Tip of the Day: Water damage in IAQ investigations
Water damage is one of the most costly — and potentially dangerous — forms of building damage a cleaning professional or building manager will ever deal with.
To get an idea of the expense, Foresthill, CA, homeowners faced with an estimate of more than $20,000 in remediation costs, elected to allow a local fire department burn down their house February 14 as a training exercise, rather than pay for restoration.
Steve and Karen Porath's home was so dangerously contaminated with toxic mold — with spore counts 10 times higher than outside air —their newborn son, Michael, nearly died.
Numerous types of microbes — some of which can cause disease — are often associated with water damage, which is generally divided into three categories: clean water, gray water and black water.
While all types of water damage, including "clean water," can result in the proliferation of bacteria and fungi, gray water and black water, says Aerotech Laboratories, can contain elevated concentrations of these microorganisms.
Because of the microbial hazards associated with gray and black water, the type of water damage is an important issue when designing an investigation, remediation and restoration strategy.
For example, more than 120 different viruses are excreted in human feces and urine, including Hepatitis A and rotavirus. Sewage often contains many harmful parasites and bacterial contaminants.
While sampling for all of the potential pathogens associated with gray and black water intrusions is not practical or cost-effective, several indicator organisms are useful in determining the type and extent of contamination, as well as useful in evaluating cleanup procedures.
Escherichia coli (E.coli) and Enterococcus are both enteric bacteria associated with sewage contamination.
E. coli is a classic indicator of fecal contamination. Enterococci have been used extensively in the US and abroad for determining the extent of fecal contamination in recreational surface water.
Because of the wide spread use of these two types of bacteria as an indicator of fecal contamination in water and food industries, manufacturers have developed rapid 24-hour defined substrate culture techniques. That way, sewage contamination on building substrates and building contents can be determined, and a restoration strategy can be implemented quickly.