When mold growth and contamination is found within a structure it is always due to some type of water intrusion. This can be in the form of a roof leak, a plumbing leak, or even high humidity due to an improperly adjusted air conditioning unit. The sources are many, but no matter what the source of the water, it must be identified and corrected. EnzyCleanse is not a pesticide, and has no toxic pesticidal activity, so long-term inhibition and prevention of mold growth depends on stopping the water source.

After the water source has been eliminated the on-site mold contamination situation must be assessed. Some property owners decide to have pre-testing done to determine the severity and extent of the mold contamination, while others know they have a mold problem and prefer not to have pre-testing done. This choice is left to each property owner, but in either case the next step is the cleansing treatment itself, using EnzyCleanse, XSpor's proprietary enzyme-based cleaning formulation.

When an entire structure has been treated with the EnzyCleanse, samples are collected, for examination by nationally accredited independent laboratories, in order to verify the success of the treatment. These samples are gathered between 72 hours and two weeks after the treatment, from one or more locations within the structure. The samples are taken by independent, certified testing companies, following guidelines established by federal and state agencies.

Additional samples are taken outside the structure, in order to determine the ambient levels of airborne particulates. These readings provide a basis for comparison with indoor post-treatment results. A successful treatment will be evidenced by both sets of data yielding generally similar results.

Most often, an "air-o-cell" device is used to capture the samples. A specialized cartridge is placed in-line on a vacuum pump hose, which draws in air at a specified rate (15 liters per minute). As air passes through the cassette it is made to flow over substrate surfaces where particulates become impacted. After sampling, the cartridge is detached, sealed and sent to an independent laboratory for examination.

At the lab, each sample is given a systematic microscopic examination. Samples may contain fungal spores, pollen, insect parts, skin cell fragments, fibers and inorganic particulates. For the purposes of XSpor, it is the fungal matter (spores, hyphal fragments) that is of interest.

Not only is the concentration of fungal presence important, the varieties of spores that can be identified also provide valuable information. For example, spores from the Penicillium/Aspergillus group are among the most opportunistic, and fastest growing, in the presence of water. An elevated concentration in an indoor sample, relative to ambient results, is a sure indication that water infiltration has likely occurred.

Penicillium/Aspergillus spores thrive on cellulose, as found in wood, paper, drywall and other common building materials. The presence of this group of spores is of concern because they are reported to be highly allergenic, are associated with a long list of respiratory ailments, and have been implicated in certain types of pulmonary disease.

All findings are supplied to the client. Successful treatment lowers the interior readings into the range of the ambient environment. These results, in a fully-treated structure, may be the basis for a two-year guaranty to re-treat if necessary, providing that the underlying cause (all sources of water intrusion) has been corrected.

Results can be dramatic. In a recent instance, the spore count of Penicillium/Aspergillus in a heavily mold infested basement setting was 41,000 spores per cubic meter of air, an exceptionally high reading. Within 48 hours of XSpor treatment, the count was 2,000, a reduction of almost 95%. Readings for other types of spores were all brought within range of the pre-existing ambient environment. (Exhibit A) While this situation was more severe than usual, its outcome does indicate the potential range of results.

A more typical example of results following an XSpor treatment would be a multi-room structure in which 10 of 11 rooms examined revealed elevated levels of Penicillium/Aspergillus (from 2 to 70 times the ambient findings). This was a public facility and the presence of potential allergens at those levels was unacceptable.

After XSpor's cleansing treatment, the Penicillium/Aspergillus counts in six of the ten previously contaminated rooms were actually below exterior readings, with counts in the other four rooms all in line with ambient surroundings. (Exhibit B)

The air-o-cell method is usually sufficient to verify the magnitude of airborne particulate reduction, and is considered to be the industry standard for this purpose. However, in certain instances XSpor may recommend that an additional testing methodology (Anderson) be performed. In these tests, spores are cultured in petri dishes for several days before being examined and counted. This gives an indication of the rate of growth, shape, and color which can aid in identifying certain species of spores.

Should testing reveal insufficient reductions, after the underlying cause has been corrected, XSpor will reapply the treatment.