Does Mold Remediation or Air Duct Cleaning Really Help?

[Guest guest]

Does Mold Remediation or Air Duct Cleaning Really Help?

by Ed Ziegler, Pure Air Control Services

http://www.imakenews.com/pureaircontrols/e_article000732142.cfm?

x=b8PcTc0,bvtv58G

Indoor Air Quality issues are rapidly becoming part of the general

public's consciousness through the mass media's portrayal of

proliferating toxic mold. Many Floridians, along with the rest of

the nation are now discovering that non-qualified commercial mold

remediation firms and residential duct cleaning services can be just

as hazardous.

Numerous post-hurricane mold cleanup efforts have been ineffective.

A recent article stated that 40 percent of the certified duct

cleaners do not follow their certifying entity's procedures and

protocols. Many states are rushing to introduce legislation that

qualifies and regulates the currently unregulated remediation

industry. At this point, the question must be asked: Does mold

remediation or air duct cleaning really help?

The first step to consider before embarking on a mold remediation or

duct cleaning project is to determine if the mold types and levels

or duct condition are the source for a current or potential health

problem. Keep in mind, the source of a mold problem may not be

visibly apparent, and just cleaning the ducts may not be the answer.

Contact a reputable environmental consultant who can conduct an

indoor environmental walkthrough that includes a pragmatic series of

diagnostic tests to determine the environmental status of your home

or office.

What Does Mold Remediation and Duct Cleaning Entail?

Mold Remediation includes a large variety of components (e.g.

drywall, wood, carpet, building furnishings, etc.), which may also

include duct cleaning. The type of mold, levels of contamination,

and clearance levels will determine the protocols employed during

the remediation project. It is important that the remediation

service provider environmentally clean all the contaminated

components so unclean sections will not re-contaminate the home or

office again.

Anti-microbial chemicals are sometimes applied during the cleaning

process and in some cases incorporated into the encapsulating

products. Ensure all chemicals used are EPA registered for the

specific application. All MSDS sheets should be maintained on the

project worksite. Some newer remediation efforts include cryogenic

processes for mold treatment.

Duct cleaning entails cleaning the various heating and cooling

system components of forced air systems. These components include

the supply and return air ducts and registers, grilles and

diffusers, heat exchangers heating and cooling coils, condensate

drain pans (drip pans), fan motor and fan housing, variable area

volume (VAV) boxes, fresh air ductwork, and the air handling unit

housing.

The service provider should take preventive steps to protect

individuals from exposure to dislodged contaminants during the

cleaning process. These steps may include the use of containment

barriers; the utilization of negative air machines (NAM) employing

High Efficiency Particulate Arresting (HEPA) filtration rated 99.97%

efficiency for particulate size of .03 microns on the cleaning

equipment, effective " tools of the trade " to facilitate proper

removal, and the use of employees who are trained in OSHA safety

practices.

In an office type building, remediation should be performed at

night, to again minimize the occupational disruption of the tenants

and potential contaminants disturbed during remediation processes.

Signs of Mold

The most efficient means of determining the presence of mold is

through indoor environmental surveys. Often, building occupants

exposed to mold contamination experience allergic symptoms, asthma

attack, etc. Some non-ideopathic entities like rapid changes in air

temperature and humidity levels, building pressurization,

fluctuating lighting, and odor-causing evolutions can elicit similar

symptoms and sometimes even can mask a mold-related problem.

Mold requires moisture for growth. Moisture intrusion due to poor

construction design, materials, laborers and technique is currently

a major industry problem. There are currently no regulations for

mold contaminant levels, but there have been multiple bills

introduced at the various levels of government (federal and state)

with regulation coming in the not too distant future.

Opportunistic pathogenic molds are well documented as well as others

that generate toxic chemicals called Microbial Volatile Organic

Compound (MVOC's). Even if you have visible mold present, reputable

professionals should do the qualification and quantification with

all assay analyses performed by an accredited laboratory.

