Question: Due to a faulty roof, mould is growing on the plaster ceiling. What are the health impacts and should the ceiling be replaced?
I have a couple of lots that regularly flood via faulty roofs.
There is a lot of pigeon mess and dirt that has flowed in through the floor above into the lot boundary and settled around the lighting ballasts and plaster.
Mould is growing on the plaster ceiling, behind the plaster wall and on the brickwork. These areas haven’t been flooded in a year or so. I’m wondering about the health impacts. Does the ceiling need to be ripped out and replaced?
Answer: Mould requires moisture, oxygen and a food source in order to grow. Generally, if you remove one out of the three, the mould will stop growing.
Obviously for a mould to be visually grown on the plaster ceiling, the water ingress issue will need to be addressed. Mould requires moisture, oxygen and a food source in order to grow. Generally, if you remove one out of the three, the mould will stop growing.
With regards to the mould growing behind the plaster I’m assuming they’re referring to the mould growing on the back of the plaster or the gyprock. If that is the case, the best form of mould remediation is the removal of the mould damaged plaster if it has been structurally compromised.
Sometimes surface mould on plaster can be just wiped down and decontaminated. It all depends on whether the mould is growing through the plaster or it’s just on the surface. If mould is growing on the brickwork, that can simply be decontaminated. Bricks are not a natural food source and if there’s any visual mould on the bricks, it’s likely growing on the dirt on the bricks, not the bricks themselves. Similar to mould on glass.
As we know, mould is everywhere in our environment, and everyone reacts differently to it.
In regards to the health conditions when exposed to different levels of mould, that’s different for every person. Unfortunately, the only person that can determine what health impacts there are is a doctor and it’s obviously dependent on the individual exposed to mould.
Sedgwick is more than happy to look at this situation further if there are some photos of the area to give a bit more advice. I’m going off of what the information has been provided.
Oh – and get rid of the pigeons!
This post appears in the May 2022 edition of The VIC Strata Magazine.
Ryan Richards
Sedgwick
E: Ryan.Richards@au.sedgwick.com
P: 1300 735 720
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