Asbestos Removal

Welcome to our asbestos removal mini website. Here you will find important information about asbestos removal, general information about asbestos, the most current asbestos news, and a chat room about asbestos and asbestos related topics. Here you will also find our asbestos removal book store, which consists of books about asbestos removal. If you are seeking information about asbestos or you are considering removing asbestos, also referred to as asbestos abatement, then this site should provide some of the information you need.

Here we will discuss specific regulations that exist for the removal of asbestos, and potential consequences for companies who disregard the need to remove or seal asbestos so that it does not pose a hazard to workers. First and foremost, asbestos should be removed by a professional who is trained and licensed in the removal of asbestos.

Asbestos removal is serious business and their are certain federal and state laws in place which regulate it’s removal. While state laws may vary, most states require that asbestos be removed by a licensed professional. If a licensed professional, whose business is the removal of asbestos, does not abide by federal and state laws, he or she may find themselves as a defendant in a lawsuit.

The Clean Air Act, which is a federal law, requires that there be no release of asbestos particles into the air during removal, and in order to achieve this, asbestos removal contractors follow certain guidelines. These guidelines include, among others, the requirement of a maintained negative pressure area in the place of removal, wetting of the asbestos during removal, and that the workers wear proper clothing including masks during it’s removal. If you are a home owner and suspect the presence of asbestos, under no circumstance should you try to remove the asbestos yourself. For more information about asbestos for the home owner, go to EPA Discussion About Asbestos.

Over the past ten years, the federal government has prosecuted many contractors who in various ways violated both federal and state statues for asbestos removal. A couple highly publicized cases were the W. R. Grace and Company case and the San Diego Gas and Electric Co. case. In the W. R. Grace and Company case, the company was fined $280 million dollars, for asbestos pollution in the town of Libby, Montana. The San Diego Gas and Electric Co case is currently under litigation and if convicted, could face a fine of 2.5 million. In both of these cases, safety standards were violated during asbestos removal.

These are just a couple examples. The point here is that the United States federal government will not tolerate asbestos removal violations, and for the individual who is seeking an asbestos removal company, make sure that the asbestos removal company has no record of violations.

It is interesting to note that while the federal government is very serious about asbestos removal violations, there are still some asbestos containing products which are allowed to be manufactured in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has no general ban on the use of asbestos. Why is this so?

In 1986, the EPA tried to place a ban on the use of asbestos in consumer products, but in 1991 The Asbestos Institute filed a petition for a review of the ban to the U.S. Court of Appeals and the ruling was that the ban was unreasonable. In 1993, the EPA submitted a report on what products are permitted to contain asbestos. So even though the EPA tried to place a ban on asbestos containing products, currently no ban exists. Currently there is a ban on the new uses of asbestos in products.

What does this mean? It means that there are still many products out there that contain asbestos. Asbestos pipeline wrap, asbestos tile, asbestos wall board, asbestos heat resistant clothing, asbestos-cement, corrugated and flat sheeting containing asbestos, asbestos roof belt, asbestos-cement shingles and friction products for automotive use including brakes, brake linings, and clutch facings, are some of the asbestos containing products that are still being manufactured in the United States.

So while the basic function of the EPA is to protect the American citizen from environmental hazards, they like many government agencys can be controlled by big business lobby groups and special interest. September 2004 of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found that today there at least 1.4 million workers that are exposed to asbestos containing products. Most of these workers are in the construction industry or are involved in the maintenance of buildings.

In July of 2001, asbestos experts, scientists, researchers, doctors, and victims presented testimony to the Senate subcommittee of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and basically discussed the human cost of asbestos in our environment. Those who testified called for a complete ban on the production of asbestos containing products. Also, from this hearing, it was learned that in 1999 over 15,000 metric tons of asbestos was imported into our country. To learn more about the testimonies presented at this hearing, go to SUMMER ASBESTOS HEARING IN US CONGRESS.

Fast forward to 2007, it seems at last there is a real effort to outright ban the use of asbestos in the United States. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) has recently introduced legislation entitled “Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007.” This legislation essentially mandates a reduction in asbestos containing products over time, with a complete ban on all products using asbestos in a few years. The bill also includes more research funding for mesothelioma, which is caused by asbestos exposure. As of this writing, the bill passed the Senate on Oct 4, 2007. It will be interesting to see how this pans out. Hopefully congress will not be influenced by lobby groups which represent manufacturers of products which contain asbestos.

The disturbing fact is this. Most people believe that asbestos containing products have been banned in the United States. That is simply not the case. It still exists in homes, workplaces, and people are being exposed to it and most people do not know it.

The point is this. If your company knowingly exposes employees to asbestos, and employees have or are currently getting sick from asbestos exposure, you can and most likely at some point will be a defendant in a lawsuit. Therefore it would be in the best interest of your company to make sure asbestos exposure is eliminated. Asbestos related illness includes the cancer mesothelioma which is cancer of the tissue surrounding the lung, cancer of the lung itself, asbestosis, and a host of other lung related illnesses. Since it is known that asbestos is unhealthy, and an attorney simply needs to prove cause and effect, the prudent employer will make sure employees are not exposed to asbestos.

For a comprehensive directory consisting of asbestos removal contractors and consultants for the United States, go to The Blue Book of Building and Construction. The Blue Book features over 1,000,000 company listings (including Asbestos Removal Contractors and Consultants). Another good source for finding asbestos removal companies is ThomasNet.com. It is also very important to investigate the background of any potential asbestos removal contractor. Two other good sources when seeking an asbestos removal contractor is Angie’s List and Service Magic.

More than 650,000 consumers use Angie’s List to find high quality service companies. Asbestos removal is just one of the many categories found at Angie’s List. After paying a membership fee, you have access to customer submitted reviews about a particular contractor. Given the importance of removing asbestos properly, it is worth the membership fee so that you find a highly competent contractor.

Service Magic connects homeowners and companies to prescreened service professionals. Angie’s List is broader in terms of categories offered, and Service Magic is primarily for any home or business improvement job. Both provide asbestos removal contractors.

Asbestos Removal - Conclusion

The health hazards of asbestos are well known. The United States federal and state government regulates how asbestos is removed, but currently the EPA does not ban the use of asbestos, but it is one of the first air pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act of 1970. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) has recently introduced legislation which would result in a complete ban on the use of asbestos in products. But currently, there are still some asbestos containing products which are produced in the United States.

While a company may legally be able to produce asbestos containing products, that same company may be the defendant in a lawsuit involving the use of asbestos. Asbestos litigation is the most expensive mass tort in U.S. history. Asbestos litigation has involved more than 8,400 defendants and 730,000 claimants as of 2002 according to the RAND Corporation, and these numbers are even higher today. So if you are a company and you are knowingly exposing employees to asbestos, and you care about the future of your company and your employees health, asbestos removal or abatement is really the only avenue to take. If you are a company, you need to be absolutely sure that employees are not exposed to asbestos. The Blue Book of Building and Construction and ThomasNet.com are good sources when seeking an asbestos removal or abatement company. Two more excellent sources when seeking an asbestos removal contractor is Angie’s List and Service Magic. After paying a membership fee, Angie’s List provides reviews directly from anyone who has used the services of a particular contractor. Service Magic is free to use and provides a service which consists of connecting homeowners and companies to prescreened service professionals.