At some time you may find yourself dealing with the need to make a decision between abatement or removal of mold, lead or asbestos. Possibly while renovating your home or a property you’ve recently purchased it’s been discovered that such a problem exists and needs to be addressed. While doing some major renovations you may come across asbestos or lead, especially in older homes it was used widely before it was discovered to be a health hazard. Often used in chimneys, floor tiles to name a couple, and paint commonly contained lead. Mold is something you can find in any building, any time there is moisture present mold has a chance to grow and presents its own health issues. What are the differences between these two processes? Let a Calgary asbestos removal company help you learn.
Abatement This involves removing the problem from the structure or encapsulating it in such a way it no longer causes harm to others. The first step is to seal off the area of the building, the best way is to hang sheets of polyethylene and secure it with polyethylene tape. Contaminated materials are then removed, placed in polyethylene disposable bags. Once the bags are secured with the same tape they can be safely removed from the building. The remaining surfaces are cleaned with a damp cloth also HEPA vacuumed if the situation warrants it.
Remediation Remediation means addressing the underlying problem to make certain it doesn’t happen again. A remediation plan should be created before the work begins. Usually this involves having a professional service, a company that specializes in this problem. They would then provide a written report outlining the scope of the problem, the source of the contamination and recommendations for the removal of contaminated materials. As well they provide solutions for eliminating the original problem and any testing that may need to be done. Removal is a very specialized business and care must be taken while removing and disposing of the materials in a safe location so best left to the professionals.
Do you need to choose one method over another, that will depend on whether a toxic material was found. Asbestos and lead were intentionally added to construction materials (before their health hazard came to light) once they are abated the problem is resolved. However, as an organic material mold needs an extra step of remediation, unless you address the source of moisture it will always return.
If your home has asbestos, be sure to call a professional removal company like Calgary Water & Flood.
