I hired a state certified asbestos abatement contractor to remove VAT, VAT mortar/adhesive, and acoustic ceiling in my house. They are removing 660 sq feet of popcorn and 450 sq feet of VAT for $2,500. Il et them in this morning, and then I went to work. They said it would take two days.
Out of curiosity, I drove by my house tonight expecting to see an Asbestos warning sign on the door, and one of those "decontamination showers" they supposedly construct. There was nothing, no warning sign, no sign of any containment. Is this to be expected? Wouldn't they run their negative air pressure machine all night, or do they pack it all up each day and return with it the next? Does this sound normal? Help!
Thanks for the reply. The ceiling tested positive at 2% asbestos. Since this is a two day job, I expected the site to show some sign of containment from the outside. There were no signs, no shower, nothing!
You would need to check the laws in your state. I expect that they will be posted on your state's internet site.
VAT and mastic are not friable unless you sand or grind them. Popcorn ceilings may or may not contain asbestos, my experience is that the majority do not. Friable sites require sealed spaces, negative air machines, contamination suits, and showers. The only requirement for scraping up floor tile here is to keep the area wet down. Mastic can be softened and scraped with citrus cleaners and/or isolated from the new adhesives with several manufacturers' proprietary floor stones. None of these actions will create friable asbestos conditions. The only one left is the popcorn (usually a mixture of gypsum and ground up corn cobs). If it was tested and shown to contain no or minimal asbestos, it would not be considered friable.
Most states allow homeowners to remove certain square footages of these materials without using abatement contractors.
Excerpts: " . . . regulations, however, do not apply to private residences or multi-family residences of less than 4 units or any Federal Property."
".. . only when asbestos containing materials are disturbed or the materials become damaged that it becomes a hazard. When the materials become damaged, the fibers separate and may then become airborne. In the asbestos industry, the term ?friable? is used to describe asbestos that can be reduced to dust by hand pressure. ?Non-friable? means asbestos that is too hard to be reduced to dust by hand. Non-friable materials, such as transite siding and floor tiles are not regulated by the State provided it does not become friable. Machine grinding, sanding and dry-buffing are ways of causing non-friable materials to become friable. "
"When removal is conducted, a licensed Contractor must notify the State Department of Labor and either the City County Health Department or the State Department of Environmental Quality ten days in advance of removal. Some projects, those involving removal of more than 160 square feet or 260 linear feet of ACM, are required to have a project design, that details how the contractor will perform the removal. "
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I would have removed the asbestos for half that price for you. It would have been almost oure profit for me too. My only expense would have been the gas to drive to the job and a stick or two of dynamite to blow get rid of your asbestos problem. I would have guaranteed that there would not be even a speck of asbestos left on the INSIDE of your home, and if any remained on the outside of the rubble pile (I mean your home), the rain would wash it away sooner or later.
By the way, this is important. There are lots of deadly things in many homes. If your house contains any of these items, you should destroy your house immediately. Here is the list of deadly and dangerous products used in a home, an the harmful things they cause.
Asbestos - Lung cancer
Lead - Toxic poison
Paint - May contain lead (see above) and other harmful chemicals
Floor Tile - May contain asbestos (see above)
Insulation - May contain formeldahyde or fiberglass both respiratory irritants.
Asphalt Shingles - Asphalt emits deadly fumes in a fire and may contain asbestos too.
Electrical Wiring - Electricity can kill thru electricution
Plumbing - Water can cause drowning.
Natural or Propane gas, or Fuel Oil- Explosive and flammable
Treated Wood - Contains arsenic, a deadly poison
Non-treated wood - Fire hazzard
Wallpaper - Flammable
Concrete Blocks, Brick or Rock - May contain radon or radioactive elements
Poured Concrete - Might crush you during an earthquake
Steel & Tin - Often has sharp burrs that can cause you to bleed to death, and can be used as a weapon.
Copper pipe - Causes cancer
Pvc Pipe - Emits deadly smoke during a fire
Glass - Sharp and dangerous if broken, can cause arterial bleeding
Aluminum - Poisonous if eaten, causes electrical fires
Sheetrock and Plaster - Once they get wet, they develop harmful mold and mildew.
Paper - Extremely Flammable. and paper cuts can cause bleeding to death
Cloth - Can cause flash fires.
Carpeting - Very flammable
Ceramics - Sharp as a knife and can cause falls from slipping
Plastics - Same as PVC (see above)
Nails and Screws - Very dangerous sharp objects, can be used as a weapon, most dangerous if stepped on, foot punctures can canse blood poisoning,
All Household Chemicals and Cleaning Agents - All of them contain some sort of dangerous or fatal elements, and combined, they will surely kill you, and are often explosive.
This is the entire list. If your home contains any of these items, destroy your house immediately. The life you save may be your own and that of other loved ones.
NOTE: This list does NOT include appliances often contained within the home. These appliances are generally made from the same items listed above, and often use deadly electricity, flammable heating elements, and other dangerous materials and chemicals. The most deadly of all appliances are those that heat, such as a furnace and water heater, and kitchen cookstove. People are often severely burned using these items. Also, things that cool, such as a refrigerator can trap people and cause them to freeze to death or suffocate (or both). Be sure to dispose of all appliances before destroying your house.
This message courtesy of: The National Association of Deadly Household Products (NADHP)
I've seen a number of asbestos removal and abatements, in most cases the contractor took few if any precaustions, the workers often didn't even wear masks. Also in almost all cases I am sure the asbestos wasn't disposed of in the manner prescribed or sent to an"official" asbestos disposal site - even when the contractor is "Certified."
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