Tyvek is a Dupont product. They may be the exclusive manufacturer, and I believe they are made in the USA:

http://www2.dupont.com/personal-protection/en-us/dpt/tyvek.html

Here’s a place to check out, I know nothing more than what is on the Internet
Property Perfections

What drives mold growth is the microclimate, ie temperature, relative humidity, and pH (molds prefer a slightly acidic pH, the specifics depending on the species, of course) and lack of direct sunlight.

Both bleach and vinegar kill mold. Bleach works better, by far. There was mold up to my shoulders when we moved into this house, and I took a towel soaked in diluted bleach and washed the walls with it, and it went away.

I recommend the N100 mask. I realize it is more expensive, but it is a very good mask.

I guess there is some information at the EPA site.

http://www.epa.gov/sandy/factsheets.html

There are a couple of fact-sheets on dealing with mold, PDFs in both English and Spanish. Actually, there is a fair amount of good information there. What specific products are we trying to source US/Union made? Goggles, gloves, bleach? Bleach concentration has gone down in the past couple of decades… a bottle of ‘bleach’ is now 7%? bleach i think. There are a couple of websites that promote Union Made that i could consult… Googling ‘Union Made products’ yields many results. Seems like drywall might be a problem though…

Thoughts?

Jane, is there any chance the old M-17 gas masks(or even M-40′s) are suitable…? For both the goggles and respirators(I’d remove the hoods for more comfort) and even the old charcoal-lined MOPP suits and gloves…?

So should we just keep donating to Occupy Supply to help with this? Thanks for info, research and all efforts!

Good on you and Occupy Sandy for this work!

Bill Currie is a former EPA official who was the agency’s lead IPM trainer on pest management back when the EPA enforced laws (and was lead trainer for the NPS), and before he retired and went into private consulting. Bill was also our technical expert in 98-99 when LA Safe Schools and two school board members got the LA Unified School District to adopt precautionary based integrated pest management (defeating Monsanto in the process!). Anyone who can help stop Monsanto is a force to be reckoned with – and Bill is a force in the best sense of the word.

He’s a self-described ‘nozzlehead’ who has spent decades in this – respected by Beyond Pesticides, Pesticide Action Network North America and the pest control industry. WRT safety, the Natl Institute of Building Sciences’ Indoor Environmental Quality group cites him as a resource. He’s also a great person – as is Susan Kegley, PhD, former senior scientist with PAN, who now heads up the Pesticide Research Institute. (fungicides – mold killers – are pesticides, fwiw). Robina Suwol, who brought about LA Safe Schools and now heads California Safe Schools, may also be able to help point the way to experts in this area if Bill or Susan are unavailable.

Sadly, I haven’t been in touch with any of these fine folk for some years – too much practice, far too little activism. Sadly also, I’m frantic to tempt my dear kitty Squall to keep eating in his last days, so I won’t have the pleasure of trying to contact them this evening. Please give them my best.

All their contact info will be in the linkies above. Also, PANNA and Beyond Pesticides will have specific info re toxicity of various specific substances. FWIW, bleach concentrations high enough to kill mold will – liberate enough chlorine not only to cause risk of acute and possibly fatal pulmonary toxicity (it was a war gas in WWI), but also to create extremely potent, persistent, and toxic chlorinated hydrocarbons. The most famous member of this class of nasties is dioxin. In general, I’d advise females who may ever reproduce to avoid all use of bleach for cleaning – and IIRC the least dangerous way to deal with bleach is full body suit/preathing protection. PubMed may have additional info re toxicity of specific compounds created by use of bleach for this purpose. IIRC the Katrina volunteers (many from the WTO protest/forest protection movements on the West Coast) had assembled considerable info re this somewhere on the web, but like the Common Ground Clinic, that may be scattered to the winds. [Pity Brandon Darby proved more persistent: like dioxin, he's a very persistent toxin. I'm glad Occupy pushed him away, and wish them good luck in organizing in such a way that his successors will be of no use.]

