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A day on the job

WOLFGANG PALTIAN: 57. Mycologist, business owner, Air Quality Environmental Inc., 9325 Seminole Blvd., Seminole

By Times Staff Writer
Published May 4, 2005

What is a mycologist?

A person who studies mold and fungi.

How did you get into this business?

I worked for a lab a number of years ago doing fiber analysis in the asbestos industry. That lab was looking at the future and sent me back to school so I could do analysis on the microbial end, which would be the mycology, or fungi. After my education, the lab decided not to pursue that aspect.

So you decided to open your own lab?

I opened my own lab back in 1999. I struggled for the first couple of years, but my foresight that this was going to be a viable industry has paid off.

What does your company do?

We're environmental consultants. We do site assessments, asbestos evaluation, lead - anything that's involved in indoor, and some outdoor, environmental issues.

What kind of educational background do you have?

I have a bachelo r of science from the University of Minnesota and a mycology degree (bachelor's) from Redding University.

How many people work here?

Seven, including me. Right now we have three field people, three analysts and one support person.

What are your primary job responsibilities?

I spend most of my time during the day analyzing samples that come in from various other consultants, or our own field people. I primarily sit at a microscope all day long, but I'm fine with that. I love being the nerd.

How many years have you worked in this industry?

Right around 10 or 12 years now. Prior to that time I was in the electronics industry for most of my adult life. I managed electronic distribution firms here in this area. I worked for a company basically investigating fraud in their retail stores.

What kind of tools do you use in the lab?

We have several microscopes including a compound microscope with 1,500 magnification. Most everything we do is visual. This machine (BBL Crystal) uses software to identify bacteria. We have a polarized light microscope that's used primarily for fiber analysis. We have a fume hood, an incubator and, as George Carlin would say, lots of "stuff."

What is your schedule like?

I get here at about 7 in the morning and I'll start analyzing early. And then I'll do some administrative work, and then I'll go back to analyzing. I used to put in a good 10 or 12 hours a day when I first started the company, but now I'm actually doing a normal eight-hour day.

Who are your customers?

It's a mix. It's commercial, industrial and residential. Hillsborough and Pinellas county school systems send us samples; we get samples from the Pinellas County Health Department. We get samples from other large environmental consulting firms from all over the United States to analyze. And we get the average homeowner who walks samples in to get something checked.

What are customers generally looking for when then send samples for analysis?

We do a lot of projects where it's not really looking for mold that affects people's health, but the mold as a byproduct of a structural (building) problem (allowing) moisture and water intrusion.

How can average homeowners avoid problems with mold?

In reality, if you keep your home clean, keep your filters changed on your air conditioning system, treat your air conditioning system with a lot of respect, you'll do all right. Eighty percent of people's problems in their homes, if you don't see mold growing up and down the walls, can usually be traced to the air conditioning system, due to neglect.

Any specific recommendations?

Good pleated air filters are a minimum requirement. The old spun glass filters really don't do much, other than keep out small birds and large bugs. But (pleated filters) trap a lot of pollen and other particulates that are in the air that contain the mold and the dust and the dust mite feces and all of that.

What is your favorite thing about doing this?

What is your least favorite thing?

Running into a situation where someone has really ignored the issues. I had one elderly couple (who) lived in a condo with some very serious water and mold problems. And they ignored it to the point where, when they finally decided to do something about it, the ceiling in the kitchen fell through from the weight of the water and the mold. It was really bad. . . . When you start to see water coming through your walls, or your carpets are always wet, you need to do something about it. And if you do something about it very quickly, you don't really need us.

Any memorable tales from the lab?

I had an elderly couple that came in with some samples of something they thought might be the dreaded stachybotrys, "black mold," and they were worried because it was all over the house . . . So I checked it out and said, "Okay, which one of you likes to burn candles?" . . . What it was was carbon flecks from burning candles. How much money do you make?

As owner of the company, I'm probably close to the least paid person here. As a company we've been growing really well . . . about 50 percent a year.

[Last modified May 4, 2005, 00:57:19]