Asbestos

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos, a naturally occurring compound mineral, is the common name for any variety of silicate materials that are fibrous in structure and are more resistant to acid and fire than most other materials. From the turn of the 20th Century to the late 1980’s, asbestos was known as a “miracle” mineral, for its fireproofing and insulating qualities. Used for: thermal insulation, fire proofing, electrical insulation, building materials, and brake lining; asbestos is found and used in a myriad of industries.

Asbestos comes in two forms, serpentine and amphibole, and is made of impure magnesium silicate. Serpentine and amphibole asbestos both exhibit physical and chemical resistance to high temperatures and applied force. The raw ore of both forms is made up of fibrous strands. The strands then continue to split into smaller and thinner fibers as disturbance continues and increases.

Physical characteristics differentiate the serpentine and amphibole forms. Serpentines divide into curly, wavy fibers that show little resistance to being bent or spiraled. Amphibole fibers are needlelike shards that show great resistance to being bent or curled. Serpentines are like man-made wool in appearance, where amphiboles are like man-made fiberglass.

In addition to the two forms, there are three main types of asbestos: chrysotile, amosite, and crocidolite. Chrysotile asbestos is serpentine while amosite and crocidolite are amphibole. Chrysotile is the chief commercial asbestos used today. Usually, amosite is used in insulation material and crocidolite is used for making cement based products, though this may not always be the case.

Why is Asbestos Unsafe?

Throughout the 20th Century, overwhelming empirical evidence has proved that asbestos exposure can lead to an array of health issues. Asbestos is a potent carcinogen (cancer causing agent) and is a serious health hazard. The splitting of the visible asbestos strands, bundles, and fibers can continue on to minute levels of microscopic detection. This process is unique to asbestos and is the reason why airborne asbestos is such a problem. The fibers can become so small that they remain airborne much longer and pass undetected by a person’s respiratory defenses.

It is the known cause of pleural plaques, asbestosis (a persistent and progressive form of lung disease), and an extremely rare cancer type called: mesothelioma, as well as cancers of the lung, esophagus, and colon. With mesothelioma being the exception, diseases caused by asbestos have a long latency period, usually taking ten to forty years before showing any symptoms of the disease. This is especially apparent today, when people who worked with installing asbestos as insulation and other materials in the 1970’s are just now coming to realize that they are developing cancer at an alarming rate.

Where Can I Find Asbestos?

Most products made today do not contain asbestos; the few asbestos-containing products that still exist are required to be clearly labeled as such. However, prior to 1978 nearly every building was fitted with some amount of asbestos due to its high level of popularity. Used as part of indoor as well as outdoor building materials, it is possible for asbestos to be found in many areas of any building, especially older ones.

Below we have provided a list of asbestos-containing materials that are typically found both inside and on the exterior of buildings. While this list is not at all exhaustive, it is representative of the more common ones.

Inspection & Testing for Asbestos

The first step in any asbestos abatement and remediation is testing for the mineral. If you believe these materials are found somewhere within your living space, the next step is to have the specific material tested for asbestos content. It is necessary to hire a licensed and certified company to perform the assessment. The only guaranteed method of learning whether or not a home has asbestos-containing materials (ACM) is to have samples collected of the suspect material and have laboratory testing performed on them. Asbestos is generally not visible, unless the ACM is clearly labeled as such.

Asbestos Abatement

Commercial and public building owners are required to hire an asbestos abatement professional, and at all times Environmental Management Solutions recommends that the same be done for any work that may also need to be performed on or around residential property.

When deciding to hire a licensed contractor to remove the asbestos-containing materials, it is imperative that home owners be aware of the risks involved with remediation and abatement, and exposing one’s self to asbestos, so that the decision is an informed and educated one.

Methods of Remediation

The most important thing in any remediation is safety, for building owners, families and staff; hiring a professional for all asbestos repair and removal is the only way to guarantee that the asbestos-containing material will be removed or handled both properly and safely.

There are four basic types of remediation: enclosure, encapsulation, repair and removal. Enclosure involves boxing in the ACM, preventing the damaged particles from going airborne. This method however, is not full proof, and great care must be taken to not disturb to enclosure or the asbestos particles within.

Encapsulation; this method employs an acrylic or latex substance with a sprayer to cover over the ACM. This seals the asbestos fibers beneath the acrylic preventing them from becoming airborne and risking exposure.

Repairing damaged asbestos-containing products is an extremely risky process as many asbestos fibers may be released into the atmosphere during the process. This remediation method is best left to professionals with the correct equipment to avoid any exposure. Removal remediation is equally dangerous, posing the greatest risk of exposure to those involved. EMS of NY has the facilities for removal and disposal of any ACM. All work, performed in full accordance with federal, state, and local regulations, is managed to minimize disruption to your operations.

Environmental Management Solutions of New York, Inc., does not recommend that any repairs be performed by an unlicensed professional, as even minor repairs threaten exposure to the dangerous substance.

Management, Operations & Maintenance

When no ACM is located during an inspection, and no immediate danger is posed - EMS' ongoing Operations & Maintenance (O&M) asbestos management program may provide necessary levels of safety assurance. The O&M program may include such elements as: building surveys, hazard assessment, regular inspection, testing, material analysis, air sampling, and contingency removal or containment plans.