Asbestos Abatement
Asbestos abatement does not mean the same thing as asbestos removal. Asbestos abatement is the process of controlling the release of asbestos fibers through several means such as asbestos removal, asbestos encasement, or asbestos encapsulation. Removal is the easiest to understand and involves removing all asbestos-containing products. Encasement is when the asbestos product is enclosed in something such as a wall. For example, if a pipe is wrapped with asbestos insulation it can be completely encased inside of a wall, preventing the escape of any fibers. The third kind of asbestos abatement is encapsulation and occurs when a sealant is sprayed on an asbestos-containing product to seal in the fibers, preventing them from being released into the environment.
Many homes and buildings were built using asbestos-containing materials such as insulation, sprayed-on flame retardants, and a wide range of other products. Asbestos was used as a component in drywall, cement, home siding, flooring and ceiling tiles, sprayed-on acoustic ceilings, and thousands of other materials until its use was banned in the United States toward the end of the 1970s. However, it wasn’t until the later 1980s that asbestos products were finally phased out because companies were allowed to use up their remaining stocks.
Asbestos only becomes dangerous when a product that contains asbestos releases asbestos fibers. If the fibers remain locked away inside a product and not released into the environment, they cannot be inhaled into the lungs and therefore there is no risk of asbestos exposure. On the other hand, if the product decays or becomes disturbed, or was applied in such a way as to allow asbestos fibers to be released, such as spayed-on asbestos popcorn ceilings, it poses a health risk and should be removed. The removal procedure is referred to as asbestos abatement.
Who Can Perform Asbestos Abatement?
When asbestos abatement becomes a necessity, the usual approach is to hire a local asbestos removal company to perform the potentially hazardous work. However, it is not always necessary to hire one of your local asbestos removal companies. Some homeowners decide to save money on their asbestos abatement cost by doing the removal on their own instead of going with one of the asbestos removal companies in their area.
Before beginning a removal job, it is important to understand some common asbestos abatement procedures. The first step involves verifying the existence of asbestos-containing products. Asbestos awareness training can teach you what types of products may contain asbestos, but the only way to verify its presence is through asbestos testing. An asbestos test is usually done by a professional contractor, but can also be performed easily with a home testing kit which you’ll find available at most large home centers. No asbestos awareness training is required to perform your own test for asbestos. The test involves taking a sample of any possible asbestos material, sealing the sample in a bag, labeling the sealed bag, and then mailing it to an accredited lab for testing. The simple instructions on how to complete each of these steps in a safe manner will come with the asbestos testing kit. Once the lab has verified the presence of asbestos, and you have determined that the best option is to remove the asbestos product, you can now formulate a plan for asbestos abatement.
The amount of danger and difficulty associated with specific asbestos abatement jobs is usually dependent upon the size of the job, but there are other considerations as well. It is wise to consider the potential dangers before making a decision to perform the asbestos removal job on your own. It is also a good idea to calculate the cost savings, if any, before tackling the job yourself. But before considering the dangers and involved costs, you must understand asbestos abatement procedures.
Asbestos Abatement Procedures
If removal is to be performed in an office building or some other type of building where people are present, it is sometimes necessary to relocate those people to other areas of the building while the work is being done. It is also necessary to seal off the work area completely to prevent any asbestos fibers from escaping. If you decide to perform the asbestos abatement job yourself, you should realize that if anybody is exposed, either before, during, or after the work has been completed, you will be responsible for any exposure problems. Dealing with asbestos asbestos law firms because people are bringing asbestos lawsuits against you is not something you want to have happen. In these cases it is usually best to hire asbestos abatement contractors to perform the work. On the other hand, if you are considering performing asbestos removal in your own home, doing the job yourself may be a viable alternative in some cases.
The actual asbestos abatement procedure involves sealing off the work area with plastic sheeting and duct tape, turning off all heating and air condition systems to prevent any fibers from being dispersed into other areas of the building, spraying all asbestos-containing materials with a water and detergent solution while they are being removed, removing the materials, bagging and labeling the materials, cleaning up, and disposing of the materials. To do the job safely there are specific asbestos abatement supplies, tools, and safety gear that must be purchased or borrowed.
Typical supplies can include ladders, gloves, breathing apparatus, fog-proof goggles, disposable overalls, knives, duct tape, plastic sheeting, heavy-duty plastic bags or containers, scraping tools, and many others. Once you’ve looked over your state and federal guidelines for performing this type of work, and have listed all asbestos abatement tools, clothing, and miscellaneous supplies, you should price it all out to see how much it’ll cost you. You’ll also have to figure in the asbestos disposal cost and any other expenses that will be involved. Then when you have a rough idea about how much the job will cost you to do on your own, get two or three estimates from local asbestos abatement contractors and see if it’s worth doing yourself.
There are a couple of other things that you should be aware of before deciding on whether or not to do the job without professional assistance. It’s extremely hard for one person to do an asbestos removal job without help. Getting a second person to assist you is almost always a must. However, you cannot pay anyone to help you unless they are certified to do this type of work, which limits who can help you. The cost of asbestos abatement can sometimes be more expensive to do yourself than to hire a professional abatement company, so be very careful before deciding to tackle a dirty and dangerous job without professional help.
