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By William Quarles
Heat as a commercial structural pest control method was developed by Dr. Walter Ebeling and Dr. Charles Forbes, who reported on their work in a number of IPM Practitioner articles in the 1980s and 1990s. They joined forces with Dr. Michael R. Linford and David Hedman who then commercialized the process and added significant patents. Their joint venture was called TPE Associates. Structural heat treatment is now called ThermaPureHeat® and is still going strong, with a larger number of providers and an expanded pest range. For customers seeking alternatives to pesticides for termites, bed bugs, mold and other problems, heat can be an effective solution.
Thermal Limits
Since insects, unlike mammals, have no way to metabolically regulate their temperatures, they are vulnerable to extremes. Each species has an optimal temperature, and a temperature above or below which they cannot survive. For instance, larvae of the rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis, will die after one hour at 103°F (39.4°C), but the body louse, Pediculus humanus, is more resistant, requiring 116°F (46.6°C) for one hour (Mellanby 1932; Ebeling 1994a). At 130°F (54.4°C), heat will kill male German cockroaches, Blattella germanica, in 7 min, a nymph of the western drywood termite, Incisitermes minor, in 6 min; an adult flour beetle, Tribolium confusum, in 4 min; and an adult Argentine ant, Lithepithema humile, in 1 minute (Forbes and Ebeling 1987).
Though effects of heat are a function of both temperature and time, even brief exposures to high temperatures can be lethal. High temperatures can cause separation of DNA strands, conformational changes in proteins, enzyme inactivation, cellular disruption, desiccation and other effects. If thermal changes are slow, insects may adapt through heat shock proteins and other mechanisms. If the thermal changes are rapid, insects are not able to adapt, and quickly die (Denlinger and Yocum 1998).
For many museum pests, the lethal temperature is 37-64°C (99-147°F), depending on length of exposure. Shorter times are needed at higher temperatures. At the upper temperature limits, great increases in the speed of mortality can come from small increases in temperature (Rust and Reierson 1998). For instance, Forbes and Ebeling (1987) found “surprisingly little tolerance of four species of insects, including drywood termite pseudergates, to temperatures above the normal range in nature.” The greatest gain in insecticidal efficacy came from the increase from 115 to 120°F (46.1 to 48.9°C), particularly for adults of the flour beetle, Tribolium confusum, and [western] drywood termite pseudergates. For these insects, there was an approximately eight-fold decrease in the period required for 100% mortality as the temperature increased from 115 to 120°F (46.1 to 48.9°C).” These laboratory experiments led Forbes and Ebeling (1987) to establish 120°F (48.9°C) for 30 minutes as the minimum thermal standard for drywood termite mortality. Commercial heat operators currently use exposures of 130°F (54.4°C) for one hour as a practical standard. Termite intestinal microbes that are responsible for digesting cellulose die at lower temperatures. So even if a termite should initially survive a heat treatment, it would probably die of starvation (Mannesman 1969;1970; ThermaPureHeat 2006).
Original Heat Treatment Process
The original Thermal Pest Eradication process is detailed in (Ebeling 1994b; Forbes and Ebeling 1987; Ebeling 1997). Heat is generated by propane-fueled heaters located outside an infested building. A propane heater (400,000 BTU) draws in air and blows it past a ring of flame at the other end, which heats it, producing what is called the "processed air." The heaters are equipped with wheels and handles to facilitate movement and placement. When the proper number of heaters are used and all are in the proper position for maximum effect, they are suitable for practically any type of heat job.
Flexible, collapsible, Mylar® ducts conduct the hot, processed air into the building and under thermal barriers (tarps) suspended from the eaves. Tarps are required because heat must penetrate the outer wall from both sides. Field experience has shown that the roof need not always be covered. It may have composition shingles or roofing paper, as under tile, which would not allow hot air to escape. Wood shingles allow for passage of air, but not so rapidly as to prevent adequate heating of infested wood members in the attic.
There must be a powerful heat-resistant fan in every room to rapidly mix process and ambient air and prevent stratification of hot air. The fan is used to blow hot air down against the floor, the air moves across the floor in all directions, then up the walls and across the ceilings.
New Technology
The heat technology for insects originally developed by Forbes and Ebeling and commercialized by Linford and Hedman involved propane heaters that used blowers to direct hot air into structures. Heating was monitored with thermocouples placed into large beams and other areas that are more difficult to heat. The temperatures inside the largest beams were used to decide when the heat had “cooked” all the termites in the structure.
