Article 3. Guidelines For Remediation of California Health And Safety Code >> Division 20. >> Chapter 18. >> Article 3.

The department, in consultation with the task force convened pursuant to Section 26101.7, shall develop and disseminate remediation guidelines for molds in indoor environments.

(a) Remediation guidelines for mold developed by the department shall do all of the following:
  (1) Provide practical guidance for the removal of mold and abatement of the underlying cause of mold and associated water intrusion and water damage in indoor environments.
  (2) Protect the public's health.
  (3) Notwithstanding paragraph (2), balance the protection of public health with technological and economic feasibility.
  (4) Utilize and include toxicological reports, the latest scientific data, or existing standards for the remediation of molds adopted by authoritative bodies.
  (5) Provide practical guidance for the removal or cleaning of contaminated materials in a manner that protects the health of the person performing the abatement.
  (6) Include criteria for personal protective equipment.
  (7) Not require a landlord, owner, seller, or transferor, to be specially trained or certified or utilize the services of a specially qualified professional to conduct the mold remediation.
  (b) The department shall consider all of the following criteria when it develops remediation guidelines for mold:
  (1) Permissible exposure limits to molds developed by the department pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 26103, or what constitutes a health threat posed by the presence of mold, both visible and invisible or hidden, in an indoor environment, according to the department's guidelines as developed pursuant to Section 26105.
  (2) Guidelines for mold remediation, if any, adopted by authoritative bodies.
  (3) Professional judgment and practicality.
  (c) The department shall not require a commercial, industrial, or residential landlord, or a public entity that rents or leases a unit or building to conduct air or surface tests of units or buildings to determine whether the presence of molds exceeds the permissible exposure limits to mold established by subdivisions (a), (b), and (c) of Section 26103.
  (d) The department shall report to the Legislature on its progress in developing remediation standards for mold by July 1, 2003.

(a) The department shall, at the time it commences preparation of remediation guidelines for mold, electronically post on its Internet Web site, a notice that informs interested persons that it has initiated work on the remediation standards.
  (b) The notice shall also include a brief description, or a bibliography, of the technical documents or other information the department has identified to date in the preparation of remediation guidelines for mold.
  (c) The notice shall inform persons who wish to submit information concerning mold remediation of the name and the address of the person in the office to whom the information may be sent, the date by which the information must be received in order for the department to consider it in the preparation of remediation standards, and that all information submitted will be made available to any member of the public who makes the request.

The department may review, and consider adopting by reference, any information prepared by, or on behalf of, the United States Environmental Protection Agency or other authoritative bodies, for the purpose of adopting national remediation standards for molds.

(a) The department shall make available to the public upon request, information about contracting for the removal of mold in a building or surrounding environment, including all of the following:
  (1) Recommended steps to take when contracting with a company to remove mold.
  (2) Existing laws, regulations, and guidelines developed by the department, pertaining to permissible exposure limits to mold infestation, identification, and remediation.
  (3) Basic health information as contained in existing mold publications.
  (b) All mold remediation guidelines published by the department shall be reviewed at least once every five years and revised, as necessary based upon the availability of new scientific data.
  (c) (1) The State Department of Health Services shall develop public education materials and resources to inform the public about the health effects of molds, methods to prevent, identify and remediate mold growth, resources to obtain information about molds, and contact information for individuals, organizations, or government entities to assist with public concerns about molds.
  (2) The department shall make its public education materials available to public health officers, environmental health officers, commercial and residential landlord organizations, homeowners' organizations, and tenants' organizations. These materials shall be readily available to the general public.
  (3) These materials shall be comprehensible to the general public.
  (4) These materials shall be produced to include other languages, in addition to English, to accommodate the diverse multicultural population of California.
  (5) These materials shall be made available on the department's Internet Web site.