Mold has always been an environmental concern of commercial landlords, who risk million-dollar lawsuits when mold jeopardizes the health of tenants. But homeowners traditionally have been less concerned, unless visible mold was eating away at the structure of the house.
But the mold you don”™t see is just as harmful as the mold you do see, especially when it comes to your family”™s health, according to RTK Environmental Group, with offices in Stamford, White Plains, N.Y., New York City, Morristown, N.J., and Washington, D.C.
RTK is an environmental inspection company. It made a strategic decision several years ago to educate homeowners about the dangers of mold in their homes. As a result, the company reports it has created a new consumer market for mold inspections and has grown revenues 10 percent to 15 percent per year.
Robert Weitz, principal and senior project manager at RTK Environmental, expects growth to continue in 2015 due to several factors:
Ӣ The FarmerӪs Almanac is predicting cold weather and above-average snow in the Northeast this winter (Nov. 18 was a good start, with a 28-degree temperature and 9-degree wind chill at 1 p.m.). Freezing weather leads to ice dams on roofs and frozen pipes, and when ice melts and pipes burst thereӪs almost inevitably mold.
”¢ New studies show stronger links between mold and asthma, particularly childhood asthma. Environmental health centers are “prescribing” mold inspections as part of their treatment plans.
Ӣ Consumers are more aware that hiring a single company to test for mold and then remove it can cost them thousands of dollars. So independent testing companies such as RTK Environmental, which does not do any remediation work, are in greater demand.
RTK has provided testing services to more than 30,000 commercial and residential customers, ranging from homeowners and real estate investors to schools, medical centers, housing authorities and many others.
In addition to mold, lead, indoor-air quality and asbestos testing, RTK performs soil, water and radon tests. It can also test for specialty toxins. Its website is rtkenvironmental.com.
