Once tested, a newly manufactured product receives a 1 to 4 performance rating - 1 being highly susceptible to mold growth and 4 being highly resistant to mold growth.
"This easy-to-use rating system will greatly assist architects and specifiers by taking the guesswork out of selecting the best building materials that resist mold growth as well as supporting product manufacturers in their efforts to provide products that meet this critical need," said Marilyn S. Black, PhD, CEO and chief scientist with AQS. The Greenguard Environmental Institute will use this rating system to develop product certification criteria for mold resistance as more data becomes available on key construction and furnishing materials.
"The test method that supports the rating system determines microbial resistance of new materials as manufactured and not as installed, soiled or weathered. As such, the test does not guarantee product performance, since installation, modification of materials, weathering, aging, and building operation and maintenance may impact the microbial resistance of materials," Dr. Black said. The test method is based on the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) research guide, published as ASTM D 6329-98 (2003), Standard Guide for Developing Methodology for Evaluating the Ability of Indoor Materials to Support Microbial Growth Using Static Environmental Chambers.
Air Quality Sciences conducted a rigorous trial of the test method, including a nine-month laboratory study (Phase 1), followed by a yearlong pilot study of products submitted for testing (Phase 2). Results confirmed and validated the choice of mold, consistency of results from control samples, the time course of mold growth, and that different materials respond differently. Ten manufacturers of insulation, adhesive, flooring and wallcovering products accepted an invitation to participate in Phase 2 of the study.
The final pilot study report will be available free from the GREENGUARD Web site www.greenguard.org
