Guest guest Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Biocide Usage on Mold Biocide Usage on Mold Date Added: 1/6/2009 Posted by: solutionsiec@... SolutionsIEClive.com Visit Website Author/Source: Yost SolutionsIEClive.com Biocide Usage on Mold Wabash Valley Journal of Business Tue, 06 Jan 2009 8:22 PM PST http://www.thjournal.com/article_read.asp? title=Biocide+Usage+on+Mold & item=297 Viewed: 29 times Biocides are toxic chemicals or physical agents capable of killing or inactivating one or more groups of microorganisms, such as Vegetative bacteria, Vegetative fungi, Bacterial spores, Fungal spores, Mycobacteria, Parasites, and Viruses. Today, there are over 8000 biocides for environmental use that are registered as pesticides with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These biocides are mostly aqueous formulations (formed of matter deposited in or by water) that function as sanitizers, disinfectants, or sterilants designed to kill microorganisms to varying degrees. When a biocide gets registered with the EPA the product will have a label providing useful information regarding usage, ingredients, safety and precautionary statements, claims the manufacturer makes for the product, among other things. Label claims are approved following EPA review of efficacy data generated using standard methods such as those by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. Since testing is standardized, claims by the manufacturer are not based on in-use evaluations on the variety of materials and surfaces that may be found in buildings. (It is important to note that the effectiveness of an environmental biocide can only be ensured when it is used according to label instructions, as is required by law. It is a violation of Federal law to use any biocide in any manner that is not consistent with its label instructions.) When you are determining what biocide you want to use, don't just jump on the chlorine bandwagon. There are a few factors that have to be considered: 1. Consider the nature of the organism; its type and extent of contamination. 2. Consider biocide effectiveness and suitability for the application you want to use it. 3. Consider the hazard posed by the biocide you intend to use. Biocide application and effectiveness can be affected by: 1. Use concentration - Each has an optimal effectiveness at certain concentrations (ex. Ethanol or isopropyl alcohol can be used effectively at a concentration of 70 – 75%). 2. Dwell time (contact time) - Most require a dwell time of fifteen minutes in order to be effective. 3. pH - Chlorine is more effective on the acid side and less on the alkaline side. If the surrounding environment is alkaline it can neutralize chlorine. 4. Temperature - Benzlkonium chloride becomes less effective against certain microorganisms at lower temperatures for example. 5. Nature of the organism - Some species of Penicillium are known to accumulate copper and can be resistant to copper containing biocides. While it is true that biocide usage may be effective if applied properly and can be used for easy to apply, topical applications, there are a few things to consider when using biocides. Biocides, as I defined above, are toxic chemicals, which means they have low to high toxicity to humans; after all, they are life-killing (bio-life; Cide-kill) agents. Re-emissions (aldehydes and chlorine) can be harmful. Additionally, biocides can be inactivated by organic material; have limited efficacy against a broad range of microorganisms; may react with or damage some building components; left-over organics may be a nutrient source; and they are not capable of neutralizing the antigenic properties, endotoxins or mycotoxins left over by bacteria or mold. Therefore, even mold growth treated with a biocide should be removed from the indoor environment. Think of it like this: You go into your basement and see what appears to be mold on the drywall. There is some greenish-blue and black growth here and there. You go to clean it with bleach, but the bleach is only effective in suppressing one of the mold types there (just for the sake of example we'll say the greenish-blue and not the black for example). The suppression of the one organism may give the other organism(s) an advantage, leading to different control problems. OR You treat the mold with your chlorine and it kills the mold growth you see, leaving behind the dead bodies, spores, and potential toxins. In other words, the source of indoor air quality damage has not been removed and the potential for exposure to allergens or other infectious agents may remain even after a successful treatment with a biocide. With that in mind the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygiene states that, " Effective remediation of water-damaged or microbially contaminated buildings involves (a) the use of appropriate techniques to promote rapid drying, and ( complete