Cleaning for Health
(New Construction, Renovation, Demolition & Building Operations)
AET believes in innovation and the development/implementation of cutting-edge technologies. Even as a small business, AET invests in research and development to not only address our clients immediate needs, but also their future needs and to ensure our long term growth keeping with new scientific discoveries and technologies.
Cleaning for Health is a division of our firm which involves an evaluation of how clean surfaces are in the indoor occupied environment and the risk of exposure causing adverse health affects to building occupants.
Exposure can occur during:
- Inhalation of surface dust re-entrained during disturbance such as the use of improper cleaning techniques.
- Skin contact by environmental contaminants which can be absorbed directly through the skin or can cause skin irritation, rashes or dermatitis.
- Ingestion of environmental contaminants from hand-to-mouth contact.
The need and the extent of surface cleaning is a developing field for occupancy following new construction, renovations, repairs, and remediation. There are no specific federal, state or local standards in this regard. However, many OSHA standards (including lead) housekeeping provisions require “all surfaces maintained as free as practical of accumulations of the specific contaminant”. This is not only good practice, but reduces potential exposures and adverse health affects.
AET’s staff professionals continue to expand the use of surface dust sampling (by tape lift or swab) during our IAQ investigations. This includes the use of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) testing for surface mold and bacteria. The testing protocols are critical for our health care clients as part of their infectious control program. Further they are becoming increasingly more important in our investigations of schools, daycares, senior facilities, and other residential, commercial and institutional buildings which are occupied by health compromised individuals and children.
