Mold has become a great and growing problem for the construction industry. Over the last few years, the number of related claims and lawsuits have skyrocketed. And in response, the insurance industry has withdrawn most of the coverage that it once provided. To help construction contractors avoid mold claims and litigation, and to improve their prospects for future insurance coverage, AGC has published a thirty-five-page booklet, entitled Managing the Risk of Mold in the Construction of Buildings.

This booklet identifies the many issues that not only construction contractors but also building owners and their design professionals need to consider. Parts I and II summarize the science of mold, its health effects and why it grows in buildings. Part III deals with building design, materials and systems, and how they all bear on the risk that mold will become a problem. Part IV outlines the risks that would be reasonable to expect during the "exposed," the "partially enclosed" and the "controlled" phases of the building construction process. Part V identifies special measures that owners may want to include in their plans, specifications and other contract documents. And Part VI covers building operation and maintenance.

In addition to this information, the booklet provides an ideal starting point for often necessary discussions with both project owners and their design professionals.

By and For AGC Members The members of AGC's Mold Litigation Task Force took one full year to develop the association's general guidance on mold. The chair of this hardworking group was Rick Poppe of the Weitz Company in Des Moines, Iowa, and the Vice Chair was Steve Charney, with Peckar & Abramson in New York City.