removal of contaminated materials rather than the applications of biocides without these steps. " (ACGIH Bioaerosols: Assessment and Control) (Dilution is never the final solution.) So when you are faced with that neighbor and friend that, although they are trying to help, is trying to sell you the idea of just wiping it down with bleach, take the time to get to know the situation and process of remediation you are considering before implementing them. A professional Indoor Environmentalist of Hygienist can help you identify the nature of the organism and the extent of contamination, some even write protocols (recommendations of care) in their analytical reports. A list of these professionals can be found on the websites of the Indoor Air Quality Association, American Indoor Air Quality Council, and American Industrial Hygiene Association. When looking for a professional to help consult you through a problem, look for someone that has the following credentials: 1. Make sure they do not remediate their own work, as this is a conflict of interest (see IICRC S520 Standard & Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation). 2. Make sure they are insured. 3. Third-party accreditation (like those listed on the above suggested websites) is strongly suggested. 4. Understand your guarantees, making sure to get a protocol written into your analytical report; otherwise, you may walk away with incomplete information and contractor controversy. One final note: Ozone is not an effective biocide. Controlled laboratory studies confirmed the ineffectiveness of gas-phased ozone against a variety of fungal and bacterial contaminants. So don't buy into that either. Perhaps we can write and discuss that in another article? Best wishes. Add Comment/Rating Other Articles by this Author Back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 Something else I learned about chlorine is that when you're using it in a bucket to clean something, if any inanimate matter from your washcloth or sponge gets into the water, the bleach will cling to it leaving the rest of the water ineffective. Barth www.presenting.net/sbs/sbs.html SUBMIT YOUR DOCTOR: www.presenting.net/sbs/molddoctors.html --- t> Biocide Usage on Mold t> Biocide Usage on Mold t> Date Added: 1/6/2009 t> Posted by: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 KC and group, This is one of the best articles on biocides and mold I have read in a long time. It would be a good article to reference when anyone asks questions about which chemical does the best job of killing mold and why it should be removed instead. I had some trouble getting the link to work correctly so here is the TinyURL for it: http://tinyurl.com/93z6qz Carl Grimes Healthy Habitats LLC ----- > > Biocide Usage on Mold > > Biocide Usage on Mold > Date Added: 1/6/2009 > Posted by: > solutionsiec@... > SolutionsIEClive.com > Visit Website > > Author/Source: > Yost > SolutionsIEClive.com > > Biocide Usage on Mold > Wabash Valley Journal of Business Tue, 06 Jan 2009 8:22 PM PST > > http://www.thjourna l.com/article_read.asp? > title=Biocide+Usage+on+Mold & item=297 > > Viewed: 29 times > > Biocides are toxic chemicals or physical agents capable of killing > or inactivating one or more groups of microorganisms, such as > Vegetative bacteria, Vegetative fungi, Bacterial spores, Fungal > spores, Mycobacteria, Parasites, and Viruses. > > Today, there are over 8000 biocides for environmental use that are > registered as pesticides with the United States Environmental > Protection Agency (EPA). These biocides are mostly aqueous > formulations (formed of matter deposited in or by water) that > function as sanitizers, disinfectants, or sterilants designed to > kill microorganisms to varying degrees. > > When a biocide gets registered with the EPA the product will have a > label providing useful information regarding usage, ingredients, > safety and precautionary statements, claims the manufacturer makes > for the product, among other things. Label claims are approved > following EPA review of efficacy data generated using standard > methods such as those by the Association of Official Analytical > Chemists. Since testing is standardized, claims by the manufacturer > are not based on in-use evaluations on the variety of materials and > surfaces that may be found in buildings. > > (It is important to note that the effectiveness of an environmental > biocide can only be ensured when it is used according to label > instructions, as is required by law. It is a violation of Federal > law to use any biocide in any manner that is not consistent with its > label instructions.) > > When you are determining what biocide you want to use, don't just > jump on the chlorine bandwagon. There are a few factors that have to > be considered: > > 1. Consider the nature of the organism; its type and extent of > contamination. > > 2. Consider biocide effectiveness and suitability for the > application you want to use it. > > 3. Consider the hazard posed by the biocide you intend to use. > > Biocide application and effectiveness can be affected by: > > 1. Use concentration - Each has an optimal effectiveness at > certain concentrations (ex. Ethanol or isopropyl alcohol can be used > effectively at a concentration of 70 - 75%). > > 2. Dwell time (contact time) - Most require a dwell time of > fifteen minutes in order to be effective. > > 3. pH - Chlorine is more effective on the acid side and less > on the alkaline side. If the surrounding environment is alkaline it > can neutralize chlorine. > > 4. Temperature - Benzlkonium chloride becomes less effective > against certain microorganisms at lower temperatures for example. > > 5. Nature of the organism - Some species of Penicillium are > known to accumulate copper and can be resistant to copper containing > biocides. > > While it is true that biocide usage may be effective if applied > properly and can be used for easy to apply, topical applications, > there are a few things to consider when using biocides. Biocides, as > I defined above, are toxic chemicals, which means they have low to > high toxicity to humans; after all, they are life-killing (bio-life; > Cide-kill) agents. Re-emissions (aldehydes and chlorine) can be > harmful. > > Additionally, biocides can be inactivated by organic material; have > limited efficacy against a broad range of microorganisms; may react > with or damage some building components; left-over organics may be a > nutrient source; and they are not capable of neutralizing the > antigenic properties, endotoxins or mycotoxins left over by bacteria > or mold. Therefore, even mold growth treated with a biocide should > be removed from the indoor environment. > > Think of it like this: You go into your basement and see what > appears to be mold on the drywall. There is some greenish-blue and > black growth here and there. You go to clean it with bleach, but the > bleach is only effective in suppressing one of the mold types there > (just for the sake of example we'll say the greenish-blue and not > the black for example). The suppression of the one organism may give > the other organism(s) an advantage, leading to different control > problems. > > OR > > You treat the mold with your chlorine and it kills the mold growth > you see, leaving behind the dead bodies, spores, and potential > toxins. In other words, the source of indoor air quality damage has > not been removed and the potential for exposure to allergens or > other infectious agents may remain even after a successful treatment > with a biocide. > > With that in mind the American Conference of Governmental Industrial > Hygiene states that, " Effective remediation of water-damaged or > microbially contaminated buildings involves (a) the use of > appropriate techniques to promote rapid drying, and ( complete > removal of contaminated materials rather than the applications of > biocides without these steps. " (ACGIH Bioaerosols: Assessment and > Control) > > (Dilution is never the final solution.) > > So when you are faced with that neighbor and friend that, although > they are trying to help, is trying to sell you the idea of just > wiping it down with bleach, take the time to get to know the > situation and process of remediation you are considering before > implementing them. A professional Indoor Environmentalist of > Hygienist can help you identify the nature of the organism and the > extent of contamination, some even write protocols (recommendations > of care) in their analytical reports. A list of these professionals > can be found on the websites of the Indoor Air Quality Association, > American Indoor Air Quality Council, and American Industrial Hygiene > Association. > > When looking for a professional to help consult you through a > problem, look for someone that has the following credentials: > > 1. Make sure they do not remediate their own work, as this is > a conflict of interest (see IICRC S520 Standard & Reference Guide > for Professional Mold Remediation). > > 2. Make sure they are insured. > > 3. Third-party accreditation (like those listed on the above > suggested websites) is strongly suggested. > > 4. Understand your guarantees, making sure to get a protocol > written into your analytical report; otherwise, you may walk away > with incomplete information and contractor controversy. > > One final note: Ozone is not an effective biocide. Controlled > laboratory studies confirmed the ineffectiveness of gas-phased ozone > against a variety of fungal and bacterial contaminants. So don't buy > into that either. Perhaps we can write and discuss that in another > article? Best wishes. > > > Add Comment/Rating > > > Other Articles by this Author > > Back > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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