William Vaughan, Nauset Environmental Services, Inc.
With the IICRC’s S520 mold remediation standard, initially issued in December 2003, the concept of Condition 2 Contamination, settled spores, was introduced. In the course of developing techniques to detect these invisible but important particles, we became aware that many folks did not understand the different roles of air scrubbers and dehumidifiers in the remediation process. Some thought that the longer you ran an air scrubber, the cleaner a space became. This concept assumed that both devices operated under the same principles while they DO NOT. This presentation will present the principles of each device and how effective cleanup of settled spore requires calls for several periods of active disturbance of surfaces in combination with air scrubbers - “Air Polishing.” To determine the presence of Condition 2, paired air samples - quiet and fan-disturbed - are essential and, in post remediation verification (PRV), more effective than a few wipe samples. Comparison of data from field studies will demonstrate the importance of “Air Polishing” is addressing the removal of Condition 2, settled spores in the remediation process.