Many structures that have been constructed before 1980 have some features made of asbestos. These products were widely used in building various structures due to their insulating and fire-resistant properties. It was commonly found in elements such as floor and ceiling tiles, wallboards, wall plasters, vinyl floor backings and floor mastics and more. Many older structures that are standing today still have asbestos-containing features. 

But if you own such a property, you need to be alarmed only if the asbestos feature is damaged in some way. Intact asbestos installations aren’t a health risk as they do not release any harmful fibres into the air. You need to be worried though if the fibres become airborne. This may happen in case the asbestos is disturbed in any way while carrying our renovations or repairs.

Things You Should Do

It isn’t easy to determine whether any features on your property contain asbestos and only if the product is labelled would you be aware of this fact. Only qualified inspectors would have the tools needed to identify whether any features on your property contain this hazardous material.

We never recommend that you test it yourself, because any fibres that get released into the air can be extremely harmful to your health. Removing asbestos is also best left to qualified professionals. But it’s also a good idea to be aware of how to safely remove asbestos. Here we take a look at the EPA recommends:

Asbestos Removal

  • If you see that the feature hasn’t suffered any damage or that there are no chances of it being disturbed, it’s best to leave it untouched. The fact is that when you try to remove asbestos, it increases the risk of fibres getting released into the air.
  • You would have to encapsulate the material. This means the surface of the feature would have to be completely sealed so that the fibres don’t get released into the air.
  • Encapsulation works only in settings where the features are intact and aren’t soft or crumbling. If you notice that they have deteriorated in any way, encapsulating them will not work.
  • You would also have to cover or enclose the features that contain asbestos. It means you would have to source special sheets or sleeves and cover the installations with them.
  • Once the features have been removed, they would have to be placed in sealed bags and labelled correctly.
  • But that isn’t where your responsibility ends. You would also have to dispose of the asbestos at a landfill that has been approved for this purpose.

Hire Qualified Asbestos Removal Experts

As you can see, there are many things to keep in view while removing and disposing of asbestos. There are very specific rules and guidelines surrounding this process that you need to follow to the tee. The best way to avoid any risk is to hire the services of qualified asbestos removal professionals like the ones at our company. Our team of experts follows all the guidelines and laws surrounding the removal of asbestos and we cater to clients throughout Sydney.

BreathEASY is an asbestos removal company that has been approved by the Australian Government. We handle projects of any shape and size including asbestos removal, asbestos inspection, asbestos decontamination and asbestos disposal. For any information on our services, contact us at02 8093 5461 or request a free quote through this form, and we will contact you shortly.