Complaint Review: Blackmon Mooring - Arlington Texas

The Horror of Blackmon Mooring

Serious health concerns and property damage that you should know about before you think about having your AC duct system cleaned.

Recently we had our HVAC ducts cleaned and treated with a product called Microban, an antimicrobial/biocide used for the purpose of reducing and eliminating mold and mildew from AC duct systems.

What we didn’t know the product is also an insecticide and can cause serious health issues and property damage when improperly applied.

The story started on April 17^th of 2014 when we had Blackmon Mooring come to our home to perform a routine duct cleaning.  We just had Blackmon Mooring to our home a week earlier to have the carpets cleaned, and since we had been using Blackmon Mooring for approximately 12 years we did not expect the nightmare that ensued.

On the day of the service, watched the two technicians fumble with trying to find tools and other items on their truck and explaining to me that they couldn’t find the right tools or whips on the truck because it wasn’t the truck they usually used.  Later, while watching the technicians I became concerned with the process, which at that time were only using a long ShopVac hose to remove the dust stirred up by the small whip.  I called and talked with the service manager to make sure the proper cleaning protocol was being followed because prior to their visit I had researched best practices from professionals for using duct cleaning whips and centrifugal vacuums to properly evacuate dust and particles from solid HVAC ducts.  I complained to the service manager and asked him why the crew wasn’t using the centrifugal vacuum, a few minutes later the service manager called his crew, the crew finally brought out the large centrifugal vacuum to evacuate the dust.  The technicians seemed a little aggravated that they had received a call from their supervisor. 

In combination of spraying a chemical called Microban or some other chemical and the technicians not allowing the product to dry sufficiently prior to turning on the AC system fan immediately after spraying the product into the ducts and sealing the AC access hole.  I was told I had to leave the home for two hours after the treatment, I was also told that there would be a slight odor but this would dissipate after a few hours.  When I returned, I noticed a strong smell in the home and a dusty, slightly oily feel to the furniture in my house, evidently the product was blown throughout our home that left a chemical like odor on our furniture and walls.  Since it was after 6:00 we had to call Blackmon Mooring the next day, at which time they told us the smell should dissipate after a day or two and there was no reason to be concerned.  I later found out by reading the MSDS sheet for Microban and speaking with the chemist for the company that distributes Microban that you must wait 15-20 and in some cases up to thirty minutes for the product to dry prior to applying any airflow to the HVAC system. 

The next day we called Blackmon Mooring again to speak to the supervisor, at which time we we’re told he was out of the office and would call us back.  We did not hear from the supervisor for two more days after our call.  After two days the smell had not dissipated and seemed to get stronger throughout our home, we were even noticing the smell on our clothing.  We called Blackmon Mooring again and they (the general manager) told us they had never experienced any issues with the product they used and that the cause must be caused by something else.  At this time we did not know what could be causing the issue but had decided that since Blackmon Mooring wasn’t concerned with investigating the issue, the only thing we could do was to take matters into our own hands.  We started doing “top to bottom” cleanings throughout the house using the same products we had always used to clean the home for the 15 years prior.

Being told that the problem was not their responsibility and that it could not have been caused by the treatment Blackmon Mooring did, we set off to find other reasons for the odor.  We contacted Airbourne Environmental Service to have them investigate whether we had a mold problem that could be causing the issue, they provided a report that showed substantially lower mold counts inside the home than outside, and show little to no mold growth within the home.  We contacted a home cleanup company Serv-Pro they visited our home and said they could clean the home but needed to know where the smell was emanating from, after meeting with a company call Serv-Pro who suggested that we could have ur home treated with a product called MDF-500 which was used to counteract chemicals, but also suggested that we contact another company prior to going through the expense of the remediation.  One of the companies they suggested was Kaiser Technical Services who also tested the home for mold, which they were unable to find, they also suggested that the smell was chemical in nature and suggested to us to contact a VOC specialist call All-Mold Pro.  “Unfortunately, instructions for what to do in this type of situation doesn’t exist, and Blackmon Mooring already had our money.” 

All-Mold Pro later informed us that the problem was due to the moderate to high level of formaldehyde and acetone, probably caused by the Microban and gave us two solutions to remedy the situation, one was to continue cleaning the house as we had been doing, which also included raising the temperature of the house and opening the windows in hopes of performing a “Burnout” of what chemical smell there was, the second was also to have the house remediated with a product called MDF-500 by a professional which would cost $5000.00 - $10,000.00 dollars.  Prior to accepting the expense of the treatment and knowing that we would be fully responsible for the expense we continued trying to clean the home on our own and performed the burnout process.  During that period we had also tried to hire the services of Armstrong Forensics.  After speaking on several occasions and divulging the name of the company “Blackmon Mooring” the individual chemist/doctor at their location and explaining the situation and the company responsible, we were told the company could not help us.

We continued cleaning the house top to bottom, walls, furniture, floors; we even went to the extent of dusting our popcorn ceiling which was no easy task.  We in time called Blackmon Mooring back again who had no concern for our situation, except to be offered a $250.00 refund and to have our carpets cleaned for free.  Knowing that the issue wasn’t dirty carpets and had more to do with poor application of the duct cleaning service we delayed the carpet cleaning, Blackmon Mooring automatically credited our account for $250.00 without our knowledge or authorization.   We contacted a separate HVAC company that cleaned other parts of the AC system (AC Blower Fan an Evaporator) and another company to replace a portion of the AC duct system that the Blackmon Mooring technicians has sprayed.  We continued to go through the ritual of cleaning the house and wiping down all of our surfaces.  By this time our clothing had absorbed so much of the chemical that we couldn’t even clean them.  We tried cleaning with standard detergents, All, Tide.  We even tried Borax, Vinegar, Baking Soda; nothing was helping to remove the odor.  Even our couch and mattress has absorbed the odor. Eventually we had to dispose of all of our clothing, personal items, and photos from now deceased family members and some furnishings had to be thrown away due to the saturation of the product throughout their home. 

By this time my wife had started feeling dizzy, nauseous and forgetful and I noticed that when she walked through the house she appeared to be staggering, I had also begun to feel slightly disoriented.  She and I had also started feeling a burning sensation, much like the kind you get when you have sunburn.  Being financially prudent individuals we delayed moving from our home, but after speaking to a toxicologist with a large chemical firm who told us that the chemical used was a concern we moved into a hotel being concerned for our health in June.  After work each day we both would go back to the house and try and clean what we could.  It got to the point that somehow we had even cross-contaminated our cars by going to our home to clean and returning back to the hotel, that even our clothing at the hotel room would get contaminated and we had to throw the clothing away and buy new clothing.  After a couple of more weeks of cleaning the house in this fashion, my wife had built up such a sensitivity to whatever Blackmon Mooring sprayed into the house that she could not be in the house for more than 10-15 minutes without beginning to feel ill.

By this time we have been in the hotel for about 3 weeks and decided it was time to contact an attorney.  The attorney instructed us that unfortunately under Texas property code Chapter 27, we would have to send Blackmon Mooring a certified letter explaining that there was a problem and allow them 45 days to either respond or ignore the letter.  He also explained that we could not do anything expensive to remediate our home to resolve the issue and expect the responsible party to pay for the process until after the 45 day period had expired.  One day after receiving the certified letter from us a Blackmon Mooring representative (Operations Manager) contacted us, still denying any responsibility to what we were experiencing.  With no solution in sight dealing with the operations manager we decided sent a letter to the president of the company.  Within a couple of days after sending the president of Blackmon Mooring a letter, we were contacted by the vice president of operations and the general manager.  We explained the situation, how we had never experienced an issue with our home before and that we didn’t have an odor in the house prior to their visit.  We also explained that we had cleaned our home several times and had tested done which pointed to the chemical Microban as the possible cause.  Also willing to accept the expense of a carpet cleaning, we hired Dalworth carpet cleaning to perform a complete steam only carpet service, after explaining the situation to the technician he agreed to clean the carpets, the Dalworth technician had completed his work, he expressed the feeling of burning lips and skin.  Unfortunately the cleaning process only slightly helped the situation temporarily.  They asked why we didn’t have them clean the carpet and we explained that since our last experience we felt uncomfortable with having their technicians back in our home.  At which time they offered to have a third party/independent testing lab to come to our home to do testing and according to Chapter 27^th of the Texas Property code this was a requirement.  Armstrong Forensics show up to our house on June 17^th, at that time the general manager and vice president also accompanied Armstrong’s visit.  I showed the two Blackmon Mooring representatives around the house, allowed them to see and smell clothing that had transfer colors from one to another and also offered them a seat in the living room, both explained they did not smell anything and neither of them would sit in the furniture.  They both proceeded to the patio in the backyard where they stood there the entire testing process Armstrong performed.  Armstrong took roughly three air samples and 16 swap using isopropyl alcohol according to their report, but only tested two samples.  I had also given them three samples of clothing which were never tested.  The report they returned which arrive 2 weeks after testing did not show any products related to Microban and after showing the report to the original toxicologist that told us we should move, explained that the test results didn’t test for the components of Microban. The report from Armstrong also did not show a cause or offer any solution to the chemical in our home.

