SB 732
(Toxic Mold Protection Act of 2001)
Implementation
Update
Many people contact the California Department of Public Health Services (CDPH) regarding the implementation status of the Toxic Mold Protection Act of 2001 (SB 732). This statute, enacted January 1, 2002, charged CDPH (formerly DHS) to determine the feasibility of adopting permissible exposure limits for indoor molds, and, assisted by a task force of volunteer stakeholders, to undertake a series of complex tasks to develop new standards or guidelines that:
·
assess the health threat posed by the presence of indoor molds,
·
determine valid methods for fungal sampling and identification,
·
provide practical guidance for mold removal and abatement of water
intrusion,
·
disclose the presence of mold growth in real property at rental or sale,
and
·
assess the need for standards for mold assessment and remediation
professionals.
However, the implementation of this statute depends on the
availability of funding.
In May 2005, CDPH released its report titled Implementation
of the Toxic Mold Protection Act of 2001. This report addresses the first of the SB
732-mandated tasks listed above, specifically, that DHS scientific staff
consider whether it is feasible to adopt permissible exposure limits (PELs) for indoor mold.
This document includes a discussion of how permissible exposure limits
are defined and derived. The report is
available on-line at http://cdphinternet/programs/IAQ/Documents/SB732-LegReport-Final.pdf.
After considerable research into this issue, CDPH scientists
concluded that although recent studies have strengthened the evidence between
living or working in a damp environment and increased risk for respiratory
symptoms, the role of mold growth in these complex environments is still
unclear. Damp buildings also encourage
the growth of bacteria, dust mites and cockroaches, as well as degradation of
wet building materials that can also release irritant chemicals indoors. Some or all of these chemicals or biological
organisms may contribute to occupant illness.
For these and other reasons detailed in the report, science-based PELs for indoor molds cannot be established at this
time. Please see the full text of the
report for further information.
The Public
Health Protection from Indoor Mold Hazards Fund, was established in 2002 to
accept contributions to help support CDPH indoor mold-related activities,
including, but not limited to, those mandated by SB 732. Currently, the fund has not received any
significant contributions. Thus CDPH is
still searching for the necessary funding ($518,000 to complete Phase I and
$646,000 to complete Phase II) to initiate and complete the tasks set forth in
the proposed work plan below. DHS will
proceed with implementation when funding is in place to address the bill
requirements.
Department of Health Services staff are
continuing to collect contact information for those who are interested in
serving on the task force. As of
February 2006, there were 242 individuals who have volunteered for the task
force. If funding becomes available to
convene this group, we will contact those on our volunteer list regarding the
process to choose those who will actually serve on the task force.
Anyone wishing to volunteer to serve on the Task Force, may send his or her contact information (name,
mailing address, email address, phone number, fax number) to staff@cal-iaq.org.
Please indicate any professional affiliation or whether you
are a member of a group whose participation on the task force is required by SB
732 (such as homeowners, residential tenants, or others – see SB 732 Section
27101.7 for the complete list). Requests
for information on SB 732 implementation may also be directed to this email.
SB 732 also requires CDPH to develop public education
materials and resources with information about mold health effects,
cleanup/removal methods and prevention techniques. CDPH staff routinely review, update and
supplement mold documents and links on this website () to supply readers with
reliable information on these topics.