Guidelines for acceptable levels of molds have been developed

through trend analysis of the Computer Assisted Air Management

Program Systems (CAAMPS) at the Environmental Diagnostics Laboratory

of Pure Air Control Services (www.pureaircontrols.com). CAAMPS

contains data from over 60,000 samples collected in over 400 million

sq. ft. of commercial and residential sites.

Signs That Ducts Should Be Cleaned

Several factors help determine if the duct system should be cleaned.

One major factor is visible mold growth inside hard surface ducts or

on other components of your system. Be aware that although a

substance may look like mold, it may not be. The use of an AIHA

accredited environmental laboratory will accurately determine

whether a sample is mold or simply debris that resembles it.

If the air duct insulation is saturated with water, it should be

removed and replaced and the cause of the growth corrected before

the cleaning or removal occurs.

Other factors include rodent or insect infestation and a clogged

HVAC system that actually releases contaminants into the building or

home through the registers.

Risk Factors

If proper mold remediation or duct cleaning procedures are not

followed, these processes can cause more dust, debris and molds to

be released into the air. Inadequate negative air machine collection

systems and poor containment can cause this problem.

Also, there is the possibility the service provider can damage your

ducts or heating and cooling system, which could result in increased

heating and air conditioning operational costs, expensive repairs or

replacements.

Listed below are questions that should be posed to the prospective

remediation and duct-cleaning contractor:

• Are the New York City Department of Health Mold Remediation

Guidelines level I through level V being utilized for mold

cleanup? • Is the company NADCA certified and in good standing?

• Are the NADCA ACR 2002 specifications utilized?

• Are the IICRC Standard for Professional Remediation S520 utilized?

• Do they maintain adequate insurance coverages? e.g. Professional

Liability (E & O) $10M w/$1M mold remediation coverage; Contractor

Pollution Liability $10M w/ $1M mold remediation coverage; General

Liability $1M w/ $2M aggregate; Workers Compensation $1M; Automobile

$1M,

• How long has the service provider been in business? • Is their

work mostly residential homes or commercial buildings?

• Does their respective state's Department of Business and

Professional Regulation (DBPR) require licensure?

• What are the qualifications of the firm?

• Do they guarantee their work?

• What is the guarantee?

• Does the firm work with the medical community? (Health

implications of work)

• Are their chemicals registered with the EPA for specific ductwork

applications? (Fiberglass vs. Sheet Metal)

• What quality control/quality assurances (QA/QC) protocols do they

provide to assure that mold, fiberglass, dust, pollen and dander

have been effectively removed after the cleaning process?

• Are the technicians who will be performing the work

environmentally trained?

• What are their backgrounds? Their experience? Have they been

trained in the following OSHA programs:

• Respiratory Protection Program: 1910.134

• Hazard Communication Program: 1910.120

• Confined Space Program: 1910.146

• Lock Out - Tag Out Program: 1910.147

Detailed environmental HVAC and Mold project remediation

specifications are essential in any indoor environmental remediation

project and should be mandated to confirmed the qualifications of

the individual as well as provide some assurance of the project's

success.

About Pure Air Control Services:

Pure Air Control Services (www.pureaircontrols.com) has an in-house

Microbiology Laboratory, Environmental Diagnostics laboratory

(EDlab.org) accredited by the American Industrial Hygiene

Association (AIHA), one of only 42 in the U.S. and the first in

Florida.

Pure Air Control Services is under direct contract with the General

Services Administration (GSA), Contract #GS-10F-0488R, linking them

directly to federal governmental agencies as a provider for IAQ

consulting, expert laboratory analysis, as well as HVAC system

cleaning and mold remediation services.

The firm has offices in Tampa, FL, Atlanta, GA, West Palm Beach,

Fl., Houston, TX, New Orleans, LA, Los Angles, CA and Washington,

DC, that services the entire country.

