By the time they call me to check out their home, someone is showing signs of illness either asthma or coughing blood. You find the same types of symptoms only not as bad in office buildings because people don t spend as much time there. It s the classic symptom of a sick building. For years, we thought these people were nuts. Now, we know they are the canary in the coal mine.
Moisture causes a lot of the problems.
One hundred percent of the time, if there s moisture in the building, there s mold growing. Typically, it s not one major source of contamination, but rather the synergistic effects of all of the minor sources. In March, I went to China for two weeks as part of the People to People Ambassador Program. We were invited to meet with university professors, government regulators and industry leaders to discuss their industrial hygiene practices. We went to three different cities Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai.