Small Particle Remediation Advancements
With widespread flooding of homes and businesses across the United States, more and more people are exposed to mold growth and other contaminants that are inherent in the aftermath of water-damaged buildings, especially in humid climates like South Louisiana.
Remediation companies like EIS that have been at the forefront of remediation technology for over 20 years have kept up with the latest mold remediation advances. New technologies in microbial detection and remediation have enabled us to remove even the smallest of microscopic mold spores and other contaminants. This state-of-the-art technology in mold and contaminant removal at the microbial level is called Small Particle Remediation.
How is Small Particle Remediation Performed?
Small Particle Remediation is performed after all the water damaged and mold-infested material is properly removed from the property. Once the initial phases of material removal are performed, then Small Particle Remediation begins and includes three phases beginning with HEPA-vacuuming, followed by fogging to knockdown the particulate, and lastly, a thorough wiping down of all surfaces is performed.
Vacuuming using a HEPA filter is a high-efficiency particulate air-filtration system, designed to remove 99.97% of particles that are .3 microns in size that pass through it. HEPA vacuuming removes animal hair and dander, dust and other large debris. However, it is only the first step in in the Small Particle Remediation process, which is a particulate knockdown.
The next step in Small Particle Remediation is fogging. Fogging is performed by spraying a liquid agent in the air that captures air particles and knocks them down to lower surfaces to be wiped clean. The liquid agent is an odorless, water-based agent that is designed to evaporate at a slow rate, allowing for the final step of wiping all surfaces down for final removal of contaminants.
In the small particle remediation, the goal is not to kill the mold as in a biocide fogging procedure. Dead spores actually still contain the mold toxins. The goal of knockdown fogging is the removal of all spores and small fragments of spores that contain toxins. During the knockdown fogging, the small particles and particle fragments are weighed down to lower surfaces so that they can be wiped away in the final phase of small particle remediation.
The last step in Small Particle Remediation is the use of a mild cleaning solution such as grain alcohol to wipe off all surfaces. Throughout the process, used rags are disposed of, and new ones are used so that all surfaces are not cross-contaminated, and all surfaces are completely cleaned of small particles.
Why is Small Particle Remediation Important?
After several years of patient studies, the medical community is recognizing symptoms in their patients that are associated with water-damaged buildings as a specific illness. It is called Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS).
CIRS is caused in part by inhaling or by being exposed to mold spores. However, it is not an allergy! Medical studies indicate it manifests in genetically susceptible people and can cause chronic fatigue, weakness, aches, and vertigo.
Normally, mold exposure from water-damaged buildings triggers activation in your immune system to fight off the biotoxin, but in a small percentage of people, their genetic makeup does recognize the mold or biotoxin. Without the immune system being alerted elimination of the poison from the body doesn’t happen, and these biotoxins continue to circulate and create continual damage. Therefore, medical treatment is required to treat the CIRS even though the exposure has stopped.
For families with members experiencing CIRS, it can be devasting because many doctors may not properly diagnose the disease. People can suffer for years without knowing what they even have.
Small Particle Remediation is the only way to assure that you did all you could to protect yourself because during traditional remediation methods mold spores are merely crushed into many small fragments that still contain mold toxins. Even air scrubbers cannot remediate these particles that are constantly floating throughout the air.
Also, traditional mold air sampling does not detect small mold fragments as they are no longer recognizable as spores. For business owners that don’t opt for proper remediation techniques available to them, they leave themselves open to legal ramifications for years to come.
Having Small Particle Remediation performed is not only the safest way to remove contaminants from buildings and homes, but it will also give occupants and owners peace of mind that they did all they could to protect themselves, their families and inhabitants from CIRS.
With Water Damage It’s Better to Be Safe, Than Sorry
If you’ve experienced water damage in your home or business, you may be exposed to small particles that can affect your health. Homes and businesses that have had repeated water leaks and events over several years are especially at risk. Have your home professionally tested and have small particle remediation performed if recommended. Give the remediation experts at EIS a call today for a free consultation.