Mold Information: (425) 339-8721
Phone:(425) 339-5250
Email: flequestions@shd.snohomish.wa.gov
Office Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Food and Living Environment Section > Indoor Air Quality and Mold
Indoor Air Quality
The Snohomish Health District provides information to improve indoor air quality; however are unable to provide
consulting or sampling of indoor air quality. Indoor air pollution is a growing concern because people can spend
as much as 90% of their time indoors. People can either suffer an immediate reaction or have a reaction due to
long-term exposure to poor indoor air quality. Indoor air pollution can come from many different sources,
these include mold, tobacco smoke, pet dander, toxic cleaning chemicals, etc… There are very few regulations
that apply to correcting indoor air quality problems; the links below, though, provide more information on
the causes, and preventive measures that can be taken to improve indoor air quality.
Mold
The following information is provided to help you identify and remove mold, one of the
most common indoor air pollution concerns.
Mold is a fungi that reproduces by means of tiny airborne spores. Mold is found in moist
indoor and outdoor environments. If you live in a moldy home, you may experience symptoms
such as a stuffy nose, eye irritation, headaches, shortness of breath, fatigue, dry cough
and other symptoms. Mold can affect those who have allergies, asthma or other respiratory
diseases, or those who are immune compromised. This is because mold stimulates a
respiratory and immune system response.
The presence of mold does not necessarily lead to symptoms. If you experience symptoms,
please see your doctor.
Because of differing sensitivities to mold, no federal limits have been set. And, due to
the lack of funding, the Snohomish Health District does not have an indoor air quality
program. However, we do provide information to guide homeowners and renters on how to
clean up residential mold problems and how to prevent mold growth.
It is not necessary to test for mold in order to remove the problem. If you suspect that
you have mold in your home, you can usually identify it by using your eyes and nose. If you do
have a mold problem, you should use your resources to remove the mold and to identify the
cause of its growth.
Moisture control is the key to mold control. You can achieve this control by removing the
moisture source and increasing ventilation. You should check to see if your home has a
structural problem, such as a leak, or a humidity problem due to the activities of daily
living.
The Health District has more information available about controlling mold. If you would like
to speak to a Health District environmental health specialist, call (425) 339-8721.
If you are a renter with a landlord/tenant issue, the Dispute Resolution Center may help. Their phone number is (425) 339-1335 or (1-800) 280-4770.
Contact your city code compliance or housing inspection offices for further assistance.
Disclaimer: The Snohomish Health District is supplying links for informational purposes
only and not condoning the use of products that may be for sale at those links.
Search for an accredited laboratory Laboratory Accreditation Section
Washington State Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 488 Manchester, WA 98353-0488. Phone (360)895-6144