Heat treatment for insects is licensed by TPE Associates, which is owned and operated by Hedman and Linford. A new company called E-Therm licenses and trains companies in the use of ThermaPureHeat for microbial and chemical remediation (see below). This new company is owned by David Hedman, who was issued a patent for treating microbials and chemicals with heat. Hedman is “deeply passionate about IPM” and views heat as a “cornerstone technology for IPM.” He also sees ThermaPureHeat as a tool to reduce the use of biocides and other chemicals in environmental remediation (Hedman 1999; 2002; 2006).
The patent base for ThermaPureHeat has been expanded to include 13 patents or patents pending, 27 Trademarks, and volumes of copyrighted and trade secret materials. Research and development by Hedman and Linford resulted in major changes in the area of heat generation. Now, heat is produced at a central source such as a trailer. Water is heated to a high temperature, then pumped through insulated hoses to heat exchangers located near or inside a structure. This technology makes it possible to produce air temperatures of 150°F (65.6°C) without exposing structures to flames or heater exhausts. Heat can be transmitted through fairly long distances through the hoses, and the easy deployment of hot water hoses makes treatments of high rises and large industrial plants possible.
Another big change is the incorporation of computer technology. The heat distribution is monitored by infrared cameras and digital thermal probes connected to a laptop computer. Cold spots can be quickly identified by thermal imaging, while digital probes monitor temperatures inside wood. Feedback controls allow fans to change the heat distribution to insure that cold spots are treated. The computer monitoring also produces a paper trail of the heat process that allows clients to be presented with a written report (Hedman 2006).
Heat as a Synergist
Heat can be used as a stand-alone treatment or can be employed to effectively enhance other insecticides. For instance, a 2-hour exposure to 110°F (43.3°C) will not kill the confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum. Boric acid by itself is also ineffective. However, if beetles are confined to a thin film of boric acid and heated in this manner, they will all die (Ebeling 1990).
In January of 1990, Columbia Pest Control, a company operated by Mike Linford, treated a 90,000 ft3, free standing restaurant in Irvine, CA. The treatment process began at midnight and continued until about 5 AM. Voids of the structure had been previously dusted with boric acid. Since wall void temperatures only reached 115°F (46.1°C), the crew believed that the treatment had not obtained lethal temperatures long enough to kill all the roaches (Quarles 1995; Linford 2006).
A week later a health inspector called. She had planned to shut down the restaurtant as a health hazard, instead her monitoring traps showed no roaches after two days, and only one roach in 20 monitoring traps two weeks later. Linford later concluded that non-lethal heat had synergized with the slow-acting boric acid, and the combination had eradicated the roaches. Linford applied for and received a patent on heat synergism in September of 1990 (Linford 2006; Chaudoin and Linford 1990).
Efficacy for Termites
An important standard of efficacy in structural pest control is the callback. If there are problems with the treatment, the operator is called back to mitigate it. For structural fumigation for termites, callback rates have been estimated at 5-15% (Ebeling 1997). According to heat treatment operators surveyed by the author, heat is this good or better (Quarles 1998). Pest control operators that do heat treatments are usually happy with the flexibility that heat provides and the low frequency of callbacks (Quarles 1994ab; Quarles and Bucks 1995).
Heat and Bed Bugs
The pest control industry was founded on treatments for bed bugs and rats. These pests can be so difficult to eliminate that professional help is often needed. Bed bugs have shown a resurgence in the last few years, especially in commercial lodgings. According to Linford and Currie (2006), “Special difficulties that hotels, motels, and multiple units face with respect to bed bugs are significant. If a client is exposed to pesticidal residue and gets sick, the person may sue. If the inhabitant is bitten several times, the result may be the same…”
Even when standard pesticide sprays and dusts are used, bed bugs may not be eliminated. Bedbugs hide in books, clothes, cracks, crevices and other areas. Heat can reach lethal levels inside mattresses, pillows, wall voids, books and all contents within a given habitation. According to Linford and Currie (2006), “Because bed bugs typically migrate upward, rooms on several floors can be treated simultaneously within 4 to 8 hours depending on the number of heaters and the size of the treatment. What that means is that rooms can be rented out by 6 PM if treatment commences in the morning hours. The loss of revenue is minimized, or eliminated by using heat…”
Bed bug Protocol
To be successful for bed bugs, heat should be used as part of an IPM protocol. The presence of bed bugs are first confirmed by inspection. Then a treatment plan is prepared. The client is given instructions to prepare for heat treatment by removing clutter, washing clothing and bedding, and caulking cracks and crevices. Heat probes are inserted into the most difficult places to heat, and into known attractive harborages. Heat treatment is concluded after probes show temperatures of 140°F (60°C) for two hours (Linford 2006).
