1-844-300-CIRS (2477)
STONECREST TEAM
CIRS Building Science™
Beyond the Visible
Understanding the invisible biotoxin environments that standard inspections miss — and why that difference determines whether you recover.
FOUNDATION
What is CIRS Building Science™?
CIRS Building Science™ is a comprehensive, evidence-based framework for identifying and addressing the environmental conditions that produce Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) in susceptible individuals. It goes far beyond standard mold inspection or air quality testing.
Most conventional building inspections look for visible water damage, surface mold, and basic air quality metrics. They miss the invisible accumulation of biotoxins — mold fragments, mycotoxins, bacterial endotoxins, actinomycetes, and volatile organic compounds — that are embedded in building materials and continuously produced in chronically wet or moisture-compromised environments.
CIRS Building Science™ integrates visual inspection, thermal imaging, moisture mapping, HVAC analysis, and DNA-based lab testing to uncover the root causes of biotoxin exposure — and critically, to ensure they do not reappear after remediation.
CIRS Building Science™ bridges the medical principles of the Shoemaker Protocol, Bredesen Protocol, and biotoxin illness with the built environment.
The core principle: A building cannot be properly assessed for CIRS unless the assessor understands what CIRS actually is, how the body responds to biotoxins, and which building conditions produce the specific toxin profiles that drive illness.
CIRS is not caused only by what you can see. It is caused by the invisible accumulation of biotoxins — mold fragments, mycotoxins, bacterial endotoxins, actinomycetes, and volatile organic compounds — embedded in the fabric of your building and being produced every day unless stopped and corrected.
Traditional Building Science remains essential and serves as the foundation for every successful building project. However, individuals suffering from CIRS, mold illness, Lyme disease, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), autoimmune conditions, and other environmentally triggered illnesses often react to environmental conditions that may be considered acceptable under conventional construction standards.
CIRS Building Science™ applies traditional Building Science principles through the lens of
Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), biotoxin illness, and medically-sensitive occupants.
By integrating building performance, indoor environmental quality, moisture management,
HVAC design, microbial exposure, and medical-sensitive clients health considerations, it is
critical to identify environmental conditions that contribute to ongoing illness.
Equally important, CIRS Building Science™ is designed to identify both current and future
environmental risk factors. The goal is not only to evaluate today's indoor air quality, but also to uncover building conditions that will contribute to future moisture, microbial, bacterial,
particulate, VOC, and biotoxin-related problems.
Traditional Building Science asks whether the building is performing as designed from an energy savings perspective – save the planet.
Questions matter
The goal is simple: To identify, reduce, and prevent environmental conditions that may contribute to biotoxin exposure, chronic inflammation, and ongoing health challenges.
Why CIRS Building Science™ Matters
Many buildings can perform exactly as designed while still creating challenges for medically
sensitive occupants.
CIRS Building Science™ instead critically asks whether the building is supporting the health of the occupant – our goal is save the patient, not the planet.
CIRS Building Science™ helps ensure these factors are considered during environmental
decision-making.
CIRS Building Science™ exists to help ensure medically significant environmental factors are not overlooked simply because they may appear acceptable from a conventional building perspective.
Why CIRS Building Science™ Is Critical for Every Remediation Project
Remediation should focus not only on removing contamination, but also on understanding and
correcting the underlying building conditions that allowed contamination to occur in the first place.
Without addressing root causes, contamination often returns.
Rebuilding After Remediation
The rebuilding phase presents a critical opportunity to correct hidden design flaws, HVAC
issues, insulation deficiencies, moisture concerns, and material selections that may continue
contributing to unhealthy indoor environments.
Many rebuilding projects unknowingly recreate the same conditions that contributed to the
original problem.
Remodeling Projects
Every remodeling project changes airflow, moisture dynamics, pressure relationships, materials, ventilation, and HVAC performance.
Without a CIRS-focused perspective, seemingly harmless remodeling decisions can unintentionally increase humidity, condensation potential, particulate accumulation, VOC exposure, and microbial growth risk.