The firm provides the following indoor environmental services on a

national basis:

· Building Sciences Evaluation

· Building Health Check

· Environmental Microbiology Laboratory (AIHA Accredited)

· Environmental Project Management

· IAQ-Screen Test Kits/EvaluAire and EvaluAire Pro

· Mold Remediation Services

· HVAC System Remediation

Clients of Pure Air Control Services include: General Services

Administration (GSA); Controls; Allstate Insurance; r

Air Conditioning; Siemen's Building Systems; Naval Air Warfare

Center, Orlando; Naval Air Station - King's Bay, Georgia; The

Haskell Company; Leon County Government, Tallahassee, Florida;

Pinellas County Government, Clearwater, Florida; Collier County

Government, Naples, Florida; Bayfront Medical Center, St. Pete,

Florida; US Army - Ft. Bragg, Kentucky; Naval Station - Guantanamo

Bay, Cuba; Montgomery County School District, land; Citrus

County School District, Florida; and many others.

For additional information on building diagnostics please contact:

Mr. Alan Wozniak, President/CEO

Pure Air Control Services, Inc.

(800) 422-7873 x802

www.pureaircontrols.com

www.edlab.org

www.buildinghealthcheck.com

www.indoorairtest.com/working

For additional information on Building Remediation ( HVAC cleaning /

Mold removal ) please contact:

McKee, Building Remediation Sciences

1-800-422-7873 ext 403

http://www.pureaircontrols.com/buildrem.html

[Guest guest]

KC, I was reading this article on this website earlier. The management, their

professional consulting company which consisted of an environmental person and

scientest, at my housing had the regular maintenance men come in and take out

the small top portions of the deteriorating fiberglass insulation and the molds

that were on the top came out with them and replace these portions with new

pieces of insulation foiled backed, and cover the top of the pipes that where

showing in these two ducts with pieces of insulation. They did not have a

professional duct cleaning company come into do the entire system.

So therefore I had to initially block off the ducts, and then when it became

cold enough where I had to put the heat on, my son had to put filters in the

ducts due to the fact that common sense tells one, that the molds were still in

the system and being disturbed, was going to dislodge the molds. Due to them

wanting to come into try to remediate in any fashion, it is in the lease and

under law to my understanding when the landlord tries to remediate any problems

you have to let them do so.

This so called remediation was set forth from a scientist and environmental

engineer telling the regular maintenance team to do it this way and my problem

will be solved.

Darlene

tigerpaw2c <tigerpaw2c@...> wrote: Does

Mold Remediation or Air Duct Cleaning Really Help?

by Ed Ziegler, Pure Air Control Services

http://www.imakenews.com/pureaircontrols/e_article000732142.cfm?

x=b8PcTc0,bvtv58G

Indoor Air Quality issues are rapidly becoming part of the general

public's consciousness through the mass media's portrayal of

proliferating toxic mold. Many Floridians, along with the rest of

the nation are now discovering that non-qualified commercial mold

remediation firms and residential duct cleaning services can be just

as hazardous.

Numerous post-hurricane mold cleanup efforts have been ineffective.

A recent article stated that 40 percent of the certified duct

cleaners do not follow their certifying entity's procedures and

protocols. Many states are rushing to introduce legislation that

qualifies and regulates the currently unregulated remediation

industry. At this point, the question must be asked: Does mold

remediation or air duct cleaning really help?

The first step to consider before embarking on a mold remediation or

duct cleaning project is to determine if the mold types and levels

or duct condition are the source for a current or potential health

problem. Keep in mind, the source of a mold problem may not be

visibly apparent, and just cleaning the ducts may not be the answer.

Contact a reputable environmental consultant who can conduct an

indoor environmental walkthrough that includes a pragmatic series of

diagnostic tests to determine the environmental status of your home

or office.

What Does Mold Remediation and Duct Cleaning Entail?