Even Rats
Though heat technology was developed for elimination of termites and woodboring beetles from structures, the heat process can also kill other insects inside a structure and has been used to treat bedbugs, fleas, and other insects.
Heat technology is even being used for rodent control. Rat nests can be identified with thermal imaging and heat can be used in conjunction with exclusion. The rats have to leave during heating. And the hot air which blows out of the structure allows identification of rat holes and entry points. These can then be sealed (Hedman 2006).
Mold and Microbials
The major extension of the technology has been for heat remediation of microbials. Many microbials can be killed by heating to pasteurization temperatures of 150-160°F (65.5-71.1°C) for at least 30 minutes. Some viruses, such as hantavirus, are inactivated at these temperatures. According to Hedman, at least 50 structures in U.S. parks have been treated to inactivate hantavirus. The odors and particulates associated with rodent urine are also removed by the hot air and filters (Hedman 2006).
Incorporation of air filters during the heating process has allowed ThermaPureHeat to do a better job and to extend the pest range. Heat desiccates dust inside a structure, and the blowers agitate air currents so that dust becomes airborne. Filters then remove dust mite allergens, microbials and other components of house dust. According to Hedman (2006), this means that mold fungi and other airborne particulates that are 'deleterious to respiratory health' are removed from the air.
When heat is used in mold remediation, standard mold remediation techniques are used first. So damaged materials are removed in a containment area. The heat treatment is used to further purify the air and the structure by thermally inactivating remaining mold, and removing microbials and allergens from the air by filtration (ThermaPureHeat 2006).
Thermal Cure of 'Sick Buildings'
Many volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as carpet adhesives, paints, and formaldehyde from particle board, are built into a building at the time of construction or in remodeling. Others are maintenance products such as cleansers, polishes, disinfectants, deodorizers, and pesticides. Pesticides and VOCs found inside cause an estimated 3,000 cases of cancer each year (Wright et al. 1991; Jantunen et al. 1997; Ott and Roberts 1998).
Air sampling has found more than 300 different VOCs in structures, causing symptoms ranging from unpleasant odors to headaches, nausea, eye, nose and throat irritation, and coughs. Other symptoms are central nervous system depression, vertigo, fatigue, irritablity, memory loss, and decreased reaction time. In various mixtures and concentrations, and perhaps combined with microbials, VOCs can cause the "sick building syndrome" (Jantunen et al. 1997).
Air in many buildings is more contaminated than outside air. According to a World Health Organization estimate, nearly 30% of the buildings in the United States have indoor-air-quality problems. The recirculation of indoor air, contaminants and all, resulted in a rise in employee complaints about headaches, watery eyes, and fatigue (Jantunen et al. 1997; Ott and Roberts 1998).
Heat can be used for thermal removal of VOCs. According to Ebeling (1997), the house that he and Forbes bought for heat experiments 'had, at the time of purchase, a strong odor of paint, cigarette smoke, and other odors of unknown origin. All odors were completely eliminated by our first heat treatment, using temperatures up to 150°F (65.5°C)....Rapid circulation of a high volume of hot air, along with continued egress of contaminated air, appears to be an efficient and highly effective way of ridding a building of contamination by unhealthful VOCs, including pesticides.' VOCs have also been removed by a slow bakeout at 90°F (32.2°C) over the period of several days (Girman 1989).
Safety
For chemically sensitive individuals, heat or some other alternate method may be the only technique possible. Heat treatment means freedom from toxic technology. Thousands of heat treatments have been performed on structures in California and elsewhere since 1987. Generally, any damage has been minor. Care must be taken to remove heat sensitive items from a treatment area, or protect them with a thermal blanket. Special care must be given to vinyl windows. Over the course of more than 100,000 ThermaPureHeat treatments, there has only been one fire associated with a treatment. This may have started as a brush fire (Hedman 2006). Even with this blemish, heat a better record than structural fumigations, where deaths have been recorded when the security of the fumigation tent is breached, or when occupants enter too soon (Derrick et al. 1990; Pest Control 1987).
By KATE BRUMBACK, Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA - After waking up one night in sheets teeming with tiny bugs, Josh Benton couldn't sleep for months and kept a flashlight and can of Raid with him in bed.
