Miracle's Articles "Protecting the built Environment: Cleaning for Health." by Dr. Michael Berry
Dr. Michael Berry, in his book "Protecting the built Environment: Cleaning for Health." says that most indoor cleaning problems are related to dirty carpets, but this problem can be solved through maintenance and restoration.
Carpets act like a sink to collect pollutants of all kinds from indoors and out, according to Berry. As the sink gets filled up (the carpets get polluted), it stores more and more dirt, dust and contaminants. When the sink is full, it needs to be emptied. If a carpet is not cleaned on a regular basis, it can become a breeding ground for biopollutants, Berry says. It is crucial to regularly empty the sink and make sure that your carpets are cleaned properly.
Berry says that the medical community recommends that people remove carpets from buildings and homes, but that is wrong to assume that all carpet will become contaminated and affect peoples health. Rarely do people clean their carpets in an effort to protect their health, Berry says, but cleaning carpet regularly can improve indoor air quality.
Some of the benefits of extracting pollutants from carpets include: Reducing health problems from loose particles; reducing cases of biologically induced illness; reducing lifetime cancer risks; reducing complaints for building owners and managers; and reducing liability for building owners and managers.
Adam Doling , Assistant Manager Editor
Cleanfax
Dr. Michael Berry of the EPA has this to say about carpet cleaning.. .. ..
"I have reached the conclusion that carpeting and fabrics not cleaned and properly maintained have the potential to cause a variety of health problems inside the building environment."
"....every time carpets and fabrics are emptied of their pollution build-up through professional cleaning methods, there is a health benefit."
"We are also finding that typical vacuuming does not reduce fine particle levels indoors. Fine particles of less than 7 microns pass on through vacuum cleaning bags. These particles tend to build up over time and have the greatest potential to cause harm as they penetrate deep into the human lung." (This is why we recommend sub-micron bags or HEPA filters on your vac.)
"From a public health perspective I would find it impossible to justify the installation of carpets indoors without the existence of effective cleaning methods using environmentally-sound cleaning technology by individuals properly trained in the application of those methods and technology."
"Until such time as the fibres are cleaned the potential for human exposure and health risk remains high."
"....the benefit of extracting is the overall reduction of reparable particles which cause most health effects, reduced cases of biogradically induced illnesses, reduced lifetime cancer risks, and reduced complaints and liability for building owners and managers."
