Mould Remediation

Mould Remediation

In humid environments there is often accumulated mould and fungal growth throughout the occupied areas. Dunbar will:

ü Examines for the causes

ü Develop a remediation strategy as well as make recommendations to prevent re-occurrence

ü Eliminate the mould by decontaminating all surfaces affected

ü On completion swab samples are taken for independent analysis to confirm effectiveness and bench mark the contamination levels for future reference

Mould remediation is performed to international (WHO, US EPA) and Australian (AIRAH) guidelines as detailed below. Information regarding mould remediation and health effects of mould in the indoor air environment can be found below:

· World Health Organisation (WHO): Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and Mould

http://www.who.int/indoorair/publications/en/

· US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldresources.html

· Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

http://www.cdc.gov/mold/

· Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): A Brief Guide to Mould in the Workplace

http://www.osha.gov/dts/shib/shib101003.html

· AIRAH: HVAC Best Practice Guidelines

http://www.airah.org.au

Health Risks and Responsibilities

It is accepted that building owners are responsible for providing a healthy workplace or living environment free of excessive moisture and mould, by maintaining appropriate building construction and maintenance. Occupants are responsible for managing the use of water, heating, ventilation and appliances in a manner that does not lead to dampness and mould growth.

Epidemiological evidence is available from local and overseas studies to show that the occupants of damp or mouldy buildings, are at increased risk of respiratory symptoms, respiratory infections and exacerbation of asthma. Some evidence also suggests increased risks of allergic rhinitis and asthma. While limited intervention studies are available information shows that remediation of dampness problems can reduce adverse health outcomes.

Clinical evidence shows that exposure to mould and other dampness-related microbial agents increases the risks of rare conditions, such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis, allergic alveolitis, chronic rhino sinusitis and allergic fungal sinusitis. Toxicological evidence obtained in vivo and in vitro supports these findings, showing the occurrence of diverse inflammatory and toxic responses after exposure to microorganisms – including their spores, metabolites and components –isolated from damp buildings

(ref. WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and Mould)

Air Duct Mould Remediation

Poor indoor air quality can have numerous debilitating effects on occupants. Some occupants are more sensitive to these contaminants than others. A dirty duct system carries contaminated air throughout a building every time the air conditioner is operated.

In order to remove those allergens, a thorough duct cleaning and decontamination is necessary. If moisture is present, the potential for microbiological growth (i.e. mould) is increased and spores from such growth may be released into the buildings living space, contaminating the environment in which you live or work resulting is health complications.

Even though the most common place to find mould growing within an air conditioning system is on the coils, filters and condensate pans, in severe cases it may be found throughout the entirety of the system. Volume control and fire dampers, rigid ducts both internally insulated and not, aluminium and flexible ducts have all been evidenced as being significantly contaminated with fungal growth.

Operating Deficiencies

As key components of HVAC systems become contaminated with micro-organisms, the operating efficiency of the mechanical plant reduces dramatically. This can lead to reductions in thermal efficiency of the heat transfer of coils thus increasing compressor loads and extending running cycles.

Research findings indicate that coil fouling alone can add up to 100Pa above design specifications to the system. In a larger Variable Air Volume system required to move an average 40m3/s with an artificially elevated resistance of 50 Pa this equates to $1,664.00 per annum based on .10c kWh and 12 hours per day run time.

(source The Hotel Engineer Published by Adbourne Publishing Victoria)

Microbial Testing and Analysis

Dunbar Services can perform swab tests (surface sampling) and airborne sampling, checking for mould, fungi & bacteria in:

Return air chambers
Supply air chambers (walls)
Fan unit surfaces and supply air ducting at plant level
Building surfaces

Testing is performed at the state’s leading NATA and AQIS certified, independent laboratory. This will allow the company to quantify and benchmark counts as a preliminary measure plus identify the growth strains, so as to target for eradication with the appropriate products (if required).