IAS Case Studies
US
Virgin Islands | New
Jersey Retirement Home | IAS
Reference Paper
Catharineberg (Upper Left) & Government House
(Center) St. Thomas, USVI
|
United States
Virgin Islands
Our firm was privileged to perform an indoor air quality related
abatement that also had a historical context. This involved an adverse
exposure
to the Governor of the USVI at the Governor's residence in Catharineberg,
St. Thomas. We determined that Stachybotrys and other toxigenic fungi
were present in the residence as a result of water leaks from the roof and
indirect effects from air conditioning systems.
We proposed to perform a detailed abatement of numerous areas of the residence
to eliminate the source of the contamination. Our crews
journeyed to Catharineberg, St. Thomas, USVI to perform this work. The following
are photos of the work underway.
Legend in wall dated 1918
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Decontamination of wood paneling
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Hidden door uncovered during abatement
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Contaminated pipe lagging
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Portion of newspaper
dated 1857
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Hidden window uncovered during demolition
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Contamination in corner around pipe lagging
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Widespread contamination on rear of pictures
|
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Clearance samples indicated that the abatement was effective and the
Governor was permitted to reoccupy the building following such testing. During
the project our crews made a number of interesting historical discoveries.
We located a number of hidden doors and windows which had been covered up subsequent
renovations throughout the approximately 150 year history of the building.
These original architectural details were restored to the fullest extent possible.
In addition, in removal canvas wall coverings, employees in our firm found
pieces of newspapers dating from the Spanish American and World War I wars.
These materials were carefully removed and are now on display in a museum in
St. Thomas. Ultimately, this was a successful project which had considerable
historical value and served to improve air quality simultaneously.
Retirement Home in
Northern New Jersey
Our firm performed a complete abatement
of a private residence used as a retirement home by a couple in Northern New
Jersey. This couple routinely traveled to Florida during the winter months
and engaged a private contractor to "winterize" their home. Part
of the winterization involved draining water lines and shutting off supply
valves from the municipal water supply from the street. Lines were blown clear
and certain water sources which could not be drained had antifreeze added.
Unfortunately, the contractor closed the source valve at the street,
but the position of the internal valve was approximately 8 ° in the open
position. This allowed a small amount of water under 60 pounds pressure to
refill lines in the home. Most of the sink source lines and bathroom lines
had indirect connection to sanitary sewer lines, however, the hot water heater
drain valve was left open. Therefore, when the source water from the street
overcame the head-pressure resistance, water slowly entered the hot water heater,
where it drained onto the floor of the residence. Upon returning home, the
couple was surprised to find virtually complete contamination of the entire
unit. The prolonged nature of the moisture and low-level heating in the building
created ideal conditions for fungal contamination. The photos below illustrate
the severity of the problem:
Widespread contamination of home
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Contamination in carpet and rug. Note growth of mushrooms
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Contamination in master bedroom
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Widespread contamination of home (Note mushrooms growing
out of carpet)
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Contamination in den
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Contamination in kitchen
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This was one of the most severely contaminated properties which we
have encountered to date. Over 100 mushrooms were growing through the carpet
and virtually every surface of the home was contaminated with mold. Airborne
viable counts of microorganisms were 93,000 CFU/m 3 . Normal reference ranges
for non-problem buildings are 250-500 CFU/m 3 . Based on the scientific measurements,
it is obvious that the air quality in this home was totally unacceptable.
Our recommendation was to perform a complete abatement of the home,
including removal of all drywall, insulation, and as much of the porous contaminated
material as possible. Fortunately, exterior sheathing and sill plates were
minimally contaminated and could be decontaminated and isolated. The photographs
below show the scope and extent of the abatement process:
Removal
of all interior and perimeter walls. Note treatment of sill plates
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Note complete removal of all drywall, treatment of floor and sill
plates and removal of ceiling drywall
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Note treatment of sill plates and sealing of open plumbing lines
to prevent spread of contamination from open sewer lines.
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To date, the occupants have reoccupied the home without any adverse symptoms.
Based on this work, we consider the abatement highly successful. Due to the
possibility of litigation, further details on this case cannot be disclosed.
IAS Reference
Paper on Case Studies**
INDOOR
AIR QUALITY UPDATE: STACHYBOTRYS INFORMATION, MICROBIAL EVALUATIONS,
AND INTERESTING CASE STUDIES
W. Edward Montz, Jr., Ph.D., CIAQP
President
Indoor Air Solutions, Inc.
Pottstown, PA
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