GLOBAL Encasement Green News
Is it safer to remove asbestos from a building or leave it there?
Is the asbestos in your home in materials that are deteriorating or likely to be disturbed, perhaps through future remodeling? If so, then you should probably have the asbestos removed. Any sort of disturbance, like sanding paint or sawing fiberboard that contains asbestos, will release the fibers into the air in your home.
If the asbestos product is in good shape, or used in an out-of-the-way area -- for example, as insulation for heating or plumbing pipes in your crawlspace or attic -- you may be better off leaving the asbestos in place.
Should you choose to keep the asbestos products in your home, you have a few options for dealing with the problem. The U.S. EPA suggests that if you opt not to have asbestos materials removed, you should seal or cover them. Sealing includes using specially created products that are designed to coat an asbestos product and bind the fibers together permanently. This way, even if the asbestos is disturbed, the fibers will not be released. Covering asbestos can include wrapping it or closing it off from a room.
Whatever method you choose, it’s strongly recommended that you hire a certified professional contractor to carry out removal or sealing and covering processes. Just as taking samples of asbestos is dangerous, these other methods are even more so.
by Josh Clark
Staff writer for howstuffworks.com
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GLOBAL Encasement, Inc.'s AsbestoSafe encasement system was specifically engineered and designed to in-place manage asbestos-containing materials commonly found in buildings built before 1978. The AsbestoSafe system has been successfully used over all types of surfaces including fireproofing on structural steel, beams and decks, acoustic ceilings, pipewrap, Transite siding and roofing, insulation, and even theater curtains. Call us at 1-800-266-3982 to learn how our AsbestoSafe encasement system can be of benefit to you and your clients.