fungi. Moisture content control alone (i.e., dehydration) will not kill many molds. Establishment of simple killing criteria for molds is confounded by: a) complex interactions between exposure time, temperature and presence of moisture; b) molds have high proportions of spores, a relatively resistant fungal structure; c) a few molds are adapted to warm temperatures (40-50°C) and are innately heat resistant. A temperature of 56°C held for 30 minutes (to be heated at the core) is a scientifically-based criterion that has been adopted as a standard to kill most problem organisms (including fungi) in wood packaging material. While this is adequate for the vegetative state of most molds, it is inadequate for complete mold disinfestation if resistant species are present. However it is a practical comp
