Faster Evaluation of Contaminated Surfaces for Mould Inspections by Tape Sampling

Taking a tape-lift sample is one of the main practices used by indoor environmental quality investigators for detecting whether mould structures (for example, spores and hyphae) have either settled onto or colonized the surface. Despite the popularity of the method, there can be significant inconsistency in how tape lifts are collected and evaluated.

The common ASTM standard D7910-14: Practice for the Collection of Fungal Material from Surfaces by Tape Lift, describes the correct way to collect a tape-lift sample. Using ASTM D7658-17: Standard Test Method for Direct Microscopy of Fungal Structures from Tape, semi-quantitative results in percentage of infested area in a scale from 0 up to 5 are available only.

In case histories or for mould removal control, the total cell count is needed. This cannot be realized by the ASTM method. Therefore, an innovative method is asked to combine the quickness of taping and the precision of total cell count. Our research team developed two methods to quickly and fully quantify the tape samples. Regarding the assessment criteria, the user can decide to operate with the 3-LINE method to achieve the highest precision or use the faster 3-STEP method for even better results. Therefore, an innovative method is asked to combine the quickness of taping and the precision of total cell count. The aim of the work is to develop two strategies to quickly and comprehensive quantify the tape samples.