How to Assess the Urgency of Asbestos Removal
Some people may find it difficult to determine when urgent asbestos removal is warranted. This article discusses some of the factors that help during the decision-making process when determining how soon to remove asbestos from your premises.
Exposure Durations
For how long are people exposed to the asbestos hazard each day? Asbestos that has been found in a hard-to-reach section of the premises, such as a crawlspace, may not require immediate removal. This is in sharp contrast to asbestos that has been found in a high-traffic area, such as a hallway. People stand to be exposed to the asbestos in the hallway for more hours each day when compared to the asbestos found in a crawlspace. It will, therefore, be more urgent to remove the asbestos in the hallway while the asbestos in the crawlspace can wait before being removed.
Potential Exposure Avenues
The urgent need for asbestos removal can also depend on the routes through which that asbestos can potentially spread in case it is disturbed. For example, friable asbestos that has been found within the air conditioning system can spread its fibres more rapidly than friable asbestos that is found on pipes buried within a wall. This is because the buried pipes have fewer avenues through which asbestos fibres can travel and affect the building's occupants. Asbestos should be removed quickly if it has numerous ways through which its contamination can spread.
The Condition of the Asbestos
The condition of the asbestos-containing material (ACM) or asbestos can also help you to decide how soon you need to remove it. For example, asbestos that has suffered water damage needs to be removed quickly when compared to the need of removing asbestos sheets that are still intact. The Likelihood of Disturbance Asbestos that stands a higher chance of being disturbed as people go about their daily tasks needs to be removed more urgently than asbestos that stands a limited chance of being disturbed. For example, asbestos that has been found prior to renovation work needs to be removed immediately because demolition work will disturb the asbestos. This is unlike asbestos that can remain undisturbed in a ceiling where no work is going on.
The determination of how quickly asbestos should be removed also depends on other technical factors, such as ascertaining the volume of fibres that have been released by that hazardous material. It is therefore advisable for you to work with professionals so that you can receive proper advice about how quickly you should have the asbestos removed from the premises.