are some of the most difficult for the medical community to deal with because the range of medicinal options for fungal infections is much more limited than the variety of treatments available for bacterial infections.


Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3


Since mold is a naturally occurring organism which has so many different variants, there currently is no recognized Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL). However, this lack of government mandated controls does not mean that marine surveyors can be cavalier about potential exposure to themselves or vessel occupants. What is clear is that breathing in too many spores, on either a short-term or long-term basis, can lead to real problems. Medical studies over the last decade have indicated that individual genetic factors play a large role in an individual’s ability to tolerate mold exposure. Therefore, individual susceptibility is considered to be both dose and genetic-related. A worst-case exposure to mold can lead to sensitization and the development of a serious disease known as Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). Although the medical sciences have come a long way in being able to diagnose and treat mold-related problems, the obvious answer is to avoid exposure so that a health problem does not develop.


Identifying Mold Contamination on Marine Vessels The key to avoiding mold-related health problems is to have an awareness of the situation and address possible fungal contamination in vessels prior to occupant exposure. This can be challenging, because wherever a water source is available and temperatures are favorable, mold growth is a possibility. This possibility turns into a probability in a number of common situations encountered by marine surveyors. One of the most common scenarios includes the investigation of boats that have been in storage with shrink-wrap protective covers (See


The Report • March 2020 • Issue 91 | 73


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