How Containment Techniques Prevent Cross Contamination

7/22/2019 (Permalink)

Equipment needed for containment include disposable protective clothing

When it comes to mold cleanup, one of the main concerns mold remediation experts may have is preventing cross contamination. Cross contamination may occur when spores spread into other areas that did not previously have a mold problem. This often occurs when people turn to DIY techniques that may blow spores around rather than truly clean up the mold growth.

Why Containment Is Important

The EPA recognizes two main reasons for the importance of containment. The first is to prevent mold spores from forming new colonies in other areas of a building, and the second is to minimize the exposure of people to mold. Equipment needed for containment include the following items:

• Exhaust fan linked to the outdoors
  
• Disposable protective clothing
  
• Respirators
  
• Goggles
  
• Gloves
  
  

What Types of Containment

There are two main types of containment: limited and full. The larger the area affected by mold, the greater the risk of mold contamination during mold cleanup. The size of the contamination coupled with how heavy the mold growth is, usually dictates whether or not full or partial containment will be required. Sometimes heavier mold growth may prove to be a higher risk than the size of the problem.

For limited containment, specialists may use polyethylene sheeting to close off the affected area. A slit in the sheeting provides access to the treatment area. Duct tape can be used to secure the sheeting to the floors and ceiling. If there are more than 100 square feet of affected area, then full containment may be required. For this, specialists may need to build a decontamination chamber or airlock.

Mold cleanup requires technical skills and know-how that makes it a bad choice for a DIY job in Belton, MO. It may also require special gear to further decrease the likelihood of cross contamination. By prioritizing the prevention of mold spores from spreading, building experts can save themselves time and money. Otherwise, time would have been spent cleaning various rooms throughout the building that become contaminated in close succession of each other.