We then decided to forward our complaint to the Better Business Bureau of Arlington.  Soon after posting the complaint, the vice president of operations called me on my cell phone and had expressed a concern with the complaint with the BBB and had asked if they were some type of equable solution we could come to.  I agreed and told him I would forward copies of our expenses with receipts and estimated losses for items we had to throw away.  He also asked for reports regarding the testing we had done which I also furnished.  After receiving the reports the vice president said that they had decided to handle the complaint through the BBB and their insurance company, AIG.  After speaking with the AIG agent giving no credence to any of the reports from any of the companies we had hired and basing their decision only on Armstrong’s reports have said on October 8^th, that they see no evidence that Blackmon Mooring was to blame, and that our experiences and losses were unfounded.  Although none of the issues had occurred prior to Blackmon Mooring’s visit.

After waiting the 45 days required by Chapter 27 of the Texas property code we have finally had the house remediated.  What we could save required the need of a remediation company to treat the home as if it was involved in a chemical spills and attacks.  The remediation company IAQM (Indoor Air Quality Management of Frisco) said the product they had to use was for the remediation of chemical attacks and anthrax exposure developed by the US government which is now commercialized for use in the states.

We are now back in our home after 4 months and spending thousands of dollars to save our home, much of our personal belongings are gone, what we have been able to save has cost us dearly and the company Blackmon Mooring has yet to accept responsibility for the mishandling of the product.

Additionally my wife and I have become highly sensitive to chemicals scents and odors.

What’s in Microban:

2-propanol is

Hazardous to the aquatic environment

- Acute hazard, category1

- Chronic hazard, categories 1,2

O-Phenyl phenol -- Insecticide/biocide can cause

Acute toxicity (oral, dermal, inhalation), category 4

Skin irritation, category 2

Eye irritation, category 2

Skin sensitization, category 1

Specific Target Organ Toxicity – Single exposure, category 3

Diisibutylphenoxyethoxy ethyl dimethyl benzyl, ammonium chloride monohydrate can cause Corrosive to metals, category 1

Skin corrosion, categories 1A,1B,1C

Serious eye damage, category 1

The Health Category refers to the capability of the chemical compound to cause personal injury due to inhalation, skin contact, eye contact, or ingestion. A rating of 0 means there is little or no risk to one's health from contact likely to occur in a laboratory environment.  A rating of 1 means that the compound can cause significant irritation while a rating of 2 implies that the compound can cause temporary incapacitation or residual injury.  A rating of 3 means that the compound is capable of causing serious or permanent injury.  A rating of 4 means that, without taking appropriate precautions, the compound can be lethal.

Reference:  http://www.sigmaaldrich.com

Abstract---http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7818285

Microban, a pesticide not registered in California, was sprayed into an operating heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) unit at an elementary school in San Francisco, California. This incident occurred on Monday, September 28, 1992, while 396 students and 67 staff members were in the school. The Microban formulation used contains ortho-phenylphenol (0.21%), a quaternary ammonium complex (di-isobutylphenoxy-ethoxy-ethyldimethylbenzyl-ammonium chloride, 0.69%), and bromine (0.04%). This study of the health effects of Microban mist exposure on the school staff was conducted as a result of legal and toxicological concerns. California registration for this formulation had been denied because of inadequate data and because there were concerns about inhalation toxicity in test animals. Predicted health effects from short-duration exposure to Microban are primarily skin and mucous membrane irritation. A self-administered health symptom questionnaire that covered the work week following the evacuation was used to determine a pattern of higher symptom risks for those who were at work on Monday and who reported that they felt they were exposed to a chemical. Symptoms, which were generally consistent with exposure to an irritating chemical, were elevated on Monday and Tuesday; the symptoms normalized by the end of the work week. No additional health effects were detected following application of chlorpyrifos to cracks and crevices for ant control 2 days following the Microban incident. Strict supervision and coordination of pesticide use in public schools are recommended to prevent adverse health effects and emotional trauma in students and staff.