How accurate are these things? One claims to give results in minutes. Our employer has moved us into a building made of modular "trailers’ and its been around for years. Some are complaining of symptoms and we are thinking about doing our own test before making a formal issue out of it.
CR assumes that you already know that there is mold. What about when you can’t actually see it but just suspect it? Years ago I worked in a similar trailer building set up. Employees complained for years about it being a “sick” building. When testing was finally done (I believe at the insistence of a union) the organization was given two weeks to vacate the premises. IIRC, there were big air handling units that they place around to filter the air and locate spores.
If you do put out a mold test kit, be sure to collect a sample from outside the building as well for setting the baseline. I’ve seen cases where the inside sample did grow a colony or two, but the sample from outside was a solid mat of mold. In a case like that, your HVAC system is actually doing a great job of filtering things down to a managable level.
13 years ago I started get lightheaded all the time, along with a runny nose. I still have it. 13 years ago I started working in a new building. Coincidence? I’m thinking not. I’m guessing there’s a lot of mold in the ventilation system.
Unfortunately those mold kits are pretty much worthless. They will always detect mold, because mold is everywhere.