Health and Safety Advisory/Alert: Beware of Zimek Fogging for H1N1 (Swine Flu) Prevention
In August 2009, a Monmouth County school district was the first in the nation to purchase several Zimek Micro Mist Room and Vehicle Decontamination Systems for fogging classrooms and school buses with quaternary ammonium (quat) disinfectant pesticides to kill the H1N1 (“swine flu”) virus. The cost - $132,000. The systems consist of an aerosol generator that creates dry, negatively charged particles of less than one micron in diameter of an anti-microbial pesticide and a HEPA filtering unit to remove airborne residue from the application area.
The proposed fogging was both dangerous and unnecessary, since the government flu recommendations are to keep sick and high-risk staff and students’ home, wash hands, perform routine cleaning, and get early treatment. Schools are also urged to clean surfaces and items that are more likely to have frequent hand contact. Additional disinfection is not recommended.
If fogging had been allowed to take place, staff and students would have been exposed to disinfectant residues because the micro particles adhere to all surfaces, such as books, papers, upholstery, carpeting, stuffed animals, cardboard, as well as intended surfaces such as doorknobs and desks. The proposed fogging could have put students and staff at risk of quat triggered irritation, sensitization, and asthma attacks.
In this case, an NJEA UniServ Field Representative, the NJ Work Environment Council (WEC) and the local association organized to stop the use of the Zimek systems because quats are not approved for fogging in schools at this time. Unfortunately, because selling these machines to schools is lucrative, Zimek may figure out a way to allow schools to be fogged with quats or other pesticides in the future and approach other districts in New Jersey.
Please contact your UniServ office immediately if you hear anything about your district or board of education purchasing a Zimek system.
We want to prevent any chance of this company unnecessarily exposing our members or students to this or other toxic disinfectants.
In August 2009, a Monmouth County school district was the first in the nation to purchase several Zimek Micro Mist Room and Vehicle Decontamination Systems for fogging classrooms and school buses with quaternary ammonium (quat) disinfectant pesticides to kill the H1N1 (“swine flu”) virus. The cost - $132,000. The systems consist of an aerosol generator that creates dry, negatively charged particles of less than one micron in diameter of an anti-microbial pesticide and a HEPA filtering unit to remove airborne residue from the application area.
The proposed fogging was both dangerous and unnecessary, since the government flu recommendations are to keep sick and high-risk staff and students’ home, wash hands, perform routine cleaning, and get early treatment. Schools are also urged to clean surfaces and items that are more likely to have frequent hand contact. Additional disinfection is not recommended.
If fogging had been allowed to take place, staff and students would have been exposed to disinfectant residues because the micro particles adhere to all surfaces, such as books, papers, upholstery, carpeting, stuffed animals, cardboard, as well as intended surfaces such as doorknobs and desks. The proposed fogging could have put students and staff at risk of quat triggered irritation, sensitization, and asthma attacks.
In this case, an NJEA UniServ Field Representative, the NJ Work Environment Council (WEC) and the local association organized to stop the use of the Zimek systems because quats are not approved for fogging in schools at this time. Unfortunately, because selling these machines to schools is lucrative, Zimek may figure out a way to allow schools to be fogged with quats or other pesticides in the future and approach other districts in New Jersey.
Please contact your UniServ office immediately if you hear anything about your district or board of education purchasing a Zimek system.
We want to prevent any chance of this company unnecessarily exposing our members or students to this or other toxic disinfectants.
