Your Local Asbestos Removal Experts in Colorado
Asbestos Removal | Call ECOS On 888-375-3267 To Hire The Best Asbestos Removal Company In Your Local Community. ECOS Is Regularly Hired By Commercial & Residential Clients To Conduct Their Asbestos Removal Projects. We Can Provide You With References Upon Request. ECOS Professionals Have Many Years Of Experience Safely Removing Asbestos. Below, We Gave You A Questionnaire To Help Select A Contractor For Your Asbestos Removal Project (see bottom of page).
Top 10 Reasons Why Clients Should Hire ECOS For Their Asbestos Removal Project:
- Live Operator On Call 24/7 To Schedule Your Project
- Our Team Has Many Years Of experience
- ECOS Professionals Are Certified By The Colorado Department Of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE)
- Our Team Wears Uniforms & Carry I.D. Badges To Certify That They Have Been Screened With A Background Check
- We Arrive On Time & Commit To A Work Schedule Upfront
- We Focus Heavily On Health & Safety Of Our Clients
- We Have No Hidden Charges & Provide An Estimate Prior To Doing Any Work
- We Are Available To Do Emergency Asbestos Removal Jobs
- ECOS Will Be Happy To Provide You With A List Of References Upon Request
- Regular Customer Base That Is Very Happy With Our Services
Asbestos: What Is It?
Asbestos was once seen as a wonderful fire retardant in construction, but people who worked with the material consistently got sick. Nowadays, the names of asbestos-related conditions, such as mesothelioma or asbestosis, are recognizable to most people because of wide-spread press coverage that came about in the 1960s and 1970s.
Asbestos is a fibrous material widely used as a building material and an adhesive in floor and wall tile until the latter part of the 20th Century. Known for its high fire and heat resistance, it was once thought to be ideal as insulation. In the early 1900’s, its unhealthful qualities were suspected but not proven until a midway through about midway into the last century. Asbestos-based materials are still found in some old structures – abandoned and occupied – but the health risk stems from its airborne particles not from the presence of the material in a structure; even so, the presence of asbestos is still seen as a potential hazard. If the material ever becomes damaged, the risk of a health issue is greatly increased. Safely abating its presence in your home before this happens can avoid serious problems later.
Testing for Asbestos
Not all asbestos-based products were labelled as such while the material was in high usage, so one usually cannot recognize the presence of asbestos positively without testing it first. Under certain circumstances, for safety sake, the presence of asbestos should be assumed until confirmed or denied by a qualified professional. While usage of asbestos began diminishing around the late 1970s, there were still leftover products being used for a long time thereafter. Even today, some states allow limited use of asbestos products.
Tests should be conducted before any asbestos-suspected (pre-dating 1978) building material is disturbed. If you are planning to renovate or demolish an old structure built before that year, many states require it be tested by professionals before the work commences. On the other hand, if you occupy an old house or apartment and you want to find out if you are living in a hazardous environment, initiating a test process might help your peace of mind and your health in general. The same applies if you’re thinking about buying, selling or renting a potentially asbestos-infested structure. Getting it tested can save you a great deal of stress and legal trouble later down the road.
Not for the DIYer
If asbestos is discovered inside your property, it falls to you to have it taken out. Not you personally necessarily. It’s not really a job for your average (even capable) DIYer, unless he/she is licensed for the task. Licensed asbestos abatement teams are trained and equipped to remove this hazardous material with a high level of safety to themselves and anyone who will occupy the structure later. These specialized teams follow prescribed safety precautions required by law. If a property owner has discovered asbestos in their premises, he/she should contact asbestos experts to take care of it and not attempt to tear it out themselves. Removing the material is what throws the hazardous fibers into the air.
Asbestos Issues? Choose Ecos Environmental & Disaster Restoration
The First Inspection
Like any kind of restoration job, the professional knows that every project is different whether it’s in a residence, a business, or an industrial complex. A professional service will inspect the materials, and collect samples to verify the asbestos content (if any). With this information, they can determine the risk to human occupants.
The Asbestos Removal Process
Before the process of removing asbestos can begin the abatement professionals are required by law to take certain safeguarding precautions to avoid health risks later – to themselves and the future occupants of the home or facility. First the affected areas must be sealed off – completely. Every crack and gap through which any of the hazardous fibers might escape is covered with strips of plastic or tape. Entrances into the affected area will be locked and posted with warnings not to enter. Another effective strategy to contain the asbestos fibers is wetting the floor of the area being abated. When the asbestos material is torn from its place, many microscopic fibers become airborne; but, ultimately, they settle down, and the water helps trap them on the floor and less likely to be stirred up again, which makes the final clean-up easier.
Also, the abatement team must protect themselves and prevent any contamination to anything or anyone outside the affected area. Specially made filters and masks are worn so the team members don’t breathe in the fibers, which leads to health issues like Asbestosis and Mesothelioma. When the abatement is complete, they shower thoroughly to ensure they are free of any lingering fibers that could have ill-effects upon themselves or anyone they live with or work around.
Finally, the team conduct an air test to determine that the fiber count does not exceed unhealthful limits. An air current is blown across the floor and walls as a sample of the air is taken via a vacuum device. The air sample is tested for asbestos content in one of two ways: transmission electron microscopy (TEM) or phase contrast microscopy (PCM). Legally, to allow safe human habitation, a reading cannot exceed .01 fibers per cc.
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Clearance Testing
Some states require a third-party asbestos clearance test after the abatement process is complete to ensure that all presence of the material including residual particulates. Air tests are conducted once again to make sure the legal safe levels are not exceeded.
Asbestosis Health Issues
The symptoms of asbestosis resemble other types of respiratory problems, so the true cause sometimes goes untreated. These symptoms include short of breath, swelling around the face, raspy “dry-sounding” breath, bloating abdomen.
Symptoms for mesothelioma include the bloating and shortness of breath. But other signs of this condition also include chest pains, fatigue, night sweats, loss of appetite, coughing and weight loss. As with asbestosis, these symptoms are sometimes misdiagnosed for other diseases and the actual problem goes untreated.