If your commercial building was built before 1978, chances are it contains asbestos. Asbestos is a mineral fiber present in rock and soil that was added to various kinds of building materials for its fire-retardant properties.
Unfortunately, this material that is so helpful at reducing fire poses a serious health risk to those who work with asbestos and breathe in the microscopic fibers. Three major diseases directly linked to asbestos are:
- Mesothelioma. A rare cancer that strikes the chest, abdomen, heart, and thin linings of the lungs
- Asbestosis. A long-term, non-cancerous deterioration of lung tissue
- Lung cancer. Asbestos that is intact inside its building material doesn’t pose a health risk. However, if you’re planning to remodel your commercial property or you’ve noticed old, deteriorating materials in your building, you should immediately call a professional contractor to test for asbestos.
Where Asbestos Is Usually Located in Commercial Buildings
Due to its superior heat resistance, asbestos was added to a wide variety of construction materials. Some of these include:
- Shingles
- Ceiling tiles
- Insulation
- Cement
- Textured paint
- Patching compounds
- Pipe insulation
- Flooring, especially near wood-burning stoves
- Door gaskets on furnaces
Signs Your Property Has Asbestos
Asbestos poses a significant health hazard, and it’s crucial to identify its presence and hire a professional to remove it from your home correctly. Removal requires specialized skills, personal safety equipment, and strict adherence to regulatory requirements for residential or commercial asbestos removal and disposal.
Asbestos was commonly used in home construction before the mid-to-late 1970s when OSHA and the EPA implemented increasingly strict regulations regarding the use of the material. Since then, manufacturers have considerably curtailed the incorporation of asbestos within their building materials.
It is not always easy to identify asbestos because it can appear like many other materials. The white, green, blue, or brown fibers can often hide in plain sight for years without being noticed. If your home was built before 1980, some of the following are common items within your home that may be contaminated with asbestos:
- Vermiculite insulation
- Corrugated cement roofing
- Old vinyl flooring or millboard manufactured between the 1950s-1980s
- Popcorn ceilings
- Pipe cement
- Cement sheets
- Roofing felt
- Pipeline wraps
- Cement shingles
- Cement water tanks
- Insulation
How Is Asbestos Removed?
A certified contractor will collect samples of the damaged building material and send them to a lab for testing. If the material tests positive, proper asbestos removal protocols will begin, which include sealing off the affected areas, using HEPA filters to remove particles from the air, and many other procedures that are mandated by state law. In certain cases, a contractor can seal off or contain asbestos by encapsulating it, which may pose less of a health risk than removing it.
Choose Action Restoration for Asbestos Removal on the Gulf Coast
If you’re considering remodeling your commercial building or have reason to believe exposed asbestos is present, contact Action Restoration for asbestos removal services. We’ll set up a custom removal plan tailored to minimizing downtime in your building while safeguarding the health of your employees. We have the tools and experience to safety and effectively remove asbestos according to your state’s specific laws, giving you peace of mind that you and your employees have a safe place to conduct business going forward.
Contact Action Restoration online or call (800) 218-9556 to speak with our specialists about asbestos removal in the Gulf Coast, including AL, FL, LA, MI, and TX.
