Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110

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We have mail: on mould

"This piece is essentially not quite accurate, there are over 10,000 recognisable moulds and perhaps over a million are not yet classified, so saying all mould likes cellulosic materials, should be clarified.

"Mould grows on organic materials, it will grow on glass which has dust skin or dander, not just cellulosic materials. A study of moulds will show some species will grow in desert like conditions, some are hydrophobic, and some hydrophilic, further if Borax is banned in the EU, surely it's not recommended to be used. Therefore saying it's available on line, is suggesting an illegal use. How would you square that in a risk assessment?

"If damp is found, curing the cause of the damp, does not mean it has to be cut out; it is more accurate to say it may or may not need to be cut out.
Finally, 'by following the correct procedures you will have killed off the spores as well as the fungus'... Dead spores can contain a residual allergen. Therefore it has to be removed- not just killed.

"Proper training is essential to being a competent contractor. Removal may involve the use of particle counters, air scrubbers and three stage airlocks. The correct procedures are very closely aligned to asbestos removal. Advising the use of dehumidifiers after sealing is also hazardous, as this will aerosolise the spores and spread them further."

Chris R Netherton
www.nationalfloodschool.co.uk

25th September 2014