Marijuana Grow Houses can exist in rural and urban areas and can operate out of residential homes or industrial units. There are an estimated 30,000 grow operation in Ontario alone.
Organized crime organizations favour renting or purchasing 2 storey homes, 3,000 to 4,000 sq. ft., in order to turn them into green houses for growing Marijuana. These homes or industrial units are operated at a minimum of 27 degrees Celsius with a sustained relative humidity of 80% or higher.
Once discovered and shut down by local authorities, these homes can continue to pose a health threat to new occupants if the mould growth and biohazard is not identified and remediated properly.
Extreme humid conditions cause extensive mould growth throughout these buildings. Mould growth as a result of these conditions, are considered extremely hazardous due to their toxigenic nature. Species of mould growth found in these buildings in most cases posses mycotoxins which can be extremely hazardous and life threatening for anyone who enters these structures. In many cases mould growth is growing inside wall cavities out of sight without any indication of a problem or any visible signs of moisture damage.
In many cases these homes pose structural and mechanical hazards as well as a fire hazard due to the modifications made to Heating and Electrical Systems to sustain the illegal operation.
