The RCMP has come up with a good idea, one that will protect prospective homeowners from environmental threats like toxic mold. But a closer look at the plan suggests the RCMP may not be doing enough.

In theory, the plan is smart. The RCMP will deploy officers to investigate marijuana grow operations and place any home found to be a grow-op or former grow-op on the RCMP website on a special list.

The problem: the homes will be removed from the website after a year. That means anyone whose home is infested with toxic mold can simply hide the problem for a year. There are plenty of ways to mask toxic mold without eliminating it, such as painting over it or covering it with wallpaper. Doing so doesn’t stop the mold spores from causing respiratory illnesses such as asthma; it only hides it from potential home purchasers.

The problem highlights how important it is to have a certified mold inspector check out any new home you buy or are interested in buying. A mold expert knows about threats like grow-ops and will know all the places to check for hidden mold.

Ideally, the RCMP would keep the grow-op homes on a permanent list. That way, mold inspection and removal companies would know which houses require special attention. But, unfortunately, that isn’t the case. For now, it’s up to prospective Canadian homeowners to be proactive.

If you’re worried about a house being a former grow-op, don’t take the owner’s word for it just because it isn’t on the RCMP’s website list. It could easily be a grow-op home that hid its mold for a year. If in doubt, get a mold detection company to check out the problem for you.

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