Dry Ice Blasting for the removal of Black Mould
My last blog was all about our growth into the restoration sector. We always find that new work can sometimes bring challenges and opportunities. New opportunities have definitely been created in recent months due to our work in restoring stonework.
We won a tender and were commissioned with removing a contaminant from the catacombs of an historical Oxfordshire building. During the assessment prior to blasting, extensive black mould was discovered on every surface (there had been flooding to the building 8 months prior to the contract award)
After consultation with a toxicology expert and running tests, it was discovered that dry ice blasting killed 100% of the mould. The toxicology company are now putting dry ice blasting forward as a ‘best practice solution’ for the removal of mould and are currently writing up a white paper on their findings.
Containment is Key
Of course with any spore removal, containment is everything. We built negative air chambers around the workface that were to be blasted and these were left in situ for 24 hours after remediation work. This was to ensure that any airborne spores were extracted and filtered by 8.4 air exchangers (a minimum requirement). The results are, after 4 months since works completed, that no mould has grown back and 100% long term removal has been attained.
With the flooding problems we have encountered across the UK in recent years, toxic black mould is becoming a dangerous main stream issue as it thrives on the damp, drying out process. There are lots of remedies for removal but it seems, for now, that dry ice blasting could well be the number 1 choice with toxicology companies.