Image Courtesy of Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Thinkstock During inspection, if one feels the effects of tear gas residue, the entire cleaning pro-cess must be repeated. workers from traveling through already-cleaned areas. Even if there’s no visible tear gas in areas such as basements, air conditioning systems may have brought exposure into those areas so test and clean accordingly. Passing The “Sniff Test” Unfortunately, there is no actual gas test or meter to determine if any residue exists. When all areas have been cleaned, deter-mine if any residue is present by inspecting each room individually. If, upon entering a room, one feels the ef-fects of tear gas residue, repeat the entire cleaning process to ensure that the area is safe for occupants. Ideally, this “sniff test” inspection process is repeated by different crew members sepa-rately for a qualitative agreement that the structure is free of tear gas residue. When the remediation process is com-plete, a qualified HVAC company must clean the structure’s air ducts, or the remaining residue will be re-disbursed when the HVAC system is turned back on. This is a very important step, and should be planned for from the beginning by engag-ing a licensed HVAC specialist. Generally, the biggest challenge in tear gas remediation is how to control cross-contamination, but every situation is different depending on the amount of tear gas used and the size of the structure, as well as if any biohazard exists. Remediation can take from four days to two weeks. An individual assessment of the proper remediation for a particular situation should always be conducted and performed in ac-cordance with best practices and local, state and federal regulations. It’s a meticulous process but the end result is a structure that is once again ready for hu-mans to work or live. CM No water • Less weight $aves money s No HydrOxi Pro ® Concentrated Cleaner is available in pre-portioned packs. s Minimizes post consumer water weight means drastically reduced shipping waste costs s No dispensing system s Reduced product waste needed 800-825-CORE • coreproductsco.com • [email protected] FREE INFO: Reader Service 203 or CMMOnline.com/freeinfo www.cmmonline.com 27
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