Stock Environmental Offers COVID-19 Consulting, Testing Services
As efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 continue to mount, additional means have arisen to ensure that disinfected spaces – whether schools, hospitals or private residences – have been cleaned effectively.
Stock Environmental Consulting (SEC) will offer heavily detailed, site specific protocols to be used by contractors and building owners. These protocols have been prepared by SEC in conjunction with members of the scientific community and leaders in the environmental industry.
Following cleaning, SEC will provide state-of-the-art, on-site testing that will be able to verify if a surface is free from contaminants within seconds. Data collected on site gets stored in the cloud and can be downloaded to create a report.
“We will be swab sampling surfaces utilizing Adenosine Triphosphate testing, otherwise known as ATP,” said owner Wayne Stock, explaining that it’s the energy molecule found in all living things. “That makes it a perfect indicator when trying to determine if a surface is clean or not.”
Samples are collected using a pen-sized collection device. Once swabbed it is in then inserted directly into the monitoring system and results are immediately available. These swabs are for one time use and then safely disposed.
“A week ago we had no idea how we would be able to help,” said Stock, who has over 25 years of experience in environmental inspection. “After extensive research and consulting with colleagues, we realized this type of testing would be a great asset.”
The ideal use for this testing will be immediately following disinfection. “Ideally we would come in as soon as the disinfection is complete to ensure that the decontamination was successful,” said Stock. “The number of samples we take will vary depending upon the size of the space.”
To reduce the spread of the virus, Stock advises that individuals adhere to guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including practicing social distancing and staying home if experiencing any symptoms of the virus.
The main way to incur the virus is by touching something that’s infected and then touching your mouth, says Stock. He sees this type of contamination often with lead poisoning, which develops in young children crawling around apartment renovations or tainted playgrounds and contracting the disease through hand-to-mouth contact.
As panicked shopping has wiped items like hand sanitizer, face masks and even paper towels off shelves, Stock said his best advice was to remain calm, practice frequent hand washing and not get caught up in the panic.
Finally, Stock said that if you have hoarded N-95 disposable masks to please donate them to first responders and emergency rooms, where the masks are in short supply. “Donating them will save lives,” he said.
To learn more about on-site testing for contamination, call Stock Environmental Consulting at (732) 383-5190.