7 Steps to a Mold-Free Property
AQHI Inc. can Help Remove Mold and Prevent it From Returning.
If you have discovered a serious mold infestation in your home or business, you need professional mold remediation. AQHI Inc. can help. We’ll walk you through the following 7 steps to a mold-free property.
- Removing porous material: Once mold has become established in porous building materials such as ceiling tiles, drywall, carpet, etc., they typically need to be discarded rather than cleaned. Other belongings such as clothing and upholstered furniture may also need to be thrown out. It all depends on the extent of the mold growth. Our experienced technicians can help you differentiate between salvageable and non-salvageable items and provide the necessary cleaning or disposal services.
- Removing surface mold growth from non-porous surfaces: Mold may also grow on the surface of non-porous materials including metal, glass, vinyl floor coverings, intact wood studs, etc. At AQHI Inc. our mold remediation crews understand how to effectively clean these materials without damaging them.
- Washing surfaces with a biocide solution: Just because a surface looks clean following a mold cleanup doesn’t mean all vestiges of the mold are gone. We clean all surfaces…
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Why We Use HEPA Filtration for Remediation Projects
HEPA Filtration is The Best Way to Clean Work Areas Following Remediation.
Whether your property contains asbestos, lead paint, mold, or PCB-containing caulk, you need to be concerned about dust and particles contaminating the air you breathe and presenting serious health hazards. At AQHI Inc., we can help eliminate contamination by removing the materials releasing the dangerous particles as well as by thoroughly cleaning these particles from all surfaces that have been exposed to contamination. HEPA filtration is an important tool for our cleaning efforts.
What is HEPA Filtration?
HEPA stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air, meaning that HEPA filters do an extremely good job of trapping even very small particles and preventing them from continuing to circulate in the air. In order to qualify as a HEPA filter, products must meet guidelines established by the government including successfully capturing 99.97 percent of particles measuring at least 0.3 microns in diameter. HEPA filters can also capture much smaller particles including those less than 0.1 microns wide.
How Do HEPA Filters Work?
An ordinary filter is a mat of fibers that works like a sieve, so that any particles larger than the gaps between the fibers will…
READ MORE →PCBs Still Pose a Threat in Many Older Schools
Two Main Concerns are Old Fluorescent Lights and Caulk.
Have you ever wondered why just about every American city seems to have at least one old, abandoned school building? It’s not just because of our nation’s obsession with building bigger and better. Many older buildings are unsafe because they contain hazardous materials such as asbestos, lead paint, and PCBs. Depending on the level of contamination that has already occurred, along with any other structural problems the building may have, it is often more cost-effective to build new than to clean up an old building. Of course, not all communities have the luxury of new school buildings. In many areas, students may still be exposed to the health hazards associated with PCBs. The EPA has identified fluorescent light ballasts and caulk as the two main sources of PCBs in schools today.
PCBs in Fluorescent Light Ballasts
PCBs were phased out of fluorescent light ballasts in 1979, so only schools whose lighting systems have not been updated since then are at risk. While the risk of exposure does increase if the lights break or catch fire, these types of lights can also release PCBs during normal…
READ MORE →What You Need to Know About Asbestos
Once a very popular form of fire retardant thermal insulation, asbestos was widely used in homes and commercial buildings that were constructed during the 1940s through the 1980s. This substance can also be found in a variety of building and construction materials, such as siding, vinyl tiles, plaster, caulk, paint, and more. Asbestos that is in poor condition and shows signs of deterioration is hazardous to one’s health. It is best for one to know what type of building materials were used during the construction of their property.
Effects on Health
Breathing asbestos fibers can have some serious effects on one’s health. Mild reactions generally include sinus, asthma, shortness of breath, scarring of the lungs, and other respiratory conditions. Prolonged exposure can lead to the development of Mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other serious and chronic health conditions. These health concerns can take anywhere from 15 to 60 years to manifest from the time of initial exposure. If you suspect that your property has asbestos, contact a remediation company right away.
Detection and Testing
Unlike many other forms of toxins and pests, testing is the only way to properly detect the presence…
READ MORE →Do You Have Mold in Your Home?
Mold is a naturally occurring fungus that can be found in many different environments. Mold is a toxic substance that can negatively affect your health, the habitability of your home, and the surfaces upon which it grows. Drawn to moisture and warm places, there is a very good chance that this substance is hiding in your home. Here are some ways for you to identify its presence inside of your home.
Smell
In many cases, the presence of mold is detectable by its moldy smell. Of course, the smell alone will not necessarily lead you to where it is, but it will alert you to its presence. If you happen to notice a musty smell in your home, contact a mold removal service to discover and get rid of the source.
Appearance
While mold is often found underneath carpeting, tiles, and behind walls, it may also be in plain view. Unlike pests, mold will not run and hide, it grows where there is moisture and warmth. It can be black, dark grey, green, brown, and even white in color. It may or may not have a stringy and spongy like appearance….
