In mid-December DK4 Decontamination Services LLC (DK4) launched its cannabis initiative with the goal of providing the cannabis industry with access to SteraMist™ decontamination and sanitization options. As testing regulations tighten over the cannabis industry the need for high-level, effective, and safe decontamination options has become paramount. The heightened standards have seen approximately 20-30% of recreational product failing their microbial tests, and according to the CDOR MED 2019 Annual Report — Final (May 1, 2020), 13% of medical cannabis flower and trim failed microbial testing due to concentrations of yeast and mold. For every 10,000 sq. ft. of cultivation canopy, that equates to >$1 million of failed product annually. Brandon Kent and Dan Kent, DK4’s manager of western ops. and principal respectively, saw the increasing need within the cannabis industry and approached the National Cannabis Risk Management Association (NCRMA) with a potential solution. As a service provider with the NCRMA, DK4 plans to devote a majority of their efforts to combating the primary contributors to product loss in the cannabis industry.
SteraMist™, applied as an ionized Hydrogen peroxide 7.8% solution, was originally developed to destroy anthrax spores, but through testing has been discovered to destroy and/or deactivate all microbial contaminants. Most notable is the ability to destroy Trichophyton, the genus of mold known to cause ringworm, and is one of the toughest and heartiest molds. SteraMist™’s ability to obliterate Trichophyton, Candida, and other benchmark organisms means that the molds and fungi that cause powdery mildew and grey mold will be easy targets.
The NCRMA is a leading organization in the effort to provide effective risk management and insurance options to the cannabis industry. Through their education and risk management programs, and work in cannabis-centric insurance options they work to create safer, and more streamlined and productive SOPs for every level of the cannabis industry.
Through our partnership with NCRMA we hope to provide all levels of the cannabis industry with our complete decontamination services, which provides:
- A registered and certified organic alternative to facility sanitization with no residue, volatile chemicals, or secondary cleaning.
- A perfect addition to any IPM plan, providing 99.9999% reduction of all biological contaminants on treated surfaces, with no corrosion or damage to electronics.
- Fogging and surface spraying options with same-day reentry to treated areas, and an effective method to prevent cross-contamination between harvests and transfers.
- A faster, cheaper, more effective way to mitigate crop losses caused by powdery mildew, grey mold, and yeast infections.
To learn more about DK4, visit www.DK4decon.com, call 844-894-3934 or reach out to Brandon Kent at bkent@dk4decon.com or Dan Kent at dkent@dk4decon.com.
