Area Towns Look to Local Business to Combat COVID-19 Spread

THE SANDPAPER – March 25, 2020

Today’s phrase of the day is “terminal cleaning.” It’s defined as the method of cleaning utilized in healthcare environments to control the spread of infections, and it’s being applied, though a little differently, at a variety of public spaces to combat COVID-19 even as social distancing, the preferred method to stop the novel coronavirus from spreading, has prompted the closure of non-essential businesses, schools and even governments.

“We did the decontamination at the Ship Bottom police department and municipal building yesterday,” Mike Mercadante, owner of Dependable Environmental Protection, a Manahawkin-based company with more than a decade of experience in identifying and resolving indoor environmental issues, said Sunday. “We have had meetings with churches, day care centers, clinics and schools in our area, this just in the last week.”

Mercadante and his team are currently using a product scientifically proven to kill COVID-19, he said.

The decontamination formula was developed by Sandia National Laboratories for the U.S. Department of Energy and National Security Administration for their chemical and biological national security program, according to the company’s Coronavirus Removal website.

In 2012, the national lab at Sandia granted a license to Bio-Solutions to use its patent technology to create Bio-Oxygen products for commercial use. The Bio-Oxygen products are registered with the federal Environmental Protection Agency as antibacterial, cleaner, mildew state, decontaminant, disinfectant, virucide, deodorizer, fungicide and algaecide.

“Our Bio-Oxygen products deactivate COVID-19 via a unique EPA-registered fogging system that addresses airborne and surface contaminations,” Mercadante said during an interview earlier this month at his office on Jennings Road in Manahawkin.

The product is applied with a fogger and will get into every inch of the space, according to Mercadante.

“The challenge with a traditional approach to a deep cleanse, even done by a cleaning professional, would result in human error and would leave surfaces untouched,” according to the company’s website.

The application provides a layer of protection for up to 90 days on non-use surfaces and up to seven days on high-traffic surfaces, Mercadante said earlier this month. High-traffic surfaces, such as doorknobs, require normal cleaning and maintenance.

“Our fogger will lay a wet material that is then left alone to air dry, and will leave an unnoticeable film that will kill any virus that comes into contact with it,” he said, noting other conventional ways of cleaning are generally wiped on and off, never allowed to dry and do not provide the extra barrier.

The COVID-19 is an envelope virus, meaning if a cleaner doesn’t have the ability to break through the virus, it cannot kill COVID-19.

— Gina G. Scala

Thanks To Extremely Wet Summer, Mold Issues Keeping Local Environmental Cleaning Companies Busy

CBS NEW YORK – September 19, 2018

MANAHAWKIN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — The sun was out on Wednesday, but overall it has been a pretty soggy summer.

And that rain is leading to a growing mold problem.

One New Jersey company says it is getting so many mold calls, this year is shaping up to be second only to the year of Superstorm Sandy, CBS2’s Elise Finch reported.

Carolyn Palau recently had the air in her Manahawkin home tested for mold. This summer’s excessive rainfall has saturated the ground and lead to indoor moisture that encourages mold growth. Palau said she has already seen a small amount.

“It was isolated to about one-quarter of the bedroom floor,” Palau said. “It scared me because it was black, and I don’t know if it’s a just a stereotype thing that black mold is toxic.”

She told CBS2’s Finch she’s still not sure because the mold was removed but not tested. Palau was uneasy, especially now because she kept hearing about mold popping up in more and more homes after our incredibly rainy and hot summer.

Michael Mercadante is the owner of Dependable Environmental Protection. He said he has been inundated with calls this year, but added not all mold is dangerous.

“There are three types of mold. There’s common mold — ugly to look at but no health issues. There’s toxic mold that will make everybody ill. And then there is allergenic mold which means just that — if you happen to have an allergy to a particular mold, there’s enough of it in the air that you are breathing in it is going to create an illness for you,” Mercadante said.

“It tells us whatever is floating through the air. It tells us how much of it is. And then it tells us what possible effects it could have on people,” Mercadante said.

If non-toxic mold is growing on a non-porous surface, Mercadante says you might be able to get rid of it using a solution of equal parts vinegar and water. But if that mold is on a porous surface like sheet rock or carpet, and if it’s toxic, you’ll need a professional to suit up and get it out of your home.