Mold Containment

Mold particles are hardy, nasty things that can proliferate in a wide variety of environments, living with almost no discernable source of nutrition, and spreading quickly under the right conditions of neglect and humidity.  If they are of the allergenic or toxic variety, they can make a person exposed to them become rather ill, entering the body through inhalation, accidental ingestion, or even extended contact with the skin.  Working to remove mold from a building can be quite an inconvenience, if not perilous, to people in surrounding areas, simply because mold particles have a tendency to disperse quickly while airborne, and will almost certainly burst into the air when mold-infested materials are disturbed by remediation efforts.  Consequently, before mold remediation can be undertaken in earnest, one would first have to make sure that mold particles do not escape beyond the boundaries of the building that is to be cleaned out.  For this purpose, professional remediators utilize containment techniques to confine the mold within a particular area, so that the contamination does not go beyond the infested location. 

Generally, the size of the location to be treated determines whether a limited or a full containment scheme will be employed.  However, this is not an absolute rule, since heavy mold growth in a small area will certainly be of more concern than light growth over a larger space.  An expert will be able to determine which method would be a better option, taking into consideration at all times that containment is meant to minimize both the exposure of the worker and the building occupants to the mold.

Limited containment is used to resolve contamination in areas between 10 and 100 square feet.  The location is sealed with a single layer of fire-retardant polyethylene sheets, with a slit entry and covering flap on the outside of the contained location.  The sheets can be attached to the floors and ceilings in small areas, for more total protection.  Every open point, including supply and air vents, doors and the like, must be sealed with the sheets to avoid contaminants travelling elsewhere.  In the event that the ceiling of the area is contaminated, the location should be sealed all the way up to the ceiling deck, and any equipment or installation that carries air to the affected area probably should be replaced.  At all times, negative air pressure must be maintained inside the containment area, which can be done with a HEPA-filtered exhaust fan that expels air outside of the building.

For spaces larger than 100 square feet, full containment would be the better option.  Instead of a single layer, two layers of polyethylene sheets will be used to form a barrier between the contaminated area and other portions of the building.  Between the remediation area and the outside, one should construct an airlock or decontamination chamber to facilitate entry and exit without compromising the integrity of either location.  The midway area should be large enough both to house a waste container and to wear personal protective equipment, like a hazardous material suit or protective eyewear.  Respirators should also be worn by remediators until they leave the decontamination chamber. 

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