"We were afraid to even tell people about it at first," Benton said of the bedbugs in his home. "It feels like maybe some way your living is encouraging this, that you're living in a bad neighborhood or have a dirty apartment."
Absent from the U.S. for so long that some thought they were a myth, bedbugs are back. Entomologists and pest control professionals are reporting a dramatic increase in infestations throughout the country, and no one knows exactly why.
"It's no secret that bedbugs are making a comeback," said Dan Suiter, an associate professor of entomology at the University of Georgia.
Before World War II, bedbug infestations were common in the U.S., but they were virtually eradicated through improvements in hygiene and the widespread use of DDT in the 1940s and 1950s.
Bedbugs are tiny brownish, flattened insects that feed exclusively on the blood of animals and humans. Their bites may cause itchy red welts or swelling.
Unlike mosquitoes, though, they are not known to transmit blood-borne diseases from one victim to another. They are extremely resilient and very difficult to exterminate. Experts say bedbugs are not necessarily an indicator of unsanitary conditions.
In the past four years, reports of bedbugs have significantly increased in U.S. cities, from New York to Honolulu, especially in hotels, hospitals and college dormitories — all places with high resident turnover.
The National Pest Management Association, which represents many of the country's pest control companies, says the number of bedbug reports have increased fivefold in four years.
The Atlanta branch of pest-control firm Terminix saw no cases of bedbugs in 2004 and only three or four last year. But in the first six months of this year, they've had 23 new cases, said Clint Briscoe, a spokesman.
Experts are not entirely sure what has caused the marked increase. Some speculate that increased international travel and immigration may be partially to blame.
The tiny bugs may be hitching a ride in the luggage or clothing of travelers. This could explain the high concentration of the pests in cities like Atlanta and New York, which attract a lot of international traffic.
Another factor is a change in pest control practices. Companies are spraying more responsibly now, Suiter said. Instead of indiscriminately saturating the perimeter of all rooms, they often use more conservative measures and do large-scale spray treatments only when there's an infestation. As a result of consumer demand, less toxic chemicals are also being used.
"The bottom line is it may be a convergence of all those factors, but none of that really explains the rapid increase in recent years," said Michael Potter, a professor and urban entomologist at the University of Kentucky.
Experts agree that the public needs to be educated about bedbugs — on the symptoms and how to prevent them.
"A lot of people, including some physicians, don't even think they're real," Potter said. As a result people may go months before realizing the source of their discomfort.
In Hawaii, where tourism is a major industry, state lawmakers passed a resolution for a prevention campaign after infestations at some hotels damaged their reputations and annoyed travelers. Similarly, legislation for a bedbug task force has been proposed by New York City Councilwoman Gail Brewer.
For Benton, a 31-year-old graduate student, the bedbugs sparked a seven-month battle that included bug bombs and the tossing out of his and his fiancee's bedroom furniture.
They gave up and moved out of their apartment in New York and eventually moved back to their native Memphis, Tenn. Benton said the bugs essentially drove them out of New York because they couldn't sleep knowing the bugs may be anywhere.
"The main part of it is psychological trauma that they create because of the idea that they are feeding on you at night," Benton said. "It's still hard to talk about if it's anywhere near bedtime."
by Dr. Chris Landon, MD and Dr. Michael R. Linford Ph.D., and David E. Hedman
With the advent of the dangerous Avian Influenza H5N1 transferred by bird excrement and the like, people should know that Heat will inactivate the bird flu virus at 140ºF/60ºC and 30 minutes duration (United Nations Agricultural Department). In the even clothing or other personal items become bird debris contaminated, these items can be heated as a form of disinfection. Home clothes dryers (140º F plus) may be used for heating clothing which has been contaminated with bird flu virus.
Just like rodents, birds also infest homes, offices and other commercial structures. We now have to consider that bird debris may be deadly. A crack or a hole, the size of a quarter, will allow birds to penetrate and inhabit buildings. Often birds contaminate the most vulnerable portions of structures. Air handling equipment is frequently located on the top floor of edifices. This equipment may be located in a plenum that, if infested by birds, can spread bird debris thus contaminating air throughout a building. Building owners should consider heating the structure under the direction of a certified industrial hygienist.
Researchers at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta have discovered that one of the world’s most fatal epidemics, the 1918 Flu, was in fact a bird flu virus that directly infected humans. With the benefits of current research, countries across the world are looking for efficacious tools to mitigate a potentially similar pandemic influenza that is at our doorstep now.