New Construction
New construction provides the greatest opportunity to create a healthier indoor environment from the beginning.
By incorporating CIRS Building Science™ principles during planning and design, many future
moisture, HVAC, ventilation, insulation, and indoor environmental challenges can be prevented
before construction even begins.
The most cost-effective correction is the one that never becomes necessary.
CIRS Building Science™ helps bridge this gap by evaluating buildings not only for performance, durability, and efficiency, but also for their impact on occupant health.
Our CIRS Building Science™ Framework Is Built Around a Different Set of Questions
Not Just “Is There Mold?”
But which species are present, at what concentrations, and does the environment meet MSQPCR, HERTSMI criteria associated with CIRS-related risk?
Endotoxin load, Actinomycetes, mycotoxin accumulation, and the underlying building
conditions that contribute to their development are also evaluated.
Not Just “Visible Damage”
But hidden moisture pathways, HVAC contamination, building assembly failures, and material
reservoirs that may contribute to ongoing exposure.
Not Just “Visible Mold”
Microbial growth is often portrayed as dark, black, and obvious. In reality, many organisms can
appear white, tan, gray, or nearly invisible to the untrained eye, allowing contamination to
remain hidden on ceilings, cabinetry, furnishings, HVAC systems, and building materials.
A Common Mission
The goal of CIRS Building Science™ is to help clinicians, patients, builders, architects, HVAC professionals, remediation contractors, and indoor environmental professionals work toward a common objective:
Creating indoor environments that better support the health, recovery, and long-term well-being of medically sensitive occupants.
THE GAP
Why Standard Assessments Fail CIRS Patients
Surface-Level Assessment
Standard inspectors look for visible mold and water damage. They miss chronic moisture dynamics, hidden microclimates, and the biotoxin accumulation happening inside walls, HVAC systems, and building materials.
No CIRS Context
Most inspectors are not trained in CIRS pathophysiology. They do not understand which specific toxin profiles trigger illness, or how building conditions produce those profiles.
Incomplete Lab Interpretation
Standard air quality tests miss critical biotoxins. MSQPCR scores are reported as numbers without species-level analysis. Endotoxin, actinomycetes, and mycotoxins are often not tested at all.
No Remediation Verification
After remediation, most inspections do not verify that biotoxin sources have been eliminated and conditions corrected to prevent recurrence.
A CIRS patient cannot fully recover if they continue to live or work in the building that is making them sick. And a building cannot be properly assessed for CIRS unless the assessor understands what CIRS actually is.
WHAT WE LOOK FOR
The Biotoxin Environment
CIRS-triggering buildings share common environmental conditions. We systematically investigate each one:
Chronic Moisture & Microclimates
Hidden moisture conditions can develop within walls, attics, HVAC systems, building cavities,
and concealed areas. Excess humidity, condensation, vapor drive, restricted airflow, and temperature differentials create microclimates that support biotoxin, mold, mycotoxins, VOCs, actinomycetes and bacterial growth.
These conditions often exist without visible water damage, active leaks, or obvious signs of moisture intrusion, making them one of the most overlooked contributors to indoor environmental problems.
Mold & Mycotoxin Colonization
Mold growth is often the result of invisible elevated humidity, condensation, vapor drive, poor airflow, and other hidden moisture-related building conditions.
Rather than focusing solely on whether mold is present, we use CIRS Building Science™ framework to investigate all building conditions that will create growth.
Meaning we are looking for the root causes and conditions before the growth occurs. Understanding why specific species are present is often as important as identifying the species themselves.
Bacterial Endotoxins
Endotoxins are inflammatory biotoxins associated with Gram-negative bacteria and often overlooked in conventional investigations. Endotoxins can represent a substantial portion
of the overall biotoxin burden within a building. For CIRS and other medically-sensitive
individuals, understanding root cause endotoxin sources is as important as mold and mycotoxin
related concerns.
