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Aloha-- my husband and I are in the process of closing on a house in Kapoho, and we found out today the property has to be tented. I have been doing research and everything says it is safe and harmless, but I can't help but be concerned. Is there any residual amount of chemical that is left on surfaces? We have a toddler and two dogs, so I am concerned about everyone's health. We have never lived somewhere that was tented before. Any help is greatly appreciated!
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There is a yes & no answer to your question.
The gas used, sulfuryl fluoride does not leave any residue, so surfaces will not have any toxic residue (our house had enough dead bugs to encourage us to clean all of the surfaces anyhow - dead coachroaches creep me out!).
The gas is toxic to humans in high doses...good news is that the termite company is supposed to check the levels in your house & re-entry by anyone that isn't protected is not allowed until there is a very low level, and they mix in a tear gas indicator so that anyone who did venture into an area would detect the gas and have tearing....
Link we were given:
http://www.termites.com/control/fumigati...ion-risks/
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Ew I didn't even think about the dead bug aftermath. They should include bug removal with the tenting service :p
I have been trying to research it and I just can't find much... I wonder for how long might we expect there to be trace amounts left in the air? How long would it take to get levels back down to zero?
Tenting here is a common procedure for us in the islands. It's not as big a deal as you are worried about. You can enter the house the very next day. Hopefully you won't detect the odor of dead rodents in your ceiling or walls a week later. If you're lucky they will be in plain sight like the roaches so you can remove them immediately. The company should provide bags for your foods, cereal boxes, bread loaves, etc. Clothes, canned goods and dishes do not need to be bagged. Refer to the company's list as it will tell you what needs to be bagged and what doesn't need to be bagged. Wanted also to mention that the plants, close to the home, which fall under the tent, may die. Their recovery depends on how hardy a plant they are.
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If the house seller is doing the tenting, perhaps they can do the cleanup, our seller did not...but there were only a few bugs (but enough for me to clean like crazy...) luckily we did have the smell, as we were not in the house right after the tenting.......but I did find those rodents....much later... & so the complete remodel of the house began.... (this house had been rented by the owner to a tenant that did not care for it...most do not have the pest load it had...and there was hardly anything visible...just when we decided to replaced the tub....EWWWW!
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The "safe" level used to allow entry is usually under 5ppm.
This level typically occurs within 24 hrs of removing the tent and opening house up.
If you wanted to be safe, wait a few extra days with the windows wide open and plenty of air flow entering house. When the house is cleaned for the dead bugs, just make sure all the surfaces are wiped down (which is usually done by cleaners anyway).
Here is a california report on Vikane - aka sulfuryl fluoride -
http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/emon/pubs/ta...xecsum.pdf
