Detecting mold behind wallboards

Radar technology may soon make obsolete the slow, destructive, and expensive methods now used to detect hidden moisture and mold behind wallboards, according to a report released by the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology Institute, Arlington, Va.

Existing technology to detect mold behind walls requires stripping wall coverings to inspect hidden surfaces visually or boring holes into numerous wall sections to extract and culture samples. The disassembly and drilling must be performed slowly and carefully to avoid spreading mold spores and fragments through the building, which increases the cost of remediation, the report emphasizes.

"The economic problems created by hidden moisture are enormous," points out Steve Szymurski, ARTI's director of research. "Real estate property damage from mold growth has cost millions of dollars and the price tag for this problem is growing because of costly mold litigation. Therefore, developing better detection instruments that can locate hidden problems quickly, inexpensively, and nondestructively is an important research priority."

In their study, investigators soaked gypsum wallboard--used in most homes today--with water infused with mold spores to encourage mold growth, and allowed the spores to germinate in a humid environment. Using a radar system, researchers scanned the wall and found the technology to be effective in accurately pinpointing areas of hidden moisture behind the wallboard.

The future challenge is to develop a system small enough to be taken into the field by a mold remediation practitioner. "The researchers considered testing several other technologies, including gamma-ray imaging, X-ray imaging, T-ray imaging, and neutron beam analysis; however, all but radar had cost, safety, and portability limitations," concludes Szymurski.

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