Actinomycetes
They are filamentous bacteria commonly associated with elevated humidity, condensation, vapor drive, and other moisture-related building conditions. They can produce inflammatory
compounds, VOCs, and other microbial byproducts that can be significant for medically
sensitive individuals.
CIRS Building Science™ evaluates not only the microbial findings, but also the building
conditions that may contribute to ongoing actinomycetes growth and future biotoxin-related
concerns.
Mycotoxin Accumulation
Mycotoxins are biologically active compounds that can persist on dust, surfaces, furnishings, and
contents even after water damage has been addressed by standard remediation.
For medically sensitive individuals, eliminating the mold source is only one part of the process.
Correcting ALL sources of mycotoxins are necessary to address residual contamination and
reduce ongoing exposure concerns.
HVAC Design & Biotoxin Exposure
Mold, bacterial biofilms, endotoxins, and other biotoxins will accumulate within ductwork,
filtration and air handlers.
Poor HVAC design, equipment selection, duct design, airflow management, humidity control
strategies, filtration, and installation practices can create conditions that promote microbial
growth and biotoxin accumulation.
In many cases, the root cause originates during the design and construction process long before
contamination becomes visible. CIRS Building Science™ evaluates both existing contamination
and the building conditions that may contribute to future biotoxin-related concerns.
Building Envelope Deficiencies
Air leakage, thermal bridging, insulation deficiencies, and uncontrolled vapor movement create conditions that support elevated humidity, condensation, and microbial growth within the building envelope.
These hidden vulnerabilities contribute to mold, actinomycetes, bacterial growth, and other biotoxin-related concerns without obvious signs of moisture intrusion. Advanced thermography and CIRS Building Science™ analysis help identify these conditions, revealing environmental risk factors that may otherwise go undetected.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are airborne chemicals that can originate from building materials, furnishings, cleaning products, occupant activities, HVAC systems, and microbial growth. These compounds can influence indoor environmental quality and may be a significant concern for CIRS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) and medically-sensitive individuals or Go Beyond the Visible
The HERTSMI Score, Mycotoxin, Actino, Endotoxin and VOC number itself are only part of the story—understanding the source and building conditions is what drives meaningful solutions.
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY
UltraMax Thermography™
Ultimate Precision for Invisible Building Conditions
UltraMax Thermal imaging is a cornerstone of CIRS Building Science™. Our commercial-grade UltraMax Thermography camera — operated exclusively at the Master Thermographer level — reveals the invisible moisture intrusion and thermal anomalies that create biotoxin environments.
What Thermography Reveals
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Hot and cold microclimates created by insulation deficiencies, thermal bridging, and air leakage that can drive vapor movement, condensation, and elevated humidity
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Insulation deficiencies, thermal bridging, and temperature anomalies affecting building performance
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Air leakage pathways that contribute to condensation and moisture accumulation
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HVAC system, ductwork, and airflow performance issues
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Areas where humidity, moisture, and contaminants can persist beyond normal living
conditions -
Hidden moisture intrusion within walls, ceilings, and building cavities
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Why It Matters for CIRS
Biotoxin-related issues are often driven by hidden environmental conditions rather than visible water damage alone. Thermography helps identify the temperature, airflow, humidity, and moisture patterns that can contribute to mold growth, bacterial amplification, and other indoor environmental concerns.
By identifying these underlying conditions, we can:
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Prioritize root-cause corrections and remediation efforts
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Reduce the likelihood of future recurrence
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Guide HVAC, ventilation, insulation, and building-performance improvements
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Verify that environmental conditions have been properly addressed
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Support the creation of healthier indoor environments for medically-sensitive occupants
Critically, we reveal heat issues that cause vapor, condensation, and humidity — issues often missed without CIRS Building Science™. Moisture is the foundation of the biotoxin environment.