Mold Remediation includes a large variety of components (e.g.

drywall, wood, carpet, building furnishings, etc.), which may also

include duct cleaning. The type of mold, levels of contamination,

and clearance levels will determine the protocols employed during

the remediation project. It is important that the remediation

service provider environmentally clean all the contaminated

components so unclean sections will not re-contaminate the home or

office again.

Anti-microbial chemicals are sometimes applied during the cleaning

process and in some cases incorporated into the encapsulating

products. Ensure all chemicals used are EPA registered for the

specific application. All MSDS sheets should be maintained on the

project worksite. Some newer remediation efforts include cryogenic

processes for mold treatment.

Duct cleaning entails cleaning the various heating and cooling

system components of forced air systems. These components include

the supply and return air ducts and registers, grilles and

diffusers, heat exchangers heating and cooling coils, condensate

drain pans (drip pans), fan motor and fan housing, variable area

volume (VAV) boxes, fresh air ductwork, and the air handling unit

housing.

The service provider should take preventive steps to protect

individuals from exposure to dislodged contaminants during the

cleaning process. These steps may include the use of containment

barriers; the utilization of negative air machines (NAM) employing

High Efficiency Particulate Arresting (HEPA) filtration rated 99.97%

efficiency for particulate size of .03 microns on the cleaning

equipment, effective " tools of the trade " to facilitate proper

removal, and the use of employees who are trained in OSHA safety

practices.

In an office type building, remediation should be performed at

night, to again minimize the occupational disruption of the tenants

and potential contaminants disturbed during remediation processes.

Signs of Mold

The most efficient means of determining the presence of mold is

through indoor environmental surveys. Often, building occupants

exposed to mold contamination experience allergic symptoms, asthma

attack, etc. Some non-ideopathic entities like rapid changes in air

temperature and humidity levels, building pressurization,

fluctuating lighting, and odor-causing evolutions can elicit similar

symptoms and sometimes even can mask a mold-related problem.

Mold requires moisture for growth. Moisture intrusion due to poor

construction design, materials, laborers and technique is currently

a major industry problem. There are currently no regulations for

mold contaminant levels, but there have been multiple bills

introduced at the various levels of government (federal and state)

with regulation coming in the not too distant future.

Opportunistic pathogenic molds are well documented as well as others

that generate toxic chemicals called Microbial Volatile Organic

Compound (MVOC's). Even if you have visible mold present, reputable

professionals should do the qualification and quantification with

all assay analyses performed by an accredited laboratory.

Guidelines for acceptable levels of molds have been developed

through trend analysis of the Computer Assisted Air Management

Program Systems (CAAMPS) at the Environmental Diagnostics Laboratory

of Pure Air Control Services (www.pureaircontrols.com). CAAMPS

contains data from over 60,000 samples collected in over 400 million

sq. ft. of commercial and residential sites.

Signs That Ducts Should Be Cleaned

Several factors help determine if the duct system should be cleaned.

One major factor is visible mold growth inside hard surface ducts or

on other components of your system. Be aware that although a

substance may look like mold, it may not be. The use of an AIHA

accredited environmental laboratory will accurately determine

whether a sample is mold or simply debris that resembles it.

If the air duct insulation is saturated with water, it should be

removed and replaced and the cause of the growth corrected before

the cleaning or removal occurs.

Other factors include rodent or insect infestation and a clogged

HVAC system that actually releases contaminants into the building or

home through the registers.

Risk Factors

If proper mold remediation or duct cleaning procedures are not

followed, these processes can cause more dust, debris and molds to

be released into the air. Inadequate negative air machine collection

systems and poor containment can cause this problem.

Also, there is the possibility the service provider can damage your

ducts or heating and cooling system, which could result in increased

heating and air conditioning operational costs, expensive repairs or

replacements.

Listed below are questions that should be posed to the prospective

remediation and duct-cleaning contractor:

• Are the New York City Department of Health Mold Remediation

Guidelines level I through level V being utilized for mold

cleanup? • Is the company NADCA certified and in good standing?

