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By Nancy B. Solomon, AIA

AIA/Architectural Record Continuing Education

Instructions

• Read the article "Mold May Not Be a Severe Health Menace, but It Is Still a Complex Problem."
• Complete the questions below, then fill in your answers .
• Fill out and submit the AIA/CES education reporting form in the magazine or print the form to receive one AIA learning unit.

Questions:

LU: 1

1. The Damp Indoor Spaces and Health report stated that excessive indoor dampness is conducive to all except which?
a. mold and bacteria in buildings
b. dust mites and cockroaches in buildings
c. chemical and particle emissions from building materials
d. health problems in people with strong immune systems

2. Mold is which type of organism?
a. animal
b. insect
c. fungus
d. bacteria

3. What causes mold to have a musty smell?
a. mixing with moisture
b. colds release VOCs that smell
c. when mold spores land they release the smell
d. mold releases the smell as it digests food

4. Which percentage of relative humidity is not conducive to mold growth?
a. 95
b. 85
c. 75
d. 65

5. Which percentage of relative humidity is not comfortable for humans?
a. 65
b. 55
c. 45
d. 25

6. Mold has become a recent building problem because of modern construction materials that are which?
a. moisture storing
b. moisture transferring
c. moisture impermeable
d. mixed with water before hardening

7. Vapor will cause moisture to grow in which condition?
a. when warm moist air hits a cooler surface
b. when cool moist air hits a warmer surface
c. when warm dry air hits a moist surface
d. when cool dry air hits a moist surface

8. Increasing the draw of outside air may not solve mold problems because of which factor?
a. the heat of the outside air may be too much for the A/C unit to cool
b. the velocity of added air may be too much for the A/C to handle
c. the pollutants from the outside air may be too much for the A/C unit to clean
d. the extra moisture from the outside air may be too much for the A/C unit to dehumidify

9. To prevent mold from becoming a building problem, architects must always do which?
a. minimize the amount of fresh air entering a building
b. provide methods for mold to be removed from a building
c. specify materials appropriate to the moisture condition
d. thoroughly seal the building envelope

10. Which of the following statements is not true?
a. heat flows from warm to cold
b. moisture will flow from warm to cold before more to less
c. moisture flows from more to less
d. moisture flows from warm to cold

Click here to print the reporting form.