Water, water everywhere…
Bioquell undertakes massive decontamination task following water leak
A large, 76,000m3 9-storey laboratory facility in Switzerland suffered a water leak during the construction phase that led to a severe mould contamination affecting all nine floors. Mould flora and spores spread throughout the building, including the HVAC systems meaning the building was declared unfit for purpose and a large scale decontamination solution was required before the end user would accept final handover.
Upon completion of the building works Bioquell was contacted by the client to perform the bio-decontamination of entire building and a Bioquell engineer travelled to Switzerland to perform a detailed site visit and develop a suitable bio-decontamination strategy. The protocol had to ensure that the biosecurity of decontaminated areas was respected at all times to ensure that clean areas were not inadvertently re-contaminated.
The sheer size of the building meant it was treated as 12 discrete bio-decontamination zones, each posing a unique challenge. These included:
- Numerous lift-shafts and stairwells serving up to nine floors
- An atrium area open to 6 floors
- The complete supply and extract ventilation systems
- A single bio-decontamination zone of 27,000m3 over three floors
The project was completed on schedule, and the process verified using industry standard six log Geobacillus stearothermophilus biological indicators with full deactivation achieved throughout the building. The bio-decontamination process was also verified by an independent laboratory using air samples and settle plates.
'The biggest challenge facing the RBDS team was developing a robust decontamination strategy to complete the project in a timely fashion while preserving the integrity of the treated areas at all times,' said Chris Langley, RBDS Lifescience Specialist. 'While taking a simple floor-by-floor approach would have greatly simplified the project logistics it would have significantly increased the risk of cross-contamination between zones.
'In multi-zone bio-decontamination projects the HPV cycle itself is just one facet of a successful deployment, due care and attention must be given to biosecurity and containment to ensure there is no cross-contamination between "clean" and "dirty" areas.”
