Testing Resources to Mitigate the Risk of Full Blown Bed Bug Infestations

Last October, international media outlets ran high-profile stories about Paris officials battling a bed bug infestation that was impacting the famous city set to host the Olympics this summer. Bed bugs were even a topic on Saturday Night Live just last month after reports of the insects being found in the same building that houses the show.

Bed bugs are indeed a global problem and have been discovered in everything from five-star hotels and resorts to cruise ships, buses, trains and homes. Due to their small size, they can be difficult to identify. Their tolerance for various environmental conditions can also make them tough to eradicate.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that their presence is not determined by the cleanliness of the living conditions where they are found. According to the agency, bed bugs hide during the day in places such as the seams of mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, dresser tables, inside cracks or crevices, or around any other clutter or objects around a bed.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests:
“If you have a bed bug infestation, it is best to find it early, before the infestation becomes established or spreads. Treating a minor infestation, while an inconvenience, is far less costly and easier than treating the same infestation after it becomes more widespread.”

“While bed bugs are not known to spread disease, their bite may cause itching and loss of sleep, and infestations result in damaged reputation and economic losses,” said Derrick A. Denis, Disaster Ready Emergency Preparedness and Infection Control (DR EPIC) Program Industrial Hygienist and Senior Vice President for Clark Seif Clark (CSC). “CSC has extensive experience in combating bed bugs alongside our strategic licensed pest control partners. Detection techniques are wide-ranging, such as visual assessment, destructive testing, canine inspections and even DNA-based sampling. Solutions also vary and can include discarding contents, cleaning structural components, pesticide application or superheating. Skilled professionals can weigh the pros and cons of the array of assessment tools and mitigation techniques. Experienced investigators can determine tailored tools to best address facilities with full time occupancy, like skilled nursing or hospitals, versus tools better suited for sites with part time occupancy, like offices and hotels.”

The building science and indoor environmental quality professionals at Clark Seif Clark are pleased to offer testing and monitoring services for bed bugs and a wide range of other indoor environmental quality concerns. They even recently sponsored and educational video about bed bugs that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/UFAdXsBi5rs

To learn more about this or other building science, industrial hygiene, environmental, health or safety services, please visit www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com or call (800) 807-1118.

About Clark Seif Clark
CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both public and private sectors address indoor air quality, occupational, environmental, and health and safety (EH&S) issues. CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering, making them the preferred environmental consultants to industrial clients, healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.

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Paul Cochrane

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