Have you ever had your air duct system cleaned? Then you may have been asked the question, if you wanted chemical biocides used to remove the contamination on the insides of the system. Chemicals sound dangerous, and in cases where air-clarity is concerned, you should be careful.
So, here’s the question – are the chemical biocides supposed to be safe?
First, see if there are any parts of the air duct system that are made of fibreglass, as there have not been any chemical biocides made for that kind of material.
The cleaning company that you’ve employed may tell you that it is necessary to apply chemical biocides to the inside of the air ducts to destroy contamination and mould, and also prevent them from ever appearing again. Some may offer the use of ozone for the same purposes. That is a gas used for lung irritant in the outside environment. There are still many discussions as to the necessity of using chemical biocides and ozone in air duct cleaning.
There are a couple of problems with using those in air ducts:
- There is not enough research done to prove the effectiveness of using both chemical biocides and ozone in ducts. Improper handling of them may only move the contamination from the air ducts into the living areas of your home.
- There may be negative health reactions in the inhabitants of the house.
EPA regulates the chemical biocide products, and before they have been used, they have to be registered by EPA. They must have a specific use, and it has to be clearly shown on the label, as with any other important information. It is considered a crime not to follow the label’s directions for use.
There are some products especially for cleaning the insides of sheet metal air duct systems. There are also a few products registered for using as hard surface sanitizer, and that also means the sheet metal used in air ducts. Some of those are appropriate for the job, but if the directions on the label call for actions inappropriate for air ducts (for example, “rinse with water” is not a thing that should be done in air ducts as it will stimulate mould), then they are not suited for that.
There are still only products for metal sheet ducts; there haven’t been any chemical biocides registered for use on fibre glass duct board or even simply fibre glass linings, so if there is any in you air duct system, you should think twice before giving you permission of chemical biocides.