Your IEP may use specialized cassettes, slides, swabs, or vacuum devices to collect samples during the inspection. Each has its own strengths and limitations.

Examples include:

• Spore Trap Cassettes: Used with a pump to collect airborne spores over a set period (e.g., 5 minutes). They detect only what’s in the air at that moment.
• Tape Lifts or Swabs: Collect mold particles from surfaces for lab analysis under a microscope. Useful for identifying mold type and quantity.
• ERMI/HERTSMI-2 Dust Sampling Kits: Typically involve collecting dust with a Swiffer-style cloth or vacuum filter, then analyzing the DNA of mold species via lab-based qPCR testing.

Important Note: No single test tells the full story. Testing should always be used to support, not substitute for, a visual and moisture-based inspection.