Mold detectives search Atlanta basements

“Whew,” he says, taking off an aspirator he keeps handy for such situations. “That was pretty rough. I don’t think I need to take any samples there. That’s a pretty clear case of a sewage overflow.”

Beuerlein is an industrial hygienist, a profession most people don’t know exists until they start looking for a mold expert who makes house calls. Normally he deals with mold that sprouts in homes with burst water pipes (Category One, clean water) or washing machine overflows (Category Two water, tainted with an untoxic agent).

Since the Great Deluge of two weeks ago --  when more than 20 inches of rain fell in some parts of metro Atlanta -- he’s been working non-stop to identify the mold and bacteria in homes spawned in what's known as Category Three water.  "Basically, that's all flood water, sewage," he says.

He makes good money. His standard house call is $250. And every air or swipe sample he sends to the lab costs extra. That’s not cheap, especially when you consider what he confirms -- yep, ma’m, that’s mold -- could be identified by anybody who's ever spent time in a shower stall at a cheap hotel.

But he also tests for worse funk left behind when flood waters recede, including E. Coli, which comes from animal waste and sewage spills and can turn a home into a toxic waste site.

“The thing you have to remember when you go into a home with a suspected sewage spill is never to touch anything,” he says before entering the East Point residence where a wave of stench greets him in the back yard, along with dark gray-brown sediment.

“I did that once -- touched a surface and then scratched my nose or something. That night I was so sick I couldn’t get out of bed. I had a case of 24-hour cholera.”

Beurelein’s expertise is most in demand from people trying to collect insurance from reluctant carriers. The woman with the sewage spill, for instance, is not covered from flood damage, but she may be covered because the sewage backed up through her drain.

“I’ve never testified in court,” says Beurerlein, “but I’ve given plenty of depositions.”

Georgia Emergency Management Agency said at least 2,184 homes in a 17-county area surrounding Atlanta were damaged by the flood. In every one, mold started growing on walls and carpet as soon as the waters receded.

But it’s not the mold, it’s the mold spores that cause problems and make people sick, says mold detective Richard Johnson, owner of Air Allergen & Mold Testing, which has been busier the last two weeks than any time in the company’s nine year history.

“It’s very easy to kill mold, but almost impossible to kill mold spores,” says Johnson. “You have to use some kind of mechanical means to kill the spores. Sanding, air filters. You have to remove and replace all the wall boards that have been touched by the water.”

Johnson says that mold is "like an orange grove, and the spores are like the oranges that grow there." Except that the spores float through the air, and people inhale them and can become sick.

Johnson’s company charges $165 for testing a home, and an additional $65 per sample taken and tested. “We usually take three samples, so the average cost is $360.” Neither Beurlein nor Johnson get rid of the mold once they find it. That’s up to the owner to do, or hire somebody.

For people not sure if they have water damage and mold, “the simple rule is that if you can see it, if you can smell it, then you have symptoms and you need to have it checked out,” said Johnson.

As for damaged walls, rugs, and whatever furniture and belongings were touched by the contaminated flood water, the calculation on that is simple too, Beuerlein tells the home owner in East Point.

“If there was something in that basement that was of just enormous sentimental value, or if you had an antique dresser that George Washington used, you could make the argument to save it,” he says. “Otherwise -- toss it.”