In the early 1860’s Louis Pasteur conducted tests that verified the 'germ theory' and convinced most of Europe that it was factual. Pasteur discovered that microorganisms are susceptible to elevated temperatures and that all living organisms have a specific thermal death point. This process of heating food products to reduce bacteria to safe levels without damaging the food products became known as 'pasteurization'. There are a number of areas in which the technology of 'pasteurization' may be applicable to the control of 'PANDEMIC INFLUENZA'. The word 'pandemic' refers to an epidemic that affects several countries.
A communicable disease is one that is both contagious and also which can be passed on indirectly (as by a fomite or vector). A fomite is a physical object that acts as an intermediary in the transmission of a disease from one person to another. For example, if you cough onto a door handle which another person then touches and then puts his contaminated hand in his mouth, the door handle has acted as a fomite. Viruses generally fall at one inch per hour and stay alive on a flat surface or fomite for hours.
The virus H5N1 (Bird Flu or Avian Influenza) can remain viable for days in relatively low temperature and humidity if there is proteinaceous material. There is the potential for spread of virus via fecal contamination on clothing and shoes, particularly if there has been insufficient attention paid to biosecurity.
ThermaPureHeat is a process developed and commercialized to disinfect buildings of molds, bacteria, aldehydes and allergens, insects and the like. This process, which was awarded the Best New Product in the Nation by the National Society of Professional Engineers, is the engineered application of heat to either a structure, a portion of a structure, or to its contents with the purpose of killing targeted organisms including viruses and decontaminating fomites to safe levels within a given structure.
The ThermaPureHeat process utilizes thermal imaging cameras, temperature proves, fans, ducting, and portable heaters that raise the temperatures to between 110º F to 212º F. The research performed by Pasteur, as applied to the current bird flu, could give us another tool to reduce the potentially catastrophic spread and infection on the bird flu virus using ThermaPureHeat. ThermaPureHeat has been used to decontaminate buildings and their contents of anthrax (heating mail to 300º F), legionella and other harmful bacteria from sewage overflow, all types of insects, rodent infestations and other rodent-born hanta virus.
In terms of fomites associated with legal trade, one should consider bird infested buildings, live poultry, captive birds, pet birds, poultry meat and products, hatching eggs, eggs and egg products, feathers, manure, processed manure, and processed manure products, pigs and pig meat products. It is possible that ThermaPure may be used to decontaminate food processing plants and other facilities and their contents of the H5N1 strain of Avian Influenza virus, thus potentially reducing the spread of the disease.
ThermaPureHeat could be used in health care facilities to decontaminate isolated portions of the facility which are dedicated to caring for patients infected with bird flu. From the New England Journal of Medicine we find that the spectrum of disease has been described in hospitalized patients. Generally, the incubation period has been between 2-5 days, but has ranged up to 8 days after exposure (i.e., longer than other human influenza viruses). What is known is that transmission of human influenza A occurs by inhalation of infectious droplets and droplet nuclei, by direct contact, and by indirect (fomite) contact followed by self-inoculation of the respiratory tract and/or conjunctival mucosa. For human influenza H5N1 infection, transmission has occurred by way of bird-to-human transmission. Consequently, health care facilities could easily be disinfected using the ThermaPureHeat methodology and its associated pasteurization temperatures.
In health care facilities, combined standard, droplet, contact, and airborne isolation precautions (N-95 masks and negative pressure isolation) should be employed. Because viral shedding may be protracted, especially in children, patients should be isolated for at least 7 days after the resolution of fever or possibly up to 21 days. Thus, 'repasteurization' using the ThermaPureHeat process may be useful in this setting.
The number of healthcare workers (HCW) having contact with H5N1-infected patients should be limited and these HCW should not care for non-infected patients. They should also be monitored for the development of fever. Health care workers that performed intubations during the SARS epidemic were the most likely to become infected. By treating the facilities with the ThermaPureHeat process where interaction occurs between HCW’s and patients, the number of infected HCW’s may be reduced.
New Weapons in the War against MoldHurricanes in the Southeast, floods in the Northeast, massive rainfall in the Pacific Northwest: water is everywhere – and where there is excessive water, mold often follows.
Mold growth causes major problems for property owners, residents, and insurers alike. According to the Insurance Information Institute, insurance payments for mold-related claims more than doubled to $3 billion from 2001 to 2002. At the same time, new products that remediate mold damage have been coming into the market at a rapid pace. The following are two recent additions.
