Reports of possible asbestos findings in colored play sand, craft sand, and modeling sand are currently causing uncertainty. Individual international studies have detected asbestos fibers in colored sand products.

The GBA Group offers professional asbestos analysis of play sand in accordance with recognized standard procedures:

• BIA 7487
• VDI 3866 Sheet 5, Appendix B

Approximately 1 gram of sample material is sufficient for testing in our specialized laboratories.

Pseudogymnoascus pannorum is a mold with extraordinary properties. It grows even at temperatures below 0 °C and poses particular challenges for research, industry, and laboratory analysis. We highlight physiological characteristics, analytical relevance, and practical issues in mold diagnostics.

Penicillium chrysogenum is one of the best-known mold species worldwide, and for good reason. It was the starting point for one of the most significant medical discoveries of the 20th century: penicillin. But this brush-like fungus is much more than just a historic chance discovery.

Today, Penicillium chrysogenum plays an important role in laboratory analysis and environmental research. As an adaptable moisture indicator, it often occurs on building materials or foodstuffs and provides valuable information about moisture and hygiene damage. At the same time, it is a versatile model organism on which numerous metabolic processes and genome studies are carried out.

Its enormous ecological range, high spore production, and medical relevance make Penicillium chrysogenum a fascinating example of the connection between science, practice, and history.

In the world of indoor analytics, Microascus paisii is one of those silent players that, despite regular detection in indoor air and material samples, has received little scientific attention to date. Yet this mold species has a number of special characteristics that make it all the more interesting in practice.

Aspergillus sydowii is an interesting case of a species that, triggered by a change of habitat, simultaneously assumes a different biological function/biological niche. In the terrestrial environment, Aspergillus sydowii is considered a saprophyte, i.e. a decomposer of complex organic substances. In the marine habitat, however, the species becomes a parasite of corals of the genus Gorgonia. The spores of Aspergillus sydowii are probably introduced from the terrestrial environment via soil erosion and reach the sea, where they can infect the algae.