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 Suggestions for Passing
 Post Abatement Verification Testing
 
     
 

©2013 Healthy Living Spaces LLC

 
     
 
  1. Most of the following is referenced from the IICRC S520 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation. Read it.
     

  2. It is very important to have negative air established in containment. This is not simply to prevent cross contamination but to capture dust generated during demolition. Where as there may only be a few Stachybotrys mold spores in the air prior to remediation, thousands of spores are aerosolized by simply removing a square inch of moldy sheet rock from a stud. An air scrubber in scrubber mode is not effective.

     

    • There should be pressure drop of 0.02 inches of water in the containment with reference to outside the containment, and a minimum of four air exchanges per hour inside the containment (IICRC section 10.3.1). The number of air scrubbers required to do this should be calculated using the square footage and volume of the containment area, and expecting for some reduction in air flow as filters become loaded. The supervisor should check the integrity of the containment and measure and document the pressure differential.
    • Draw make-up air from a clean source.
    • The pre-filters of air scrubbers and negative air machines should be monitored for pressure drops from construction dust and replaced as necessary.
    • Air scrubbers being used as negative air machines that are not exhausted to the outdoors should be checked with a laser particle counter. The exhaust should read nearly zero particles.
       
  3. Place tacky mats near entry to the containment area.
     

  4. Materials should be striped from the structure so as not to excessively agitate them and unnecessarily spread spores and dust (IICRC 10.8 Removal of Contaminated Structural Materials).

     

    • Do not use a hammer to demolish drywall.
    • Unscrew or carefully pry gypsum board away from studs.
    • Use razor knives or specially fitted skill saws.
    • If saws are used, set the saw blade such that the blade does not penetrate all the way through the paper backing of the gypsum board and finish removal by scoring the backing with a razor. This keeps dust out of wall cavities.
    • Do not use any methods that would raise dust such as dry sweeping or vacuuming with equipment not equipped with HEPA filtration.
    • Electric saws should have dust collection devices.
    • Moldy drywall may be covered with plastic and duct-tape prior to cutting and removal to contain debris including mold spores.


     

  5. Immediately place removed materials in 6 mil plastic bags. Do not stack materials in a pile on the floor, waiting until there is a large pile to bag them. The work area is to be kept as clean and free of debris as possible. Periodically HEPA vacuum and damp wipe the containment area (IICRC section 10.9 Detailed Structural Cleaning). HEPA vacuum and damp wipe the containment area at the end of each work day.  In restaurants, the saying is Clean as you go; the sign of a good cook is a clean kitchen.
     

  6. Any rot should be removed.
     

  7. While sanding or wire-brushing materials, hold the HEPA vacuum near the brush or sanding to capture the dust generated. Place the intake of the air scrubber or negative air machine in close where the sanding or brushing is being done.
     

  8. When there is water damage or visible mold on one side of a wall, the drywall on the other side should also be removed also, even if there is no visible mold on the other wall. Often mold is hiding between sill plates and drywall when mold growth is not visible above the level of the sill plate.
     

  9. The method to use in damp wiping is:

    A clean rag shall be folded in quarters and dipped into the cleaning solution (soap and water). The rags shall be wrung out to remove excess moisture. The wiping surface of the rag shall be changed after each pass across the material.  Wipe-down rags may not re-enter the cleaning solution.  Exhausted rags should be stored in plastic bags pending disposal or laundering.

    Clean from top to bottom. Clean starting from the entry to the containment towards the air scrubber (IICRC 10.9).
     

  10. Biocide application is discouraged for mold remediation (IICRC S520, p.81). The use of biocides is of limited effectiveness in the treatment of water damaged and microbial contaminated buildings. If the spores are physically removed there should be nothing left to sanitize. The sampling method used during post verification testing does not differential between non-viable (dead) and viable spores. If any amplification of spores is detected, the project may fail, even if the spores are non-viable (dead).
     

  11. Seal off the air scrubber intake after turning the scrubber off to contain the spores that are on filter surface (IICRC 10.6, Air Filtration Devices AFDS and Operation).
     

  12. Air scrubbers should be turned off the night before testing and a complete damp wiping of horizontal surfaces is performed first thing the following morning to remove dust, which settled over the night.
     

  13. Clean dehumidifiers and fans between jobs per company standard operating procedures.
     

  14. Air washing is the best way to clean semi-porous and non-porous items (contents). Take the contents outside. Care must be taken with porous items (fabrics) not to blow the spores deeper into the materials. All cleaning of contents should start and end with a HEPA vacuuming.

 
 
 
 
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  Copyright © 2014-2017 Healthy Living Spaces LLC.  All rights reserved.   877-992-9904
Revised: July 05, 2017.

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