ThermaPureHeat
A new heat treatment process developed by E-Therm, an environmental remediation innovator based in Ventura, California, ThermaPureHeat has proven to be an effective alternative to traditional demolition-based remediation and building drying methods. The process uses super-heated, dehumidified air to disinfect, decontaminate, and dry out buildings much in the same way heat is used to pasteurize milk and kill bacteria in wine.
In the ThermaPureHeat process, technicians use propane-powered heaters and air blowers to inject superheated air into the affected space, raising the temperature of a single room or an entire structure as high as 160 degrees Fahrenheit for several hours. Heat has been shown to be effective in destroying active mold growth sites and killing viable mold spores, bacteria, viruses, insects, and other heat-sensitive pests and organisms. Heat also accelerated the off-gassing of odors and toxins, even in inaccessible areas, without the use of chemicals. One of the main benefits of heat is that its proper application can dry out wet buildings much quicker than can the air movement and dehumidification processes typically used by flood restoration contractors.
Used in conjunction with limited remove-and-replace remediation – or as an alternative to it in some instances – the heat treatment process could save U.S. insurers $1 billion or more annually while minimizing liability and increasing clearance testing success rates. Heat also allows the contractor to treat many building materials in place, thereby enabling the owner to avoid the trouble and expense of unnecessary removal of walls, flooring, cabinets, and furnishings.
Traditional mold remediation involves limited or extensive demolition of affected building materials and extensive cleaning using techniques such as wire brushing, sanding, high-efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA) vacuuming, and microbial wipe-down. As with all response actions, the more extensive the demolition, the higher the rebuilding costs.
'Cost escalates when suspected mold requires the teardown and build-back of structures that may be salvageable,' says Joe McLean, CEO of Alliance, a California-based environmental contractor that deals extensively with mold and asbestos remediation. 'For instance, if a consultant specifies removal of a four-foot perimeter on four walls because moisture has wicked up one, the teardown and build-back of showers, cabinets, countertops, and such significantly increase costs.'
Because insurers often cover building structures, their contents, as well as loss of use, long remediation projects forcing the occupants to leave for weeks or months can also rack up high secondary costs. The cost for meals, replacement housing, or, more significant, insuring lost business can sometimes exceed remediation costs.
Inaccessible areas such as wall cavities, crawl spaces, headers, doorjambs, and vapor barriers present another dilemma for owners: either spend a large amount of money to reach, remove, and replace building structures in these areas, or leave them with potential live mold or mold spores that could lead to reinfestation.
Removal and replacement of mold-affected areas can also be complicated by other factors, such as when building structures like studs or floor joists are affected, or when historic features such as frescoes, carved wood, or decorative plasters prove difficult or prohibitively expensive to replace. 'If physical removal is the only acceptable remediation method, you may as well demolish the building, because you can’t simply scrub mold off the surface when its roots grow into the substrate,' says Michael Geyer, president of Kerntec Industries, a California-based environmental consulting firm. Mold, as a fungus, is a plant whose roots grow into the substrate of building materials and whose spores are like the seed-bearing fruit of a tree, he explains.
'To properly handle mold, you have to handle the moisture problem,' adds Geyer. 'Applying heat through a process like ThermaPure’s is not only lethal to mold and other biohazards like bacteria and insects, but it also dries out the substrate, structure, and architectural elements. This helps prevent future recurrences since the substrate is no longer hospitable to growth.
'Mold in a wall cavity doesn’t necessarily need to be removed as long as it’s effectively killed and not part of the occupied space,' says Geyer. 'In instances of mold to moderate water intrusion of short duration, substrate removal is usually unnecessary and unwarranted except when visibly contaminated or when architectural elements are compromised.'
Recently, a large investment group purchased a student housing complex at a major Southern California university. During the due diligence period, building inspections revealed water damage or elevated moisture levels in 109 of 122 residential units, along with an extensive termite problem. Complications included an accelerated restoration schedule, budget constraints, and a summer occupancy schedule which was already booked. The client was faced with a very difficult problem as moisture survey readings indicated significantly elevated levels in building materials within almost every bathroom in the complex. Traditional remediation efforts would have required destructive openings in every location where moisture readings were significantly above background levels. This would have required complete closure of the facility and several months of demolition and reconstruction affecting virtually 90 percent of the units in the complex.
Instead, the consultant recommended the ThermaPureHeat process to restrict demolition to only those areas where physical damage or visible mold growth was present. Of the 109 units needing remediation, only ten units required extensive demolition, including cabinetry or shower stall removal. ThermaPure effectively killed the mold in inaccessible areas, allowing minimal removal and replacement as part of site remediation.
