Case Study: Mold Remediation of a Research Facility

In the Spring of 2012, a hospital’s life science research facility experienced flooding when a pipe located two floors above burst. In addition to water damage throughout the space, mold spores, including Aspergillus niger, were introduced and distributed. Prior to repairs being made, a full facility decontamination took place to eliminate any mold or mold spores. Chlorine dioxide gas (CD) was chosen as the method of decontamination. Sixteen biological indicators (BI) consisting of Geobacillus stearothermophilus were placed throughout the 145,000 ft3 facility which contained animal holding rooms, procedure rooms, a laboratory, a cage wash area, storage rooms, necropsy rooms, locker rooms, and bathrooms.

During the decontamination, which took place over the course of 2 days, the surrounding areas of the facility were occupied. Chemical monitoring took place throughout the event to ensure that facility personnel were not exposed to any leakage. Upon completion of the decontamination, the 16 biological indicators exposed, as well as a positive control BI, were tested for growth. After the incubation period, only the positive control exhibited growth, demonstrating that the decontamination was a success and the facility was free of mold and mold spores. Success was also satisfied as there was no physical residue, and no visible indication of material degradation on any of the surfaces within the building, including the ventilated racks, plastic caging, and biological safety cabinets. There was also no visible indication of effect to any electronics or measurement devices in the area.

To read more about this specific decontamination, click here. If you are curious how ClorDiSys Solutions can help with your facility's contamination control, call us at (908) 236-4100.