Hi Mike, some moulds are hazardous to human health, others not (blue cheese anyone?). USA practitioners seem to be more aware than us here in UK, probably due to climate differences, and an internet search should bring up loads of info, although some is undoubtedly sensationalist. Aspergillus and Stachybotrys are two types known to be hazardous to health. COSHH assessments should certainly include potential exposure to biological agents. You do not state the context of your enquiry (property owner or occupier, lab work, transient exposures etc) but an Occupational Hygienist woul be well placed to give competent advice on identification, assessment of any health risks and what controls may be needed. Contact BOHS for a Member: http://www.bohs.org/OHServices-directory/

Hi Dave, Thanks for your reply very helpful, we are based in an old mill and have growth in the basement (Damp). Achrn, yes growth of fungi. Thanks,

Graham, of course such damp dark places are suitable for mushroom farming: they share them with Safety Advisers: both are largely kept in the dark, ignored and fed a load of fertiliser! PH2

All I can say to this response - you could'nt make it up. Made me laugh though.

Mike Have a look at the mo(u)ld pages at http://www.forensic-applications.com/ Essentially, mould is ubiquitous in every building, and the risk is largely focused on those with pre-existing respiratory infections. Has also been discussed on previous threads.

Graham No to the town of Mold, but I did wonder why they wanted to keep their mold safe from harm, I didn't think HSAWA went that far. This can be quite serious as we had an employee working in a old porta cabin ( for lack of better description), that had a respiratory problem while at work and after have all sorts of air monitoring, we could not find the problem, but suspected it was mold inside the framework of the building. There were 30 to 40 people in this building and only one affected. Problem went away after they were moved. This was genuine as the person really wanted to stay near their colleagues. Eventually the building was demolished and we could see that it had not been in good condition, with signs of damp and mold.