This significantly cut required restoration time and costs. All units were HEPA cleaned and sampled as part of traditional post remediation testing, with all 122 units passing. By working in selected buildings and moving quickly through the complex, the university was able to house specialty groups and camps throughout the summer, meeting its stated obligations and generating revenue without interruption.
Total savings were estimated at $4 million using ThermaPure compared to traditional remove and replace remediation, and the heat treatment simultaneously eradicated the termite infestation. The complex owner is repeating the process at another large multi-residential property in Texas.
While ThermaPure cannot eliminate traditional remediation when mold is visible, it is now an option that insurance companies and property owners can consider in order to shrink escalating water damage and mold liability costs. Multiplied by the 1 million-plus residences and businesses affected by water damage and mold in the last year alone ThermaPure could create savings of $1 billion dollars annually by salvaging existing structures and speeding recovery to minimize loss of business and reduce secondary expenses.
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is becoming a significant, worldwide health crisis. According to the EPA, most Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors. Studies have broken this down to approximately 65% in the home and 25% in some other indoor setting such as work, school, shopping, a friend’s home, etc. Pollution levels are higher indoors than outside. The EPA estimates that the indoor levels of many pollutants are 2-5 times higher than outdoor levels, and at times as much as 100 times higher. Because of these findings, the EPA has ranked indoor air quality as one of the top five environmental threats to human health.
The EPA has been paying special attention to indoor air quality in schools. According to the EPA, 20% of the American public, 55 million persons, spend their time in elementary and secondary schools. They estimate that one-half of the nation’s 115,000 schools have indoor air quality problems. Millions of school children are impacted by poor indoor air.
Other groups are reaching similar concerns. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently conducted a survey that indicated one-third of the 70 million Americans who work indoors are working in buildings that are breeding grounds for contamination from molds, bacteria, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde.
It is no wonder the American Lung Association estimates 160 million Americans are breathing bad air. These statistics are conclusive in pointing out a large and growing national health concern. Indoor air quality has created an enormous market for a variety of manufacturers, consultants and testing laboratories, and remediation contractors. ThermaPure® overlaps a number of these markets and can play a significant role in the management of this ubiquitous problem.
Building Science — High Temperatures and VOCs
The concept of building bakeouts to reduce VOC emissions dates back to the 1980s. The process was oftentimes employed as a building commissioning process prior to occupancy of a new structure. The building HVAC system was used to elevate the temperature in the structure and generate as many air exchanges as possible over a several day period. The higher temperatures were effective in increasing emissions, but the building HVAC system was not able to remove the vapors. Additionally, primary emissions were not significantly impacted as the bulk of emissions came from secondary and sink sources, the easiest sources to create emissions. Because these emissions were not removed, they adsorbed to porous materials in the structure. The result of these problems was the indoor air quality was oftentimes worse than before the bakeout.
Project Profile: Formaldehyde Reduction
Their home was only completed six months before they were forced to move out. Of the four person family, only the father seemed to be unaffected by an environmental phenomena that had been present since they moved in their new home. In fact, the mother had spent some time in the hospital with pneumonia that she attributed to the indoor air in their home. Many people who entered the home complained of an odor and experienced irritation of their nasal passages and burning in their eyes. The builder responded with a series of tests, but initially none were conclusive as to the cause.
The consultant that responded to the builder initially performed mold tests and did not find anything of concern. They continued testing and performed a variety of tests for chemicals, including a TO-15 that had formaldehyde as one of the analytes. This testing determined the formaldehyde levels to be 85 ppb, not significantly high, but certainly high enough to cause problems with sensitive persons. The house had been repeatedly aired out and the levels were probably considerably lower than when the family was forced to move out. Of the four person family, only the father seemed to be ppb, not significantly high, but unaffected by an environmental certainly high enough to cause phenomena that had been present problems with sensitive persons. ThermaPure process is brought to you by from Alliance Environmental Group. The ThermaPure process saved $4 Million in remediation.
By Scott Duzan
Why would you possibly want to heat up Hawaii? Perchance, your hotel, resort or restaurant has had complaints regarding cockroaches, bed bugs, fleas or termites. If so, you might want to consider what heat treatment can do for your property. The ThermaPure® heat treatment process is a new environmental remediation technology that uses superheated, dehumidified air to treat various environmental concerns.
