Mold Growth on Corroded Pan and Coil In the upper 2/3 of the photo is a cooling coil from an air conditioner. There is black mold growing in the dust on the fins. Below the coil, in the lower third of the photo on the bottom of the condensate pan is a large, red-colored patch of rust. Mold growth on cooling coils is extremely common because inadequate filtration allows dust to build up on the coil. Water from condensation on the coil fuels the mold growth in the dust which serves as nutrient for the microbes.

The Stuffy Conference Room © 2008, Jeffrey C. May, M.A. Workers complained that a conference room inside a 4,000 square foot office space was stuffy. In addition, two people whose offices were on that floor were having increased asthma and allergy symptoms. Dust samples revealed that the mechanical system and some of the wall-to-wall carpeting were contaminated with mold. The conference room lacked adequate ventilation, resulting in elevated levels of carbon dioxide during meetings (which can cause the air to feel “stuffy”).

Jeffrey C. May is a building consultant, Certified Indoor Air Quality Professional (CIAQP), and author of My House is Killing Me! The Home Guide for Families with Allergies and Asthma (2001) and My Office is Killing Me! The Sick Building Survival Guide (2006), as well as co-author of The Mold Survival Guide: For Your Home and for Your Health (2004) and Jeff May's Healthy Home Tips (2008), all published by Johns Hopkins University Press. A former educator and organic chemist (M.A. Harvard University), Jeff is principal scientist of May Indoor Air Investigations LLC in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts.