Could ozone be the solution to CRH’s mould?
Published:Saturday | July 27, 2019 | 12:12 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
I note that the problems at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH)continue to be in the news. The Stachybotrys mould is often mentioned as the problem, as well as various chemicals that I surmise to be organic in nature, that is, containing carbon atoms.
If, as I have heard, the mould is in all sorts of crevices and in the AC ducting, then ordinary methods would not seem to be capable of penetrating deep and eliminating the problems.
Why not evacuate the building; install fans throughout to thoroughly circulate the air through all the rooms, ducts, nooks and crevices; and then flood the building envelope with, say, nine grams of ozone per cubic metre (4,200 parts per million), keeping it circulating at that concentration for a few days?
After all, in studies, 50 parts per million is said to likely kill humans in an hour, small animals would be killed at 15 to 20 parts per million within two hours, and mould spores would seem to be killed/inactivated within one minute. his suggestion would likely kill every living thing in the hospital and begin to degrade all organics, such as rubber, organic chemicals, etc. It would allow the ozone to diffuse deep into even the fibreglass ducting insulation, co-incidentally getting rid of rats, mice, cockroaches and other pests in the process.
Howard Chin
Member Jamaica Institute
of Engineers