READ MORE →The Professional Methods of Lead Paint Abatement
Lead-based paint was commonly used for residential projects from the 1940’s until they were banned in the late 1970’s. The Environmental Protection Agency has instituted strict policies determining how lead paint can be removed from the home to ensure the safety of all workers and residents involved. Because lead paint is most dangerous in dust form, some traditional methods of paint removal are forbidden. Sanding away lead paint puts high amounts of lead dust into the air, and should never be attempted. Instead, lead abatement professionals rely on four strategies to remove the hazard from the home. Here is a closer look at each method to offer a better understanding of the level of security these measures afford.
Method One: Removal
Some materials, like many metals, can be easily stripped of paint while retaining their durability. Chemically stripping such objects will keep the areas as free of lead dust as possible. However, these paint strippers are comprised of very harsh chemicals that can be hazardous to your health. This is why professional-grade ventilation and protection equipment is necessary at all steps of the process.
Method Two: Replacement
Smaller objects and…
READ MORE →How Asbestos Can Affect Your Family
Asbestos is an insulating material that is fibrous in nature. Unlike the flat, continuous surface on Styrofoam insulation, asbestos is susceptible to flaking. If the asbestos insulation is shaken or scraped, microscopic fibers are released into the air. These fibers are easily inhaled if proper filtration or protective equipment is not in place. This is not simple dust that only irritates the eyes and nose, but a toxic mineral capable of great harm.
The Damage Asbestos Can Cause
The inhalation of asbestos can have serious health risks for a person of any age. Four major diseases have been identified as the result of exposure to asbestos.
- Mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the lining of the chest and lower digestive tract, and is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. Unfortunately, mesothelioma is a terminal disease, too severe to be successfully treated by the time it is diagnosable.
- Asbestosis is the severe scarring of lungs that comes from heavy, sustained exposure to asbestos fibers. This condition causes shortness of breath, and is capable of increasing in severity to a fatal degree.
- Pleural thickening is the physical reaction of the lungs’ direct exposure…
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What’s the Big Deal With Lead Anyway?
Every now and again, lead turns up in the headlines, but some people are not sure why it is such a hot-button topic. They may know that lead is dangerous, but may not know how prevalent it used to be in practically every industrialized chemical compound. Even today, despite everything modern science has discovered about the nature of lead poisoning, this metal is still used in some products.
A History of Lead Usage
Lead is the densest stable element, which means that is it not radioactive, but is very heavy. It is prevalent in the earth, easy to mine and smelt, and extremely malleable. These characteristics allowed it to become a metal of choice for several civilizations, including the Romans. They used lead for the pipes in their plumbing systems, and the lead is often blamed for at least part of the collapse of that great empire. Lead poisoning occurs when a person ingests or inhales lead or lead residue. The resulting damage to the nervous system is often irreparable. Some common items that with lead in them include:
- Scuba diving and fishing weights
- A colorant in ceramic glazes
- Electronics’ soldering
- Gasoline (pre-1970’s in…
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How to Know if You Are Being Poisoned by Your Own Home
Many families and individuals consider their homes to be a haven away from the cares of the world, but sometimes, this haven may be trying to kill you. There do not have to be ghosts or extremely dangerous conditions for a house to be dangerous, in fact, some compounds and substances in houses go undetected for years, slowing making the residents ill.
Lurkers in Homes and Building Nationwide
Most people are aware that past generations routinely used harmful substances in construction, but what people may not know is that these chemical compounds could be in their own homes. A few of the most prolific substances are:
This is a natural fiber that has been mined for thousands of years. It is amazing useful, but inhaling this mineral causes damage to the lungs and can even lead to certain cancers. When present in the home, it should be removed quickly and properly.
Lead is an element that is also useful in industrial processing and as a binder. It is most often found today in old homes, especially in paint. Lead poisoning happens slowly and injures the nervous system, effectively…
READ MORE →Should You Leave Asbestos in Your Home?
During the 1970s, a lot of scary information about asbestos came to light. This material has several characteristics that made it a popular choice for manufacturers during the first half of the 1900s. These qualities included its fitness as a fire retardant, its ability to absorb heat, its resistance to corrosion, and its high tensile strength. With so much in its favor, asbestos was used in thousands of different products, many of which can still be found in older homes, workplaces, stores, and even churches.
Asbestos Exposure
Unfortunately, asbestos contamination usually takes several years before symptoms begin to show. This means that families may be affected at home without knowing that they have been affected. Workers in factories that once produced asbestos may find out years later that their health has been comprised. The risks associated with asbestos poisoning include lung cancer and mesothelioma. Over time, the scarring that builds up in the lung tissue can cause death.
Should You Test Your Home for Asbestos?
It is best to leave asbestos alone, but you may not recognize whether or not the items in your home have the material unless it is labeled. If you…
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