But enough about vermin like Darby. Good luck to Occupy Sandy in delaing with mindless pathogens like fungus – and finding ways to do so say that they and those they help remain safe.

And now off to warm up enough dainties to find one Squall will eat.

Best wishes, and bon appetit!

Do the humans & pets a favor & use Bio Green Clean………not just because it’s American-made, but

Typical Toxic and Ineffective Ingredients found in conventional and so- called “all natural” cleaning products (& notfound in Bio Green Clean):

•2-butoxethanol
•Chlorine Bleach or Hydrofluoric Acid
•Hydrogen Peroxide
•Ammonia
•Corn-based ethanol
•Orange/Citrus oil based products
•Animal Products
•Peroxide
•Dye or Colors
•Artificial Ingredients
•Petroleum Products
•Perfumes or Fragrances
•Chemical Residue

Mold is tough to get rid of completely. If at all possible, the tainted material should be removed and disposed of properly. I am speaking mainly about buildings, houses – the sheet rock will most likely be ruined from exposure to water, so it needs to come off, as does the insulation if it is anything but new-fangled foam. Wood and brick or stone is recoverable. They need the cleaning that those chemicals can provide. Ventilation is very important, both for the health effect of breathing, as well as drying purposes. Use lots of fans, and heaters if the space is enclosed. Don’t even try to save carpeting.

A couple other disposable protective clothing suppliers:
TASCO Posiwear – cost is just above $4 per suit for 25 suits or more
Gempler’s disposable coveralls – cost about $4.80 per suit

Websites don’t say whether union- or american-made

A page of general mold information links – no suppliers though.

http://www.reddit.com/r/sandy/comments/13lh7v/why_they_should_clean_inside_of_those_wall/

Bleach has always worked for me. We had black mold behind wallpaper in a cottage and the bleach completely removed it.

TSP MOLD FORMULA
(trisodium phosphate is available at hardware and paint stores)

1 cup tsp + 3 qts water + 1 qt bleach =1gal

warer rinse after MAXIMUM VENTILATION
wear gloves and use long handle mop or brush to apply wherever possible.

when doing a room, floor 1st, walls from bottom up 2nd, ceiling last. start with 3 foot square sections to start. change rinse water frequently. can use rags or towels (cut approximatly size of two facecloths) for tsp application and rinse if applying by hand.

best source of supplies is where painters get their supplies for commercial work. 5-2-1-gallon buckets, scrub brushes, poles, coveralls, gloves, etc.

hardwares have faucet adapters for conecting hoses and toilets can be used to dispose of rinse water.

floor fans pointed out a window are best ventilation tho the cold weather is going to be a factor as well as electric.

water rinse after doing a section (not “after max vent”)

MAXIMUM VENTILATION start to finish.

What a great resource! Thank you for educating me – and thank you for your eloquence and your work with Occupy Sandy.

I had a few minutes to poke around the various and mutually contradictory recs from various Federal agencies re post flood clean up. Confusing even on the surface – and even within a single agency, the inner tubes give mutually contradictory recs over time.

This 2009 “Flood-Related Cleaning draft report prepared for the EPA seems to attempt to look at the set of recs from all the Federal agencies re post-flood clean up. I hope it may prove useful for Occupy Sandy’s already awesome data base. The report was written after Katrina. If I’m understanding the authors, the report draws upon responses to techniques/recs used for Katrina….

Here are a few excerpts….

Exec summary:

This document addresses approaches to cleaning up residences flooded after a hurricane or other weather event. It is based on a literature search conducted using PubMed, Science Direct, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report search engines, and the files of the co-authors. The report considers the types of illnesses associated with such flooding; the effectiveness, selection, use, and hazards of biocides for cleaning and decontaminating surfaces affected by the presence of microorganisms and their biofilms; and available guidance documents that provide recommendations for cleaning up after floods, hurricanes, and related events.

The literature search found the occurrence of a wide range of illness and injury due to floods. These adverse health effects include physical injuries such as cuts and abrasions; infections due to contact with contaminated flood water and contaminated surfaces; exposure to non-biological contaminants such as carbon monoxide, heavy metals, and pesticides, which can lead to health impacts; allergic or asthmatic episodes triggered by exposures to mold; and emotional trauma and post-traumatic stress.

….All the guidance documents reviewed in this report agree that a flooded house should be dried quickly. They also agree that porous materials that contact flood water should be removed. And while all recommend the use of water and detergents to clean hard surfaces, they differ on whether bleach and other biocides should be used…..

[emphasis mine - so many of the folks I knew who wnet off to help after Katrina came back with strong sx c/w PTSD and other trauma related responses. So hope the Occupy Sandy volunteers have an opportunity to protect themselves more than what seemed to be the norm for so many who wnet to NOLA to help out....]

Drilling down, the report covers disparate recs re cleaning materials/chemicals:

pg 15:

 Cleaning hard surfaces. All recommend water and detergent, but there are differences regarding the use of disinfectants. The EPA document recommends washing surfaces and provides cautions on the use of disinfectants. The CDC document refers to EPA’s A Brief Guide to Mold and Moisture in your Home for guidance on disinfecting; it recommends using detergent and water or a solution of water and bleach to clean up mold and advises seeking professional help if the area of mold is more than 10 square feet. The FEMA/Red Cross document recommends disinfecting with quaternary ammonium compounds, phenolic, or pine-oil based products and specifies a solution of household bleach as a second choice. The NCHH guide recommends HEPA vacuuming, followed by water and detergent, followed by a solution of household bleach. The S500 standard discusses air- and water-based cleaning in detail; it cautions against the use of biocides, but provides guidance for using them if circumstances warrant…..

 Using bleach. Here again the guidance differs between documents. The EPA fact sheet does not specifically mention bleach, but cautions against the use of biocides and refers to the FEMA/Red Cross guide. CDC recommends cleaning mold with detergent and water or a solution of 1 cup bleach per gallon of water. The FEMA/Red Cross guide shows a preference for disinfectants other than bleach, but allows diluted household bleach as a second choice for surfaces and recommends it for suspect drinking water; the FEMA Hurricane Katrina Recovery Advisories (reviewed later with other federal documents) recommend against using bleach. The NCHH guide recommends the use of diluted household bleach on non-porous hard surfaces after thoroughly cleaning them. The S500 standard extensively discusses biocide selection and use, and it adopts the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists’ policy of avoiding the routine use of biocides.

Tables 3 and 4 on pp 16-18 compare the different recs at greater length. There’s even more detailed discussion on pp 18-19. Who knew there’s an Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification?

S500 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration – 2006, Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), http://www.iicrc.org/pdf/buydocs.pdf. The IICRC is the certification body for water restoration professionals. The S500 standard is a consensus document that forms the basis of certification by the Institute. It is the most comprehensive guidance document for cleaning up buildings after a flood. The S500 standard has 88 pages of standard and over 200 pages of reference. It covers water damage restoration, building physics, safety and health, administration of projects, evaluations, specialized experts, structural restoration, HVAC restoration, contents, catastrophic events, biocides, and equipment and tools. It is discussed in more detail later in this section.

(above from pg 14)

The S500 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration – 2006 warrants further discussion. The IICRC has published the S500 standard for restoration after water damage since 1994. The third edition was published in 2006.

This is the only American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard that specifically addresses cleanup after floods. It is an industry consensus standard with an extensive reference guide explaining and referencing the science behind the standard. The S500 standard categorizes water by levels of contamination….

 Category 3 water is heavily contaminated and can contain pathogens or toxins. Anyone who comes in contact with or consumes Category 3 water risks health impacts. (Examples of Category 3 water are sewage; floods from sea, river or lake; and wind- driven rain from hurricanes.)
The category of water plays a conditional role in remediation. For example, gypsum board may be restorable if the water it contacts is Category 1 or 2, but must be removed if that water is Category 3. By contrast, concrete is generally recoverable when flooded even by Category 3 water.

Chapter 8 of the S500 standard discusses biocides. It discourages the routine use of biocides, but since they may be appropriate in some circumstances, chapter 8 leaves their use to the professional judgment of the restorer. The chapter also refers to guidance from the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), Bioaerosols: Assessment and Control, which recommends that microbial growth be removed by cleaning or removing contaminated materials:

15.4 Biocide Use. Remediators must carefully consider the necessity and advisability of applying biocides when cleaning microbially contaminated surfaces (see 16.2.3). The goal of remediation programs should be the removal of all microbial growth. This generally can be accomplished by physical removal of materials supporting active growth and through cleaning of non-porous materials. Therefore, application of a biocide would serve no purpose that could not be accomplished with a detergent or cleaning agent. Prevention of future microbial contamination should be accomplished by a) avoiding the conditions that lead to past contamination, b) using materials that are not readily susceptible to biodeterioration, and c) where necessary, applying compounds designed to suppress vegetative bacterial and fungal growth or using materials treated with such compounds.

16.2 Biocide Use and Application. Biocide use should not be considered if careful and controlled removal of contaminated material is sufficient to address a problem . . . b) biocide use may play an important role in the remediation of certain conditions (e.g. microbial contamination from sewage backflow into buildings).

The s500 recs appear to be very relevant to post-Sandy flood/”hurricane” contamination. All the flood water and most all horizontally blown/propagated rainwater caused Category 3 damage.

(more to come…)

I want to commend you folks. The battle with mold is not easy. I have lived with and fought black mold. I have not won yet but i have had luck at peace.

All affected sheetrock must be removed. Wood that shows black mold could be new and could be old, digging in the wood will tell you how deep it is.
If its just scratch surface deep. Go with a strong bleach solution, and go with a commercial bleach not that watered down shit you buy at the grocery store. Restaurant supply is a place to start looking. Ok wash wood surface and let it sit. Don’t forget to puddle and push into any crack or crevasses you find–mold loves those places. Hours later start to dry the place as best you can, a dehumidifier will be your best friend here. This drying will take many days maybe six or more. This is where a wood moisture meter comes in handy. Moisture will seep out from places you never thought of so even when you think it’s all dry, a week later you may find damp places. You don’t want to seal in the damp so that is where you dry again and go from there.

For me mold come back every couple years and i fight it back. But i think i will perish before it kills me.

Last thought. Colloidal silver.

And here’s the more:

According to the S500 standard, biocide use (in combination with cleaning and removal) should be considered when:

 Drying will be too slow to prevent microbial growth.

[p 19]

 Pathogenic organisms are present.

The standard also notes that the use of biocides might be precluded if:

 The sanitizers to be used (e.g., chlorine-based formulations, alcohol, peroxide, or quaternary ammonium compounds) require that soiled surfaces be cleaned first.

 The risk from exposure to the biocide is comparable or greater than the risk from exposure to the organism.

To aid in selection of an appropriate biocide, the S500 standard includes the table presented here as table 5.

What Table 5 shows is that the only two disinfectants not inactivated by organic matter (as in Category 3 water from Sandy) are:

- glutaraldeyhde: insanely dangerous to even consider using.

and….

- phenolics: “toxic, irritant, corrosive” per S500′s Table 5.

What’s a phenolic disinfectant? Per teh wiki:

Phenolics

Phenolics are active ingredients in some household disinfectants. They are also found in some mouthwashes and in disinfectant soap and handwashes.

Phenol is probably the oldest known disinfectant as it was first used by Lister, when it was called carbolic acid. It is rather corrosive to the skin and sometimes toxic to sensitive people. Impure preparations of phenol were originally made from coal tar, and these contained low concentrations of other aromatic hydrocarbons including benzene, which is an IARC Group 1 carcinogen.

o-Phenylphenol is often used instead of phenol, since it is somewhat less corrosive.

Chloroxylenol is the principal ingredient in Dettol, a household disinfectant and antiseptic.

Hexachlorophene is a phenolic that was once used as a germicidal additive to some household products but was banned due to suspected harmful effects.

Thymol, derived from the herb thyme, is the active ingredient in some “broad spectrum” disinfectants that bears ecological claims.

Amylmetacresol is found in Strepsils, a throat disinfectant.

Although not a phenol, 2,4-dichlorobenzyl alcohol has similar effects as phenols, but it cannot inactive viruses.

OK – what does this mean for practical safety purposes? Well, everything with a “chlor” in it it above is a chlorinated hydrocarbon. This entire category of molecules should be considered to cause cancer, mutations, and birth defects until a few generations of observation proves otherwise.

Also, aromatic hydrocarbons should also be avoided. They’ve been recognized as toxic since at least 1942. Phenol is simply a subset of aromatic hydrocarbon (subset: hydroxylated aromatic hydrocarbon). The most notorious phenol is the endocrine disruptor Bisphenol A (BPA). I’d avoid the whole group of phenols if possible: they have not been proven to be free of a whole raft of nasty consequences.

Thymol‘s fine in my food, but the amounts required to wash down walls would scare the crap out of me. It’s another phenol with side chains that will help it dissolve into our fatty tissues. Yum.

Amylmetacresol’s yet another phenol derivative. In tiny doses it’s in throat lozenges. Using it as a cleaner would give massive exposure. I couldn’t find data on exposure to those amounts…

So…

From the s500 recs, nothing looks a usable biocide for the vast majority of direct Sandy water damage I could imagine. That’s pretty sucky.

I wish the s500 recs had looked at efficacy of borax and vinegar and TSP and the like. I’m guessing that somewhere there’s a well references study of borates’ efficacy/toxicity for these tasks, as well as studies of vinegar/acetic acid and TSP.

But Squall’s hungry again, so it’s time to nuke some more rillete.

From I recall from Katrina folks who returned to SF, Gnome De Plume has the best RX: rip out everything that’s been touched (save concrete and brick and the like).

Good luck with what you all are doing and with your health and safety – and good on ‘ya, RF and Occupy Sandy.

And thank you again RF for your eloquence and your work.

Now off to nuke the goodies….

Cleaning up mold can be hazardous to one’s health from inhalation of airborne spores and via dermal contact. Those most susceptible for illness are pregnant women, the very young, the very old and those whose immune systems are already compromised from acute or chronic illness. So if you fit into any of the above catagories, DO NOT DO OR BE AROUND THE CLEAN UP PROCESS.

Even the federal gov’t puts out conflicting messaging of how to address the problem. Bleach is not good for cleaning it up (beyond a little mold in your shower). It just makes the mold, which is a living substance, angry and causes it to shoot off it defenses of mycotoxins for you to inhale. (It’s trying to kill you before you kill it.) Non-viable spores can continue to cause adverse health. So just killing it with bleach does not eliminate the health risk.

Wet drywall, carpet and other materials must be discarded, as should pourous furniture items. The New York City guidelines for remediation is a pretty good guide. http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/epi/moldrpt1.shtml

Every situation is a little different. There is a Yahoo Group called IEQuality@yahoogroups.com It is made up of professionals involved in understanding the indoor environment and how to address problems. There are several national leaders in the issue that belong to this group, including many from the EPA and CDC.

For answers to individual answers, or even a possible place to put the message out of your efforts to find respirators/hazmats suits, I would suggest that you join this board. They are great guys and gals from all over the country who are always willing to help. Many of them belong to non-profit organizations specifically involved in helping with disaster clean ups.

I use baking soda for all mould now. I apply, wet and let it dry. Then I use a mask and sweep it up.

I had mould under my sink from a leak. I used bleach about once a month. A friend told me about baking soda, and after two applications, it has not reappeared.

note re my TSP mold formula above uses generic (cheap) household bleach diluted with 3 quarts water to 1 quart bleach. the TSP is the part that makes it effective. people who cannot handle directly would be necessary to replace rinse water, mix formula, handle fans, cut up rags, fetch supplies, set-up next area, etc.

this is the cheapest effective solution with readily available supplies for sound painted surfaces, vinyl, formica, cement, stucco, finished wood paneling, etc.

I’ve done painted flat tile roof with pole brush/bucket and hose. I’ve done a large 20′ x 14′ living room walls & ceiling + ceiling fans inc blades removing years of nicotine stain using gloves, rags and small 1 gallon buckets and step ladder. Couple years ago did porch: painted beams, tongue & groove ceiling, stucco wall, & 2′ brick base with scrub brush.

I keep a pint bottle of “TSP” on hand to spot clean mildew where my RV walls/ceiling are joined with vinyl piping using gloves and paper towel. Have also done entire overhead a few times — trick is to learn to keep cleaning at comfortable arm’s reach and rinse before shifting to next section.

last note: the reason for washing walls from bottom up (and cars, rv, lol) is drips do not leave tracks on clean surface vs very hard to erase from dirty surface. TSP does not require hard scrubbing and should be rinsed directly after doing a section. Note also that filthy TSP is effective to last drop in bucket.

great, comprehensive advice. Here’s a simple one that a facebook friend sent along when i shared this post (since it’s from a tropical area, i’m guessing for tile, cement, etc floors, not tile backed by whatever that waterproof sheetrock is called that’s used in bathrooms)

via Richard H. Smith: From the Virgin Islands: a mixture of JoMax, Clorox, and water. The directions are on the JoMax label. Use gloves. It really, really works and the effect lasts for many months. And use DampRid to control the ongoing humidity until you get back to normal. Good luck!

additional notes: 1, 2 and 5 gallon paint pails (buckets) can be stacked, nested together for easy transport. 5 gallon works for mixing formula to pour in 1 and 2 gallon pails as well as for dipping brushes on poles. If lids are purchased, the pails work for water proof storage as well as way to carry supplies (gloves, rags, tsp, brushes, etc.).

gallon bleach bottles can be cut with utility knife to use hand scoops for sludgey debris that can’t be swept or shoveled.

solid wood chairs or painted metal or objects that are undamaged except for mold can be moved outside to use brush and garden hose and dry outside.

commercial painter supply is best source for all one needs as described above.

I posted the crowd source request on reddit. Got 2 replies so far:

Dr. Richie Shoemaker of Pokemoke, Md. (Doctor, has treated more mold patients than any other doctor, has written a number of well regarded books on mold illness, pioneer in the use of cholestyramine, Actos, etc.) Melinda Ballard at Policyholders of America (runs an organization for homeowners, successfully fought insurer and won huge settlement due to bad faith) Dr. David Straus at TTHSC in Lubbock, Tx. (Leading expert on stachybotrys and mycotoxins, effect on the body) Carl Grimes of Denver, Co. (written numerous books on healthy housing, expert on mold remediation) Jeff May in Massachusetts (nationally respected expert on mold remediation)

and

I would strongly recommend P-100 or N-100 with the purple cartridges..
N-95 still lets too many of the smallest, most problematic particles through. I have a North silicone half face respirator mask.. They come in three sizes, some people need the small or large size..The test of if its sealing well enough is to remove the cartriges, block the intakes and try to inhale.. You should not be able to inhale at all. That is a good fit.
Facial hair and respirators don’t mix. To get a good enough fit, men need to be clean shaven or perhaps wear a full face respirator (too expensive for most people although they may be available army surplus).
Maybe the military might have some masks for you. It wouldn’t hurt to ask!?

Jane – I’m googling (duck-duck-going – pardon me.) the names in the comment above and emailing them – you don’t have to.

Does Moldex count as American-made? The company is headquartered in Culver City, CA and they have manufacturing in both the U.S. and Europe. Frankly, their respirator products are slightly better than 3M and I would consider them an American company. My understanding is that they manufacture exclusively in U.S. for U.S. and in Europe for Europe. They were founded in California in 1980 and expanded to Europe. Don’t know about union in U.S. I would assume they are in Europe.