Diagnostic Framework
Beyond the Score: Interpreting
MSQPCR Mold and Bacteria Testing Data
A CIRS Building Science™ Approach to ERMI and HERTSMI-2 Lab Interpretation
Working with your medical team.
DNA-based mold testing (MSQPCR) provides critical data for CIRS assessment. However, the score alone is only part of the picture. We interpret results in the context of species composition, building conditions, and clinical presentation.
Using CIRS Building Science™, we analyze laboratory findings alongside building conditions,
clients and patients history, UltraMax thermography, HVAC performance, moisture dynamics,
and environmental factors to identify root causes.
At StoneCrest Team, we review the individual mold species and their quantities much like a physician reviews individual biomarkers on bloodwork—not just the final score.
This approach helps us evaluate the complete MSQPCR profile and better understand the overall microbial environment within the home.
Our approach goes far beyond simply determining whether mold is present. We investigate why specific microbial species are present, where the contributing environmental conditions exist, and what building-related factors may be influencing the overall biotoxin profile.
Using CIRS Building Science™, we connect laboratory findings to real-world building conditions, helping identify hidden root causes rather than simply documenting the results. Laboratory data is an important part of the investigation, but it represents only one piece of the larger environmental picture.
MSQPCR ERMI
MSQPCR is a DNA-based analysis that identifies and quantifies mold species present
throughout the indoor environment. Rather than relying on a single score or index, we
evaluate the specific mold species detected, their relative concentrations, and how those findings
relate to the building's history, environmental conditions, and potential biotoxin sources.
The clearest answers emerge when the laboratory data is interpreted holistically and in
context, rather than relying on a single score alone.
HERTSMI-2
HERTSMI-2 is a targeted DNA-based assessment developed by Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker that
evaluates five mold species most closely associated with CIRS-related risk.
While the HERTSMI-2 score provides critical guidance for CIRS patients and clinicians, it
represents only one component of the overall indoor environmental picture. We also evaluate the
individual species present, their relative concentrations, and how those findings relate to the
building's history, environmental conditions, and potential biotoxin sources.
Two important considerations:
• A favorable score does not necessarily mean a building is free from biotoxin-related concerns.
• An elevated score identifies potential risk but does not determine the underlying source,
environmental conditions, or root causes contributing to the findings.
Beyond MSQPCR: Endotoxin, Actinomycetes & Mycotoxins
MSQPCR testing identifies mold species, but CIRS is driven by multiple biotoxins. We recommend targeted testing for endotoxins (bacterial lipopolysaccharides), actinomycetes (filamentous bacteria producing inflammatory metabolites), mycotoxins (heat-stable toxins persisting after mold removal), and VOCs (volatile organic compounds from microbial activity).
We use HERTSMI-2 as a targeted lens, but also examine the full species profile to understand the complete biotoxin environment.
We understand how to interpret MSQPCR scores and data at the species level — endotoxin loads, actino levels, and mycotoxin panels in the context of CIRS — not just as standalone numbers, but as a coherent biological story.
CLINICAL ALIGNMENT
Physician-Recommended MS-IEP Medically Sound Indoor Environmental Professional
StoneCrest Team does not replace your clinician—we collaborate with them.
We work closely with CIRS-Shoemaker practitioners, Bredesen Protocol practitioners, Lyme- literate physicians, functional medicine providers, and other healthcare professionals to help connect environmental findings with patient symptoms and clinical outcomes.
As a physician-recommended MS-IEP, our investigations are designed to provide meaningful environmental context that can assist both patients and healthcare providers in understanding potential building-related contributors to illness.
By combining CIRS Building Science™, advanced diagnostics, laboratory interpretation, and building science principles, we help bridge the gap between the built environment and human health.
The foundational framework for diagnosing and treating CIRS. Step one: remove exposure from the building. Our CIRS Building Science™ process is built to support its environmental requirements.
A comprehensive approach to cognitive decline that considers biotoxin exposure from water-damaged buildings as a key factor. We support Bredesen-trained physicians with building science findings that map to clinical decision-making.