Are The Chemicals Used During Water Damage Restoration and Mold Remediation Safe And Necessary?

Today, there are over 8,000 biocides for environmental use that are registered as pesticides with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These biocides are mostly aqueous formulations (i.e., formed of matter deposited in or by water) that function as sanitizers, disinfectants, or sterilants designed to kill microorganisms to varying degrees. 

But is the use of these biocides enough to rid you of a mold infestation; are they safe; and are they necessary on mold remediation and water damage restoration projects? Let’s look at these questions by educating ourselves on what biocides are and what they do: 

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. 

Think of it like this: You go into your living room 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. 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 Hygienists (ACGIH) states, “Effective remediation of water-damaged or microbially contaminated buildings involves (a) the use of appropriate techniques to promote rapid drying, and (b) complete removal of contaminated materials rather than the applications of biocides without these steps.” (ACGIH, Bioaerosols: Assessment and Control) 

Are these products necessary during remediation work? Not usually. Technology today has made it possible to use safe processes to remove mold colonization (i.e., mold growth). (In the future, I’ll talk more about what mold remediation should focus on instead of treating environments with known, suspect, or potential mold growth.) That said, let’s look at what some other standards and guidelines have to say about biocide usage: 

• The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC) standards of care are the go-to standards in the industries of water damage restoration and mold remediation. These standards state, “Source removal of mold contamination should always be the primary means of remediation. The indiscriminate use of antimicrobial products, coatings, sealants, and cleaning chemicals is not recommended.”
• Before the IICRC’s standards, many professionals turned to the New York City Department of Health’s guidelines, which include statements like, “The use of gaseous, vapor-phase, or aerosolized biocides for remedial purposes is not recommended. The use of biocides in this manner can pose health concerns for people in occupied spaces of the building and for people returning to the treated space if used improperly.”
• For decades the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) has been considered one of the best resources to go to when looking for scientifically based information on safety and health. The AIHA has come out with guidelines that state, “The goal of remediation is removal of mold and the moisture source because: a) biocides do not alter mycotoxins or allergens; b) it is generally not possible to get 100 percent kill with biocides; and c) because of the newly deposited spores, re-growth will occur after the biocides if moisture returns.”
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has authority to regulate workplace safety and health (e.g., workers on water damage and mold remediation projects). They have come out with guidelines that state, “The use of a biocide, such as chlorine bleach, is not recommended as a routine practice during mold remediation, although there may be instances where professional judgment may indicate its use (for example, when immuno-compromised individuals are present). In most cases, it is not possible or desirable to sterilize an area, as a background level of mold spores comparable to the level in outside air will persist. However, the spores in the ambient air will not cause further problems if the moisture level in the building has been corrected. Biocides are toxic to animals and humans, as well as to mold.”

A professional Indoor Environmentalist or Hygienist can help you identify the nature of the organism and the extent of contamination, some even write protocols (i.e., a corrective action plan) in their reports. When looking for one of these professionals 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.
2. Make sure they are insured.
3. Other than compliance with Florida’s license laws, third-party accreditation is strongly recommended.
4. Understand what to expect from their work.
5. Make sure to get a protocol written into your report; otherwise, you may walk away with incomplete information and contractor controversy.

For more on what to look for in a mold assessment, check out my previous blog on the subject. And contact us to learn more about how Gulf Coast Center for Indoor Air Quality Services can serve you with your mold assessment and consultation needs.