About Asbestos  - For many years, asbestos was called the magic mineral because of its unique nature and widespread usefulness. The word itself comes from the Greek word for incombustible. The mineral's fire retardant qualities are among its most valuable characteristics. This led to its wide use in ships, buildings and theater curtains, where protection against fire was essential. In addition to its fire retardant properties, it has other qualities which make it useful, including: a fibrous nature, heat stability, thermal and electrical resistance, flexibility, high tensile strength and stability in acids.

Health Effect  - Exposure to asbestos can increase the risk of developing one or more harmful disease. The most common disease associated with asbestos exposure is asbestosis – a restrictive lung disease that is caused by the scarring of the lung by asbestos fibers. A common symptom of asbestosis is shortness of breath. Like most asbestos affiliated diseases, the latency period for asbestosis is 15 - 35 years. Here are some other health effects affiliated with asbestos exposure:  Lung Cancer;  Mesothelioma (Cancer of the Stomach);  Cancer of the Esophagus, Colon 

&Pancreas                                                                      

The following table indicates the purpose and general location of such product types.

Product type	Purpose	Generally found
Acoustical	Sound control	Ceilings in classrooms, halls, multi-purpose rooms
Thermal insulation	Safety-energy conservation	Pipes and boilers
Steel fireproofing	Fire protection	Covering structural steel
Asbestos cement board	Fire protection	Near furnaces and boilers
Tile and sheet flooring	Cleanability-decor	Floors, classrooms and halls
Textiles	Fire protection	Auditorium curtains, laboratory aprons and gloves

 

 Asbestos Abatement/Rremoval - The work practices and precautions to be adopted in the safe removal of asbestos-based products vary considerably with the type of product, amount of asbestos, its condition and location.

 

Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 Asbestos Removal  Operations

 

   The following are Type 1 operations:

 

     1.Installing or removing ceiling tiles that are asbestos-containing material, if the tiles cover an area less than 7.5 square metres and are installed or removed without being broken, cut, drilled, abraded, ground, sanded or vibrated.

    2. Installing or removing non-friable asbestos-containing material, other than ceiling tiles, if the material is installed or removed without being broken,  cut, drilled, abraded, ground, sanded or vibrated.

    3.  Removing less than one square metre of drywall in which joint-filling compounds that are asbestos-containing material have been used.

 

The following are Type 2 operations:

 

   1.  Removing all or part of a false ceiling to obtain access to a work area, if asbestos - containing material is likely to be lying on the surface of  the false ceiling.

   2. The removal or disturbance of one square metre or less of friable asbestos-containing material during the repair, alteration, maintenance or demolition of all or part of machinery or equipment or a building, aircraft, locomotive, railway car, vehicle or ship.

  3. Enclosing friable asbestos-containing material.

  4.  Applying tape or a sealant or other covering to pipe or boiler insulation that is asbestos-containing material.

  5.  Installing or removing ceiling tiles that are asbestos-containing material, if the tiles cover an area of 7.5 square metres or more and are installed or removed without being broken, cut, drilled, abraded, ground, sanded or vibrated.

  6. Removing one square metre or more of drywall in which joint filling compounds that are asbestos-containing material have been used.

  7. Breaking, cutting, drilling, abrading, grinding, sanding or vibrating non-friable asbestos-containing material if the work is done by means of power tools that are attached to dust-collecting devices equipped with HEPA filters.

   9. Removing insulation that is asbestos-containing material from a pipe, duct or similar structure using a glove bag.

 10. Cleaning or removing filters used in air handling equipment in a building that has sprayed fireproofing that is asbestos-containing material.

 

     The following are Type 3 operations:

 

    1. The removal or disturbance of more than one square metre of friable asbestos-containing material during the repair, alteration, maintenance or demolition of all or part of a building, aircraft, ship, locomotive, railway car or vehicle or any machinery or equipment.

    2. The spray application of a sealant to friable asbestos-containing material

    3. Cleaning or removing air handling equipment, including rigid ducting but not including filters, in a building that has sprayed fireproofing that is asbestos-containing material.

    4. Repairing, altering or demolishing all or part of a kiln, metallurgical furnace or similar structure that is made in part of refractory materials that are asbestos-containing materials.

   5. Breaking, cutting, drilling, abrading, grinding, sanding or vibrating non-friable asbestos-containing material, if the work is done by means of power tools that are not attached to dust-collecting devices equipped with HEPA filters.

   6. Repairing, altering or demolishing all or part of any building in which asbestos is or was used in the manufacture of products, unless the asbestos was cleaned up and removed before March 16, 1986.