Preventing Healthcare-Associated Mold Outbreaks in California Hospitals

In recent times, there have been several hospitals in California that have had to halt operations and temporarily close portions of their facilities after mold was discovered growing indoor. The closures were necessary to prevent exposure risks to staff and patients, especially for those with weakened or suppressed immune systems.

Healthcare-associated mold outbreaks, when two or more people develop infections, can occur in hospitals or other type of healthcare settings if certain types of mold, such as Aspergillus, are growing indoors due to water damage or elevated humidity levels. While most people breathe mold spores every day without getting sick, some people - especially those with compromised immune systems, can develop serious infections after breathing mold or having other contact with it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides the following precautions that healthcare facilities should take to prevent patients from getting sick from indoor mold. They include:

• Filtering the air
• Giving some patients with weakened immune systems antifungal medicine to prevent mold infections
• Placing some patients in rooms where the air flow reduces the chances of the patient getting an infection
• Fixing water leaks and repairing damages as fast as possible
• Reducing dust during construction
• Tracking the number of patients with mold infections to monitor for an increase, which could signal a problem with indoor mold

“Infections due to fungal pathogens in healthcare environments typically occur due to inhalation exposure or through cutaneous contact,” said Joseph Frasca, Senior Vice President of Marketing at LA Testing. “Infections aren’t the only issue associated with indoor mold exposure. It can also act as a respiratory irritant, allergen and even an asthma trigger for some people with the condition.”

With locations across California, LA Testing offers air, surface and other indoor environmental quality (IEQ) testing services to identify mold, bacteria and other contaminants. They also provide sampling supplies, test kits, air monitoring instruments and building inspection tools to identify moisture issues that could lead to mold growth. LA Testing has even sponsored an educational video about healthcare-associated mold outbreaks that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/4PG-PkrgenM.

To learn more about mold testing services, sampling supplies, air monitoring instruments and inspection tools, please visit www.LATesting.com, email  info@LATesting.com  or call (800) 755-1794. For access to IEQ test kits, visit www.EMSLTestKits.com.

About LA Testing
LA Testing is California’s leading laboratory for indoor air quality testing of asbestos, mold, lead, VOCs, formaldehyde, soot, char, ash and smoke damage, particulates and other chemicals. In addition, LA Testing offers a full range of air sampling and investigative equipment to professionals and the general public. LA Testing maintains an extensive list of accreditations including: : AIHA-LAP, LLC (AIHA-LAP, LLC EMLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC IHLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC ELLAP), CDC ELITE, NVLAP, State of California, State of Hawaii Department of Health and other states. LA Testing, along with the EMSL Analytical, Inc. network, has multiple laboratories throughout California including South Pasadena, Huntington Beach, San Leandro, San Diego and Ontario.

Contact Information

Joseph Frasca

Senior Vice President of Marketing

LA Testing

(1) 856-303-2503

Contact via E-mail