Why Home Testing Matters When You’re Navigating CIRS
Using ERMI, HERTSMI-2, Endotoxin, and Actinobacteria (“Actinos”) to stop guessing and start making clean decisions.
If you’re dealing with CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome), “getting better” is rarely just about supplements, binders, or detox support. A huge part of the battle is making sure the environment you’re living in isn’t continuously re-triggering the inflammatory response.
And here’s the hard truth: you can’t reliably symptom-manage your way out of a problem that’s still happening in your home.
That’s why so many CIRS clinicians and educators emphasize testing the living environment, not to create fear, but to create clarity. Tools like ERMI, HERTSMI-2, endotoxins, and actinobacteria testing can help you answer the question that matters most:
Is my home helping me heal or keeping me stuck?
Below is a practical, CIRS-oriented overview of the most common tests people use, why each one matters, and how to think about results.
Why testing beats guessing
A lot of people do the “I cleaned everything + bought air purifiers + diffused oils + took binders” routine… and still don’t stabilize.
Why? Because without objective data, you’re often guessing about:
whether mold particles are present in the dust (not just visible mold)
whether the home is loaded with inflammagens (like endotoxin and actinos)
whether remediation actually worked
whether you’re being re-exposed in a “clean-looking” space
Home testing is not about perfection. It’s about decision-making with fewer assumptions.
Step 1: ERMI - a broad mold DNA snapshot
ERMI stands for Environmental Relative Moldiness Index. It was developed by EPA researchers as a research tool to estimate mold contamination in homes.
What ERMI does well
Looks at 36 mold species using DNA-based methods (commonly discussed as qPCR-based testing in practice).
Gives you a broad picture of the “mold fingerprint” in settled dust
In the CIRS world, ERMI is widely used as a practical screening tool, usually interpreted alongside clinical context and/or translated into a HERTSMI-2 score (more on that below).
Translation: ERMI can be helpful, but don’t treat it like a standalone “diagnosis” of your home.
Step 2: HERTSMI-2 - the “CIRS-relevant” mold scoring lens
HERTSMI-2 is a scoring system that uses a subset of mold species from ERMI-style dust testing and is designed to help determine whether a building is likely safe for people previously sickened by water-damaged buildings.
SurvivingMold describes it as an application of the DNA testing shown in ERMI results, focused on practical occupancy decisions.
Why people like HERTSMI-2 for CIRS
It’s more targeted than ERMI for the “sicker subset” of patients
It’s often used as a go/no-go tool for:
moving into a new place
confirming if remediation worked
deciding whether symptoms might be exposure-driven
The HERTSMI-2 score is central to the environmental safety conversations for those with CIRS.
Step 3: Endotoxins - the “hidden inflammation” many people miss
Even when mold scores don’t look terrifying, some people still react hard in a home.
That’s where endotoxins comes in.
Endotoxins can be a major inflammatory driver in buildings, especially where there’s moisture, dust load, HVAC contamination, pets, pests, or general microbial imbalance.
CIRS literate practitioners know that a “mold-only” approach can miss a big piece of the exposure puzzle, so they run endotoxin testing alongside mold.
Step 4: Actinobacteria (“Actinos”) - a major CIRS conversation in recent years
Actinos have become a big topic in CIRS education because they’re another category of inflammagen that can be present in dust and potentially contribute to chronic immune activation. They are bacteria with a thick cell wall structure that makes them more resistant to breakdown and capable of triggering immune responses in sensitive people.
Dr. Eric Dorninger (CIRSx) has been prominently associated with educating on actinos as part of the CIRS “root cause” conversation, including how actinos and endotoxins can fit into the broader exposure picture.
Where do actinobacteria come from in homes?
Actinos don’t require visible mold or major water damage to be present. Common sources include:
1. Soil and outdoor debris
Tracked in on shoes
Pets bringing in dirt
Open windows / dust infiltration
Gardening materials
2. Human skin shedding
We constantly shed skin cells, and our skin microbiome includes actinobacteria. Over time, they accumulate in:
Bedding
Upholstered furniture
Carpets
Dust reservoirs
3. Dust buildup
Homes with:
Lots of textiles
Poor ventilation
Infrequent deep cleaning
Older HVAC systems
can accumulate very high actino loads even without obvious mold.
4. Water-damaged materials (sometimes)
While actinos don’t always mean water damage, certain species can proliferate in:
Damp drywall
Wet insulation
Chronically humid environments
Old basements
But importantly: You can have high actinos in a home that looks perfectly “dry.”
Why many practitioners recommend a “4-part” home testing strategy
Here’s the simple logic behind using all four:
ERMI = broad mold ecosystem snapshot (bigger picture)
HERTSMI-2 = CIRS-oriented “is this safe for a sensitive person?” scoring
Endotoxin = bacterial inflammagen load that can drive symptoms even when mold looks “okay”
Actinos = additional inflammagen category increasingly discussed in CIRS education
Practical tips: how to make testing actually useful
A test is only as helpful as the quality of the sample and what you do with the data.
Sampling basics (general best practices)
Collect settled dust from areas that represent real living exposure (not just one random shelf)
Avoid sampling immediately after a deep clean (you’ll under-collect what you’re actually living with)
Treat testing as a decision tool, not a moral judgment on your home
How to use results without spiraling
Think in outcomes:
Baseline: What are we working with?
Action: Do we clean, remediate, change HVAC strategy, reduce dust reservoirs, or relocate?
Retest: Did the intervention actually change the environment?
That “test → act → retest” loop is one of the most sanity-saving things you can do in the CIRS process.
Final thought: you deserve certainty, not constant second-guessing
If you’re navigating CIRS, home testing isn’t “extra.” It’s often the missing link between:
doing all the right things with minimal to moderate results
VS.actually seeing your body calm down
When you run ERMI/HERTSMI-2 + endotoxins + actinos tests, you’re not chasing perfection, you’re creating a map. And with CIRS, having a map changes everything.
Educational content only; not medical advice. If you’re actively symptomatic, work with a qualified clinician and an experienced indoor environmental professional for interpretation and next steps
