Best Practices for Asbestos Disposal

Asbestos disposal is a potentially dangerous task that should be treated with extreme care and attention. Although disposal from your house is vitally important, your health and well-being should be your main concern. Disposing of this mineral substance is best left to experienced professionals who can carry out the removal work for you.

How Dangerous is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a material that can strike fear into any homeowner who discovers it on their property and this is quite understandable, it can be extremely hazardous if high amounts of asbestos are present in the air around your home. For those exposed to large quantities of the material on a daily basis, the risk of developing an asbestos-related disease is huge.

However, did you know that most people are actually exposed to small amounts of asbestos on a regular basis yet suffer no ill-effects? Thankfully, this fibrous material can be dealt with easily as long as you treat it with caution and don't attempt to remove it yourself.

Testing for Asbestos

Over 3,000 items containing asbestos were manufactured at any one time in the past. Until the use of asbestos was limited in 1972, many construction materials contained the substance. Asbestos could be found in many commonplace items such as ceiling and floor tiles, roof shingles and insulation materials.

If you suspect asbestos was used in the construction of your house, search for a local asbestos professional and ask to see their credentials. When you are sure that they are licensed, allow them to test for the presence of asbestos. This is done by collecting samples and sending them to a lab for analysis. The analysis should be made available to you upon return.

Assessment

Once samples are returned, the contractor will assess the situation. Is the asbestos damaged and therefore dangerous? If there is no sign of obvious damage, the hazardous fibers can't be released into the air and there is no obvious health risk to homeowners unless the asbestos is disturbed.

Removal

If  the asbestos is damaged, the contractor will need to remove it from your property. Before beginning the removal process, the contractor will need to wear breathing apparatus, protective clothing, gauntlets and goggles. From here, contractors will douse the asbestos in water and when it is fully saturated, cutting equipment is used to remove it from souce and the asbestos is put into specialized removal bags.

Asbestos removal bags have a double seal so the removed product will be sealed into the bags twice. If there is a large amount of asbestos present, the contractors will continue to spray the items with water as it is vital that asbestos remains wet throughout the entire removal process.

Finishing

When all the asbestos has been removed, any fibers on the floor will be machine-gathered and sealed into the asbestos removal bags as well. Contractors will never sweep the fibers as this can release them into the air around your home. The asbestos-filled bags will be taken to an appropriate landfill site that specialties in dealing with asbestos. The contractors will test the area in your home once more to ensure all asbestos has been disposed of.

Asbestos disposal can be expensive but by using professional and licensed workers, you can remove the substance from your home without risk to family health.