RE: Heat remediation

[Guest guest]

Steve,

I looked into the technology for an architect

client of mine that considered buying a franchise.  I think the technology is promising for a

number of reasons.  It kills insect pests

like carpenter ants and powder post beetles. The process dries the structure

and drives off VOCs. 

For me this is the limitation: The

assumption is that the process denatures the fungal proteins and makes them

inert.  To my knowledge this assumption

has never been tested.  As I see it, it

could take a very long time to test each specific fungal protein to determine

if it has been rendered inactive.  This

leads to two separate but import issues. First, since we do not know if the

proteins have been denatured, what exactly is the cleaning process after heat treatment?  My guess is you still have to clean and then

fine clean (so from a microbial perspective, what is the benefit of the process?).  Second, without research data to support your

actions, how do you defend your position legally if and when things go bad with

the client?

I’ve had several long conversations with

Abbott about the process and would suggest contacting him for his

opinions. 

We opted not to use the process in VT, but

not because we weren’t interested in trying it out, but because we couldn’t

get the license holder to come to VT.  It

is my understanding that my client is going to use the process at his FL home

which has mold and moisture problems from the recent hurricanes.  I will check to see if he has any input.

Mark Doughty

Heat

remediation

Does anybody want to comment on so-called heat

remediation? For those

unaware of this process, here are two things on it

that crossed my

desk this past week. The first is an article in a

trade pub, and the

second is a press release:

1. " Thermal Remediation: A New Application of

an Old Process, " by

Larry Chase, Dave Hedman and P. Abbott, Ph.D.

Published in

Facility Safety Management, 10/1/2005. Can be

found online at

http://www.thermapure.com/pdf/fsmarticle.pdf

2. " Flood and Mold Damage Cost Billions:

Revolutionary ThermaPure

Heat Treatment May Provide Relief to Insurers and

Property Owners "

from E-Therm Inc. of Ventura, CA, 12/6/2005. Can

be found online at

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/12/prweb318819.htm

Thanks,

Steve Sauer, Editor

Indoor Environment Connections

12339 Carroll Avenue

Rockville, MD 20852-1867

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