Faced with the aftermath of hurricanes, tropical storms, or the typical flooding experienced in the region many commercial and residential dwellers are prone to confusion and mismanagement of resources. The Legal Studies Institute presents a program that will minimize the confusion and potential problems. Environmental Health: Prevention, Identification and Remediation of Mold Contamination in Buildings and Residences is a course designed to provide the necessary education and knowledge of the personal, professional and/or commercial aims related to mold contamination in buildings and residences. Additionally, this course offers extensive and important information related to indoor air quality, legislation, prevention and remediation techniques that can be employed and implemented to avoid and to control potential adverse impacts on property and/or the health of individuals as a result of mold contamination. Environmental Health provides students with knowledge on the "where, when and why's" associated with mold contamination, especially in tropical and subtropical areas where large amounts of microorganisms develop during and after the rainy season.

Environmental Health is a program that lasts five weeks with classes meeting twice a week in the early evening for four hours making it convenient for working professionals to attend. The program is divided into the following sections:

Mold Awareness : This section, taught by a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), presents an introduction to the nature of mold, its historic background, and a general summary of mold.

Medical Issues Associated With Mold Exposure : This section of the program, taught by a medical doctor, incorporates information on the definition of mold, why it exists, how it amplifies, the different types, how it affects humans, who is at greatest risk of mold exposure and what are the symptoms of exposure. Toxicological data regarding mold exposure will also be presented and addressed.

Analytical Identification : A trained Aerobiologist discusses mold morphology, aerobiology dynamics of spores, reproduction mechanisms, speciation and identification, and culture methods vs. direct microscopy. This section also addresses field sampling/collection and recognition of fungi.

Legal Aspects : This section, taught by a local legal professional, includes information on why mold is a sensitive legal issue, liability of parties associated with a moldy environment or situation, updated state of the law regarding indoor mold, legal strategies for reducing the risk of liability or damages, and potential claims for recovering damages related to property and personal losses.

Site Inspections : Taught by an Industrial Hygienist and a local certified construction professional, this section discusses the proper techniques for approaching an inspection, pertinent questions to ask, where to begin an investigation and where to look, and how to trace issues and identify potential further implications as defined by facility design and occupancy issues. It also explains the approach, rationale and necessity of sampling for moisture content of materials and settled and airborne fungi.

Remediation : Taught by a CIH and Industrial Hygienist, this section teaches students how to determine the scope of work for a remediation project. It also defines the necessity of engineering controls or isolation and necessary personal protection equipment. Lastly, this section incorporates hands on practice with learned objectives as students will set up a containment area, how to best remediate in order to avoid cross contamination of adjacent areas, clean-up of the remediation area, and determining post remediation verification.

Both necessary and beneficial to anyone involved with maintaining indoor environmental health and safety, this course will assist students in dealing with the impact of mold contamination; a problem with potentially devastating and very expensive effects at just about every level of our society. Some natural environments such as the one in South Florida and other sub-tropical and tropical locations provide an excellent breeding ground for these conditions. Students not only learn about what causes mold and how to prevent it, but also why it is a great concern on all levels, how to properly remediate, and why proper technique is necessary of each of the foregoing stages.

  Who are the Instructors?

Janvier Gasana, M.D., PhD. has over 15 years of experience in teaching, community-based participatory research, service and consultation in the area of environmental and occupational (EO) health sciences, epidemiology, medicine and health disparity/environmental justice.  His research addresses issues such as childhood lead poisoning and environmental triggers of child-hood asthma in Florida 's southern counties.  Gasana formed a non-profit organization, Florida Alliance to Eradicate Childhood Lead Poisoning (FAECLP), an outgrowth of research he conducted in Rwanda , Chicago and Miami .  Buoyed by its success, the group is changing its name to Florida Children's Environmental Health Alliance (FCEHA) to reflect its newly expanded services in the area of environmental and occupational health.  Dr. Gasana is an associate professor of Public Health at the College of Health and Urban Affairs. 

Frank Silva, Esq. is a member of the law firm Akerman Senterfitt and works in the firm's Litigation Department and Indoor Environmentalist Group.  Mr. Silva is on the Executive Committee for the Florida Builders Association and represented one of the nation's largest REITs in the defense of two class actions related to moisture intrusion and resulting mold.  Mr. Silva is also a member of the Florida Bar Code & Rules of Evidence Committee, the Dade County Bar Association (Vice Chair of the Construction Law Committee), the Defense Re-search Institute, and the Cuban American Bar Association.  He is a Certified Indoor Environmentalist.  Mr. Silva is also an adjunct professor at Florida International University 's Legal Studies Institute.   

Armando Chamorro, M.S. is a Board Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and an EPA Certified Risk Assessor.  Mr. Chamorro is the president of CIH Environmental Solutions, Inc.  He is also a member of the American Board of Industrial Hygiene since 1997.  His most recent presentations were to the FIU Department of Construction Management in 2004 "Preventing Mold Contamination During Construction" and to the Cayman Islands Dept. of Environmental Health Government Information Systems, "Mold Awareness after Ivan Hurricane strike."

Please join us for an Information Session followed by questions and answers with the instructors.