• Are the NADCA ACR 2002 specifications utilized?

• Are the IICRC Standard for Professional Remediation S520 utilized?

• Do they maintain adequate insurance coverages? e.g. Professional

Liability (E & O) $10M w/$1M mold remediation coverage; Contractor

Pollution Liability $10M w/ $1M mold remediation coverage; General

Liability $1M w/ $2M aggregate; Workers Compensation $1M; Automobile

$1M,

• How long has the service provider been in business? • Is their

work mostly residential homes or commercial buildings?

• Does their respective state's Department of Business and

Professional Regulation (DBPR) require licensure?

• What are the qualifications of the firm?

• Do they guarantee their work?

• What is the guarantee?

• Does the firm work with the medical community? (Health

implications of work)

• Are their chemicals registered with the EPA for specific ductwork

applications? (Fiberglass vs. Sheet Metal)

• What quality control/quality assurances (QA/QC) protocols do they

provide to assure that mold, fiberglass, dust, pollen and dander

have been effectively removed after the cleaning process?

• Are the technicians who will be performing the work

environmentally trained?

• What are their backgrounds? Their experience? Have they been

trained in the following OSHA programs:

• Respiratory Protection Program: 1910.134

• Hazard Communication Program: 1910.120

• Confined Space Program: 1910.146

• Lock Out - Tag Out Program: 1910.147

Detailed environmental HVAC and Mold project remediation

specifications are essential in any indoor environmental remediation

project and should be mandated to confirmed the qualifications of

the individual as well as provide some assurance of the project's

success.

About Pure Air Control Services:

Pure Air Control Services (www.pureaircontrols.com) has an in-house

Microbiology Laboratory, Environmental Diagnostics laboratory

(EDlab.org) accredited by the American Industrial Hygiene

Association (AIHA), one of only 42 in the U.S. and the first in

Florida.

Pure Air Control Services is under direct contract with the General

Services Administration (GSA), Contract #GS-10F-0488R, linking them

directly to federal governmental agencies as a provider for IAQ

consulting, expert laboratory analysis, as well as HVAC system

cleaning and mold remediation services.

The firm has offices in Tampa, FL, Atlanta, GA, West Palm Beach,

Fl., Houston, TX, New Orleans, LA, Los Angles, CA and Washington,

DC, that services the entire country.

The firm provides the following indoor environmental services on a

national basis:

· Building Sciences Evaluation

· Building Health Check

· Environmental Microbiology Laboratory (AIHA Accredited)

· Environmental Project Management

· IAQ-Screen Test Kits/EvaluAire and EvaluAire Pro

· Mold Remediation Services

· HVAC System Remediation

Clients of Pure Air Control Services include: General Services

Administration (GSA); Controls; Allstate Insurance; r

Air Conditioning; Siemen's Building Systems; Naval Air Warfare

Center, Orlando; Naval Air Station - King's Bay, Georgia; The

Haskell Company; Leon County Government, Tallahassee, Florida;

Pinellas County Government, Clearwater, Florida; Collier County

Government, Naples, Florida; Bayfront Medical Center, St. Pete,

Florida; US Army - Ft. Bragg, Kentucky; Naval Station - Guantanamo

Bay, Cuba; Montgomery County School District, land; Citrus

County School District, Florida; and many others.

For additional information on building diagnostics please contact:

Mr. Alan Wozniak, President/CEO

Pure Air Control Services, Inc.

(800) 422-7873 x802

www.pureaircontrols.com

www.edlab.org

www.buildinghealthcheck.com

www.indoorairtest.com/working

For additional information on Building Remediation ( HVAC cleaning /

Mold removal ) please contact:

McKee, Building Remediation Sciences

1-800-422-7873 ext 403

http://www.pureaircontrols.com/buildrem.html

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