Information from this link was used and summarized for this article: (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016041201931400X#:~:text=Scientists%20demonstrated%20that%20cyanobacteria%2C%20the,human%20exposure%20to%20algae%20toxins)
The Prevalence of Bioaerosols in New England: Understanding the Basics
Bioaerosols are present in the environment around and if left unchecked can cause property damage and health problems.
Bioaerosols inhabit the environment around humans and include algae, fungi, and spores. They can cause health problems such as rhinitis, respiratory infections, and allergies to name a few. Areas close to water bodies such as lakes, bays, and rivers can have more bioaerosols because of the sprays and mist from these water bodies carries them inland.
This means that cleaning the unsightly vegetation creeping around your property is more important than homeowners think. The algae, lichen, mold, and moss is just the tip of the iceberg. Large blooms of these kinds of vegetation means that your home is surrounded by various microbes, viruses, and bacteria along with the visible plant life. These life forms pollute the air and can even help in the transportation of cancerous and other harmful toxins into the human body via the respiratory tract.
How Bioaerosols Are Formed and Spread
Bioaerosols such as microalgae are formed when algae blooms are broken down as waves crash. The mist from these waves crashing has lots of microalgae floating around in it which gets carried away with the wind and deposited to areas with less wind flow, usually inland. These areas can include the backyards of customers homes. When the microalgae lands onto the soil and other surfaces, it starts to proliferate and spread, creating a biodiverse microbial economy which allows other microbes, bioaerosols, and bugs to grow and thrive.
The main microalgae taxa in the New England area are Chlorophyta (Oocystis sp., Stichococcus sp., Chlorella sp., Chlorococcum sp., Chlorosarcinopsis sp.), Bacillariophyta (Chaetoceros sp., Cocconeis sp., Navicula sp., Nitzschia sp.) and the phylum Cyanobacteria (Lyngbya sp., Schizothrix sp.). These bioaerosols have been discovered to cause acute health issues including allergy, inflammatory response, hay fever, skin irritation, burning of the eyes, rhinitis, sclerosis and respiratory irritation. In the New England area, there is a 60-40 split of harmful bioaerosols to unharmful bioaerosols. This means that keeping the outside of your home clean and free of mold, moss, algae, weeds, and lichen is extremely important for your health and the health of your families and neighbors.
If left unchecked after being initially spread to one home, these bioaerosols can start to spread to surrounding homes and properties. Years without treatment of several homes can cause localized health problems for neighborhoods. Prevention is key. Pressure washing is not just for aesthetics, it greatly improves the immediate air quality and reduces the chances of health problems from bioaerosols for customers.
What Can Customers Do and How Does It Work
Customers can reach out to pressure washing businesses to clean up the exterior of their homes. When siding gets covered with algae, a softwashing procedure is used with heavy rinsing. This softwashing procedure uses chemicals and soaps which dissolve the dirt and kill the harmful plant life. Microbes, bug eggs, algae, lichen, and most bioaerosols get removed from the surfaces being cleaned. This not only freshen up your home, but reduced the amount of microbial toxins flying into your home from open windows and doors.
Moss and weeds usually follow the algae and lichen on porous surfaces such as pavers, concrete, asphalt, and wood. As the bioaerosols accumulate onto these surfaces, they proliferate and create ecosystems for larger growths. The roots start to grow into the pores, and the lack of wind or water helps them stay put and grow. The land-based bioaerosols are particularly resistant to low moisture, that's why counterintuitively they can grow in dry environments.
Using high velocity highly pressurized water to blast out the plant life is a great way to remove it. Pressure washing is usually done with pre- and post-treating the areas with chemical mixtures to dissolve the dirt and kill off any remaining microbial remains of the vegetation. Though you can never promise perfection, this type of cleaning helps to maintain a much healthier environment around your home.
Keeping your home clean and healthy is very important, and customers need to be educated about the process. Pressure washing is not just about using a fun little machine to wash away the dirt, there are processes and reasons in place for why certain things are done.
Contact Queens Pressure Washing today to book your cleaning appointment. We provide a hassle free process for our clients.
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