Residential asbestos abatement is the process to determine if a material is asbestos containing and to take necessary steps removal of asbestos containing materials from the residential buildings. During residential abatement processes you have to ensure that the material is sampled and analyzed by an analytical laboratory.
Laboratories that are accredited by the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) through the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program or which successfully participate in the asbestos bulk-analysis program of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) can only be relied in determining the presence of asbestos.
There are certified asbestos inspectors who collect the bulk samples for determining asbestos content during the residential asbestos abatement process. These are certified asbestos inspectors and can be hired through a consulting firm. These consulting firms are registered in the yellow pages under asbestos or environmental consultants. You can also look for them under the head of residential asbestos abatement.
The asbestos inspections are conducted on a random basis, cost incurred depends on the amount of material being removed, and which method is adapted for the abatement. The residential asbestos abatement can cost from $500 to $2000.
Precautions required to be taken in Residential Asbestos Abatement Process
Any asbestos removal includes the use of engineering controls to reduce the release of fibers in the environment. This is to make sure that the residential asbestos abatement process is safe and do not pose any health hazards. Engineering controls include the use of water during removal, filtered ventilation systems, and plastic barriers for isolating the work area.
Though there are no immediate health symptoms from asbestos exposure, but when getting a residential asbestos abatement program done, you should observe that containment constructed of polythene sheeting is surrounding the component(s) from which asbestos is to be removed. In cases where there is a small quantity of asbestos to be removed, you should use a glove bag.
You are entitled to request for a copy of the contractor's license, project/program work plan, the original results before the program, air-monitoring results from the analytical laboratory and a copy of the waste manifest for the disposal of the asbestos. The whole procedure of residential asbestos abatement would take a full day or possibly two days for completion.
