Host Kevin O’Connor meets Alpine Enviromental’s Ron Peik at the shop to learn everything he needs to know about asbestos.
Asbestos was known as the “Miracle Mineral,” and as such, it was used to produce an astonishing amount of materials used in homes and consumer goods. But Its dangers have come to light over the past few decades, and now many homeowners wonder what the real scoop is.
What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral, and it’s been in use for thousands of years. It’s mined from the ground, and it has some incredible properties. Asbestos is impervious to water, it’s very strong, and it is extremely fire resistant. It’s been used in the manufacturing of many commercially available products, such as siding, flooring, and even electronics and wiring.
Asbestos is Not Always Dangerous
When asbestos is in good shape, meaning that its original form hasn’t been broken, damaged, or torn, asbestos is not unsafe. Homeowners can live in peace and harmony knowing they have asbestos in their home, as long as it isn’t disturbed.
When is Asbestos Dangerous?
When asbestos is disturbed, it’s considered friable. This means that the fiber inside the material or product are now exposed and can become airborne. If breathed in, these fibers can become lodged in the lungs, causing issues asbestosis, cancer, and mesothelioma.
Where Can You Find Asbestos?
Many materials within a home may contain asbestos. Floor tiles (particularly the 9×9 tiles so popular previous to the mid-80s) and their adhesives, asbestos siding, wiring, vermiculite, some forms of hardboard, and other materials produced before 1989 can contain asbestos.
How to Know if Asbestos is Present in Your Home
Homeowners who want to know if their home contains asbestos prior to a renovation can call an environmental company for a pre-renovation inspection. These experts will test the suspected material by removing small pieces and sending them to a lab. The lab will then inspect the samples and alert the homeowner to the findings.
What if Asbestos Is Found?
You can still go ahead with the renovation, but it’s going to cost more because the asbestos has to be mitigated first. An environmental company will cordon off the area with plastic sheeting, set up HEPA filters to produce negative air pressure and remove the asbestos. They’ll then take it to a hazardous waste and asbestos disposal facility for safe destruction. This can cost anywhere between $2,000 and $5,000, but prices will vary based on the situation.
Host Kevin O’Connor meets Alpine Enviromental’s Ron Peik at the shop to learn everything he needs to know about asbestos.
Resources
Environmental contractor Ron Peik demystifies asbestos and shares options for mitigation. He explains that asbestos exposure only happens when the material is disturbed. He warns that complications can arise due to overexposure over prolonged periods of time. To identify all potential hazards in a building, Ron recommends conducting an Asbestos National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) survey by an environmental contractor.
On average, asbestos mitigation will run from $2-5k. Costs vary depending on the size of the project.
For this segment, our expert was Ron Peik, an environmental contractor.