You can find mold anywhere, anytime - *indoor* mold, which is the problem we're concerned about here is not unique to tropical countries. I found a pretty bad situation in Las Vegas a few weeks back (a meeting room located under a rooftop pool). It too had the water damaged sagging acoustical tiles. And, the winter in very cold climates can be just as bad as tropical climates. So, your comment isn't particularly constructive. If you want to better understand the issue, here's an article on the issues of mould in buildings in Norway: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664742/
I have photos of some of the water damage in one of the meeting rooms in Singapore. There was obvious leaking in the ceiling in the attached shopping area. Unfortunately, the toxins produced by the mold don't just stay in the place where the mold developed because air flow isn't restricted to that area. And, of course, anyplace that uses a lot of A/C can be problematic and the biggest issues come in places that turn off the HVAC when the rooms aren't occupied (that's why schools and churches in the US can be quite bad)..
There are WHO guidelines on good practices for avoiding these problems: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/78678/E91146.pdf Any building can develop mold issues. The very basic fact is that mold will grow within 24-48 hours on a lot of building materials if they are not adequately dried. And WHO has developed a very nice brochure on the issues and how to address: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/78636/Damp_Mould_Brochure.pdf
I would agree with Andrew's assessment that the hotels will probably deny mold problems, but I would *think* that those selecting the venue could look at ceilings and see obvious water damage. And, there was mold on the walls in several of the rooms I looked at the Swisshotel. I have lots of photos of all these things. And, these weren't new problems - it was clear they'd been that way for a while. The fact that I could get a good room at Swisshotel is the proof point that it is possible to avoid mold even in tropical climates.
As far as the cost of testing, an individual can do a very simple test (called a HERTSMI) themselves for around $150. You take a swiffer cloth (that's been kept in a ziploc before and after testing to ensure the integrity of the sample) and cover it with dust that you collect from places that typically aren't cleaned frequently as the mycotoxins settle in the dust. I did those tests when looking to buy a condo for my son and they are quite accurate as I also had a mold inspector do typical air tests.
My suggestion is that at least one person that does the site visits focuses on looking for this sort of issue and collecting a sample if there is visible water damage. Then, I would also ask the venue how they plan to handle that water damage and whether it's a recurring problem. If it is, that means they aren't properly addressing it and the place could be risky (but again a HERTSMI test would give you a rough idea about that). You can collect the sample and then only test places that you are considering signing a contract with. I don't think it's too much to ask for the venues where we meet to be properly maintained to minimize potential mold. Again, the venue in Singapore clearly was not. And, no, I don't think trading off a toxic building so that we can meet a new, exotic place is the right choice.
As I've said, I'm not the only one possibly impacted. Indeed, I'm lucky in that I will know when I'm being exposed and will get out and have meds to treat it. Others will just start feeling a little cruddy, think they're getting a bug and return home and find they seem to be getting sick a little more frequently and then they'll blame any lingering fatigue on jet lag, getting older, etc. I did that for at least 5 years before I figured out that mold was the culprit. And, with a place like Singapore where both the venue and some of the rooms were moldy, some folks were being exposed 21-24 hours/day depending upon how often they left the venue.
Regards,
Mary.
On Wed, May 9, 2018 at 4:12 PM, Ole Jacobsen <olejacobsen@xxxxxx> wrote:
What shall we do if we find mold in a tropical country?? Move the meeting to winter in Tromsø?Ole J. JacobsenEditor & PublisherThe Internet Protocol JournalCell: +1 415 370-4628T-Mobile: +1 415 889-9821EE UK: +44 7805 977889Docomo: +81 90 3337 9311Sent from my iPhoneI don't know if the document should be explicit about this, but certainly if it is not common practice to spot check the venue hotel, that's a recipe for bad outcomes.On Wed, May 9, 2018, 16:37 Andrew Sullivan <ajs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:On Wed, May 09, 2018 at 04:20:46PM -0400, Ted Lemon wrote:
>
> I think moulds are fine, but we want to avoid mold.
Sorry, we use different spelling dictionaries.
> was in Hiroshima, asking "are the rooms nonsmoking" didn't work either. In
> both cases, the site evaluation process requires that someone actually go look
> at a bunch of rooms in the venue hotel and check to see that there isn't a
> problem, without first telling the hotel staff specifically what we are looking
> for, so that they don't know which rooms to steer us toward.
That is not how I interpret the language in the draft that has been
produced, so if it's what you're expecting I think it needs to be
clear. I think your restated requirement is that the staff performing
the site vetting not only has checked for the relevant prohibitions
and designations, but also that the prohibitions and designations are
in fact enforced. We do not have that language right now, in my
reading.
Best regards,
A
--
Andrew Sullivan
ajs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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