Factors that affect the growth of Fungi:

• Light
• Temperature
• Humidity
• Water Activity

Human bodies respond in three basic ways to contaminants such as mould:

• The Allergic response
• The Disease response
  • Usually occurs if the individual’s immune system is already compromised
• The Toxic response

Often, ones initial reaction to mould is to clean it up; however, this may not be the best course of action. There aresome materials that, when contaminated, can be cleaned and restored to a condition that is safe for use but, a general consensus is that porous materials that are water damaged or have clear indications of mould should be removed.

While we do not recommend you attempt to remove contaminated items yourself, for small amounts of contaminated material, homeowners or maintenance staff can do just that. Precautions you should take include:

• Wear protective gloves and eyewear
• Wear at least a N95 respirator
• Isolate the contaminated area
• Control levels of dust
• Before removing contents, bag all materials, and use the most direct route out of the building when removing them
• Scrub with a soap and water solution and/or use a HEPA vacuum all remaining materials
• Do not allow those with compromised or suppressed immune systems, including diabetics and pregnant women, participate in the process

Treatments:

The main ways to remediate mould growth include:

• Ozone
• Foggers
• Encapsulation

Financial Impacts:

Taking preventative measures against mould or eliminating it early on will have an impact on the short-term finances of the property management. While this may be viewed as a negative, it is most likely to be less costly than if full remediation and correction were to take place.
It is possible to minimize long-term financial impacts when preventing mould growth.payday loan The longer it takes to fix the issues that cause the mould, the more it will cost.

Often, if mould is allowed to develop for too long, the results force you to replace additional materials.
This along with the health risks associated with mould and contaminated materials stress the increasing importance of allowing professionals, such as Wascana Restoration, to help assess and restore your damaged property.

The only way to validate how serious a mould situation is to take a tape lift of the affected area and take it into a lab or have an air sample taken in your house by a qualified individual and have it compared to the spore count outside of your residence.

I’ll talk further about health affects that can result from mould exposure and other reasons to ensure your living environment is dry in my next blog.

In case you did not have the opportunity to read this article we wanted to share with you some of the key points put forth. Chow reports that an astonishing $721,000 over a 12-month period has been spent by BC Housing in an effort to fight bedbugs in 43 of its 49 housing complexes in the Lower Mainland. Additionally, she raises the issue that individuals have become so averse to bedbugs that online bedbug registries have been created to document cases of bedbugs found in hotels and apartments.  An example of a bedbug registry can be found at http://bedbugregistry.com/

Now with Bedbugs making headlines and becoming an increasingly more common problem, it is important for everyone to understand what exactly they are up against. Bedbugs, or Climicidae, are small nocturnal parasitic insects which feed on human blood. However, one thing to keep in mind when it comes to bedbugs is that these creatures do not seek out poverty stricken areas, as many would assume. They will make a home in any location that allows them to hide and has a food source. One only has to look at the many locations that are in the registries to see that this statement is true.

Here are some key facts about bedbugs that we should understand:

• Bedbugs are nocturnal pests that feed on human blood
• Adult bedbugs are 4-5mm long and 1.5-3mm wide
• Female bedbugs are rounder than males, similar to an apple in shape
• Bedbugs have been known to avoid areas that have been treated with chemicals
• Bedbugs can stay alive for up to a year without feeding
• They can live in temperatures that range from 14 degrees Fahrenheit to 112 degrees Fahrenheit
• The first signs of bedbugs is their black droppings which are about the size of a grain of sand
• They are known to carry more than 20 pathogens harmful to humans but, researchers believe they are not able to transmit diseases to their hosts from feeding

Health Effects of Lead:

Lead-based paint can have negative impacts on both adults and children. Since children have developing bodies, which will absorb lead more easily, they are at a greater risk. Potential health complications from lead poisoning include:

In children:

• Irreversible brain damage
• Impaired mental functioning
• Retarded mental and physical development
• Reduced attention span
• Retarded fetal development

In adults:

• Irritability
• Poor muscle coordination
• Nerve damage to sense organs and nerves controlling the body
• Negative effects on reproduction system
• Increased blood pressure

Minimizing Health Risks:

If you intend to remove lead-based paint, we strongly recommend hiring experts – this is the best way to minimize any health risks.

If you choose to remove lead-based paint, you should never use sanders, heat guns or blowlamps. By doing so, you will create dust and fumes that could potentially harm you or others.

Three specific methods of reducing exposure to lead include:

1. Replace the painted item
2. Cover or remove the lead based paint
3. Reduce the level of dust

If replacing the item, make sure it is a simple replacement and one that does not result in dust. Using spray sealants or drywall, one is able to cover the trouble areas. Nevertheless, you must be careful because simply painting over lead-based paint is not a long term solution. The lead-based paint still has the potential to loosen from below and create lead dust as well as mix with the new paint eventually leading to dust. Professionals should certainly perform the task of removing lead-based paint if the area is larger than one square foot. The last recommendation of reducing lead dust exposure is merely a preventative measure and should not be considered as an alternative to replacement or removal of lead-based paint. To accomplish this you can avoid activities that will disturb damaged lead-based paint that would create dust.

If you are interested in learning more we recommend the following resources:

US Consumer Product Safety Commission: Do-it-yourself Lead paint removal: Safety Alert

Canadian Mortgage and and Housing Corporation: Lead in Older Homes

Sources:
Health Canada. (2005, December 10). It’s Your Health – Lead-Based Paint. Retrieved from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca

US consumer Product Safety Commission (N.d.) What You Should Know About Lead Based Paint in Your Home: Safety Alert. Retreived from http://www.cpsc.gov

With the notion that infrared technology is able to help us inspect what is not normally visible to the eye, it is important to understand how Wascana Restoration can leverage this technology to benefit our customers. Often, property owners face situations where trapped moisture is behind walls and cabinets, inside ceiling cavities, and under floors. In these scenarios, it can be difficult to assess the extent of the damage. However, using an infrared camera in combination with our other moisture testing equipment, we are able to detect the moisture accurately and mitigate the difficulties when presented with the challenge of finding hidden moisture. This can be seen in the pictures to the right. The above is a picture of the wall as we would see it normally. The bottom picture, taken with an infrared camera, shows the differences in temperature and indicates there is moisture in the structure.

The key benefits to using infrared technology include:

• Non destructive
• Cost-efficient
• Early detection of potential mould spots
• Accurate assessment
• Ability to scan large areas quickly