If you are considering a renovation of your home, you will see a line item for Asbestos Inspection in your free estimate from Alair Homes Delta.
Depending on the age of the home and the materials being disturbed during the renovation, we are required to hire a third party consulting company to perform the testing for hazardous materials such as asbestos, lead and mould.
WHAT IS ASBESTOS, Why is it in my home + Why do I require a test?
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals. The long, thin fibrous crystal fibers in this mineral have natural sound absorption, strength, resistance to heat/fire/electricity physical properties that made it desirable as insulation and fireproofing. The fibers are often mixed with cement or woven into fabric. Manufacturers and builders began large scale mining in the mid to late 1800s. Asbestos use has been recorded for over 4000 years and the word “asbestos” is actually from ancient Greek meaning “unquenchable or inextinguishable”.
WHY IS ASBESTOS DANGEROUS?
All types of asbestos fibers are known to cause serious health hazards in humans. The asbestos fibers with the physical properties that made it so desirable are also the fibers that are potentially deadly when airborne.
As long as the fibers remain undisturbed, they are not a hazard. The moment the asbestos fibers become damaged, deteriorated or disturbed, the very fine particles are airborne and the dust can enter your lungs, causing serious health risk such as fibrosis, cancer and death to occupants and workers. Early 1900’s there were already documented negative health effects in asbestos-mining towns, and first documented death related to asbestos was in 1906. The UK was the first to diagnosis of asbestosis, made in 1924.
The European Union was phasing asbestos out of building products in the beginning in the 1970s, and many parts of the industrialized world by the 1980s. In Canada, the remaining two asbestos mines in Quebec halted operations in 2011 and in 2012 the Canadian Government allowed asbestos to be added to the list of hazardous substances under the international Rotterdam Convention.
WHAT PRODUCTS and MATERIALS IN MY HOME MAY CONTAIN ASBESTOS?
Asbestos can be found in more than 3000 building materials. We regularly test drywall joint compound and the spray textured (“popcorn” or “acoustic”) ceilings in any pre 1990 homes, but also potentially in plaster, vinyl floor tiles/sheeting, adhesives, window putty, furnace tape, stucco, cement board, roofing materials, fireproofing, caulking, fire doors, gaskets, ducting and pipe insulation.
THE TEST FOR ASBESTOS IS POSITIVE… NOW WHAT?
We hire a company that specializes in hazardous material and environmental abatement. Depending on test results, there are different levels of abatement for Safety and Exposure Prevention.
Abatement + Remediation may include workers in hazmat suits, containment of area, encapsulation, and air monitoring as well as third party air quality test.
ASBESTOS in BRITISH COLUMBIA and GREATER VANCOUVER
Drywall disposal regulations in Greater Vancouver have changed significantly in the past year. The asbestos test is mandatory and required for disposal… “Loads of new drywall and used drywall (date stamped or with joint compound or texture coat AND analytical results indicating asbestos is non-detect) are accepted” (from http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/drywall-recycling-policy-2016.pdf ) at one location in New Westminster.
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL REGULATIONS
Worksafe BC is our provincial agency dedicated to promoting safe and healthy workplaces across B.C. They partner with workers and employers to save lives and prevent work-related injury, disease, and disability. Their services include education, prevention, compensation and support for injured workers, and no-fault insurance to protect employers and workers.
They serve almost 2.2 million workers and 220,000 employers in our province.
Worksafe BC is an excellent resource and as a homeowner you may find additional information on asbestos here…
Images – Asbestos- PHOTO of one type of six minerals included as asbestos,
Worksafe BC graphic