As we discussed in this blog post, Construction vs. Event CleanUP, construction cleaning involves a different set of protocols including more protective PPE, heavy duty chemicals and more sophisticated equipment. On another level, construction cleanup can also subject workers to other hazards, one of which is exposure to asbestos.
Used for thousands of years dating back to the Stone Age, asbestos is made of long, thin fibrous crystals called silicate minerals which are toxic and carcinogenic. While many of these fibers are carried away our coughed up in a layer of mucus that protects our lungs, some fibers will lodge into lung tissues where they cause damage for decades until the victim becomes terminally ill with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer.
Asbestos is a silent killer that can’t be directly detected in the lungs. Chest X-rays can show excessive whiteness or scarring, as can high resolution CT scans, indicating past exposure. Bronchoscopy and lung biopsies which are more invasive and involve inserting a thin tube down the esophagus to collect fluid or tissue samples, can provide some asbestos-related disease, but as of yet, there is no known procedure to remove asbestos contamination from the lungs. This makes it incredibly important to avoid exposure in the first place.
Because asbestos has many desirable properties for building including the fact that it’s fireproof, soundproof, and insulates against thermal and chemical reactions, it has been widely used in construction for decades. It’s also lightweight, indestructible and inexpensive. But it’s also incredibly dangerous for workers who work in manufacturing plants, and anyone cleaning or exposed to products from which the microscopic fibrils have been released by abrasion, erosion or natural disasters. Floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, and building collapse or destruction can release asbestos fibers which is why restoration cleaning companies have far more protocols and regulations to follow than your average commercial or residential service.
To date, asbestos has been found in over 3000 products, many of which have been catalogued in detail here by the Lanier Law Firm. Drywall, plaster, vinyl floor tiles, roofing tars and shingles, popcorn ceilings, caulk, brake pads, cement pipework, toasters, hair dryers, children’s toys and crayons, washers and dyers, refrigerators, dishwashers, gardening fertilizers, talc-based cosmetics, and even some face masks manufactured to prevent inhaling asbestos. Although banned from widespread usage in many developing countries, India, Indonesia, China, and Russia still continue to manufacture and build with asbestos regardless of its proven carcinogenic properties.
Therefore, if your construction site has any asbestos products that need to be cleaned up after or disposed of, they need to be disposed of as hazardous waste. Asbestos itself can only be destroyed by high temperature incineration, which means that it should not just be chucked into a dumpster and carted off to a landfill where those fibers can pollute our soil and waterways. Asbestos removal should only be done by a professional asbestos abatement company. Sometimes asbestos repair can be safer than removal, by encapsulating it in a sealant and enclosing it. But if you do need asbestos removed, it needs to be deconstructed piece by piece. HEPA filters and equipment should be employed to clean the air. A decontamination chamber should be on site. Measures should be taken to prevent tracking fibers throughout the venue or home and kids and pets should be prevented from entering the site.
Make sure whatever inspector you hire does not also work for a removal or abatement company so that there is no risk of a conflict of interest. PopUP CleanUP performs construction cleaning but does not do asbestos removal. To find out more about how to remove asbestos from your site, visit the EPA website listing state asbestos contacts.