Background
Heat has long been used by man to disinfect and sanitize. In the 1860s, Louis Pasteur developed the pasteurization process, which involves using heat to kill harmful microorganisms in milk, juice and other foods. That brings up cooking with heat. The main reason heat is used in cooking is to reduce the number of microorganisms present in the dish. Heat also is used in the creation of vaccines. Vaccines are composed of heat-killed strains of a specific virus that are then injected into a patient in order to boost antibody response. In summary, heat has a proven track record for disinfecting and sanitizing.
The ThermaPure® heat treatment process was developed by E-Therm, an environmental remediation company located in Ventura, Calif. In layman’s terms, heat treatment is pasteurization applied to a building — the building is injected with superheated dry air, a process that kills various pests and microorganisms. The ThermaPure® heat treatment process has five basic applications: 1) pest management, 2) microbial remediation (mold, bacteria and virus), 3) volatile organic chemical elimination, 4) odor reduction and 5) construction dryout.
How Does it Work?
The initial work begins with an inspection of the property to determine if heat treatment would be an effective choice for the targeted environmental concern. Once heat treatment has been given the green light, the project site is prepared for treatment. Preparatory work typically involves removing heat-sensitive items and setting up the equipment and containment. This process can usually be completed in a few hours. Depending on the project and structure, the sprinkler system may need to be momentarily shut off and isolated. The equipment used in heat treatment is relatively simple: portable propane heaters, air blowers, Mylar ducting and digital thermometers. Treatment times vary depending on the scope of work and project size but usually range between one to four hours. Temperatures also vary depending on the targeted environmental concern, but usually range between 130-160 degrees. The entire heat treatment process often can be completed in eight hours or less.
Why use Heat Treatment?
To begin with, the ThermaPure® heat treatment process has proven to be successful and as a result has garnered industry support. It was recently awarded the Best New Product honor by the National Society of Professional Engineers. In addition, there have been multiple case studies supporting the success for each of the five main applications of heat treatment.
Heat treatment is a multifunctional technology, meaning that while treating a structure for bed bugs, for example, you also are improving the indoor air quality of the structure and eliminating other pests at the same time. Heat treatment can be completed in off-peak hours to minimize business interruption. It is also flexible in scale: treating an entire structure, specific areas or separate floors. If high temperatures are a concern for the structure, lower temperatures can be employed for longer durations. Heat treatment also has less of a 'scare factor' compared to traditional remediation methods. Heaters and air blowers are less likely to raise questions from guests, versus workers wearing masks and Tyvek suits spraying chemicals. Perhaps the strongest advantage of the ThermaPure® heat treatment process is safety. No toxic chemicals are used, there are no lingering residues and there are no threats to pets, plants and, most importantly, people.
Fresh Baked Pests
Pests are a big problem for everyone in Hawaii. Recent research indicated that there are approximately 40 pest management companies on the island of Oahu alone. This clearly illustrates the severity of pest issues in Hawaii. Several historical studies have shown that increasing temperatures leads to shorter mortality times for insects. The ThermaPure® heat treatment process follows this same mantra. It has proven to be effective in treating multiple types of insect pests, including drywood termites, cockroaches, dust mites, bed bugs and fleas. All of these pests are present in Hawaii, and hospitality guests most definitely do not want to encounter them during their stay.
ThermaPure® heat treatment is effective in killing not only adult insects but also the eggs and juvenile forms. This makes the ThermaPure® heat treatment process effective in wiping out entire colonies of pests. It is important to note that heat treatment can be used for small scale infestations or entire structure infestations. Another common concern in the pest management industry is resistance; because of the resistance issue, either higher dosages of the pesticide must be used, or the pesticide must be applied more frequently. None of the targeted pests have shown signs of developing resistance to heat application. No overnight move-out is required for heat treatment either, as most projects can be completed in less than one day. Heat also has better penetration through building materials than chemical sprays and fumigants. This translates into killing those hard-to-locate pests inside wall and ceiling cavities and in utility chases.
Heat Makes Sense
Guest complaints about bugs lead to bad reviews, and the word spreads via Internet sites like Expedia and Travelocity or through travel guides, from Lonely Planet to Frommer’s. These bad reviews reflect negatively on a given property and may cast suspicion on area wide properties. With tourism as Hawaii’s economic base, ThermaPure® offers the hospitality industry an effective alternative to pest management.
Alliance Environmental Group provides safe, efficient, clean and high quality services to our customers and partners.
Copyright 2010 Alliance Environmental Group
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