Our Areas of Expertise Series: Asbestos
H2 Environmental Consulting Services has various areas of expertise that further our mission of making Southern California a safer, healthier place to live and work every day. In this new blog series, we’ll take each blog entry as an opportunity to feature one of these areas of expertise. We hope this blog series is helpful and informative to you, and that you call H2 Environmental Consulting Services at (800) 524-3578 for all your environmental management needs.
Today we’re honing in on one of our key areas of expertise: asbestos. Let us help you identify the presence of asbestos in your home, which is particularly important if you’re planning on doing any renovations or remodeling. First, let’s start by defining what asbestos is, exactly:
Asbestos is a mineral fiber that occurs naturally. It’s an excellent insulator plus it’s fire retardant, so it has been used in construction in many parts of the world for thousands of years.
Why does it matter if my home contains asbestos?
Many people read the above definition of asbestos and wonder, if asbestos has been used in construction for thousands of years, why does it matter if I have some in my home? What’s the harm in having some asbestos in my basement, attic, or somewhere else?
The answer is clear. Scientific studies conducted in the 1970s concluded that asbestos is a known carcinogen. A carcinogen is a substance that’s capable of causing cancer in living tissue. As a result, asbestos has been banned from newly constructed buildings. However, there are still thousands of buildings throughout the US that contain asbestos.
Where might asbestos be present in my home?
Asbestos may be lurking in various areas of your home including:
- Insulation (in homes built between 1930-1950)
- Textured paint used on ceilings and walls
- Roofing shingles and sealants
- Vinyl flooring and adhesives
- Pipes in older homes may be coated with it or covered by tape or blankets made with it
- Gaskets in coal and oil furnaces
- Sprayed-on ceiling material used for acoustics
- Wire insulation or stovetop pads in older homes
- Exhaust flues and older HVAC ducting
Wondering whether your home has asbestos?
Stop wondering and find out whether your home contains asbestos today by scheduling a full environmental evaluation of your property with Southern California’s best environmental management company, H2 Environmental Consulting Services. Call us at (800) 524-3578 and we’ll be happy to discuss your needs and schedule your environmental evaluation at your earliest convenience. If you plan on doing any remodeling or renovations, it’s essential that you call us before you lift a hammer. That’s because whenever materials that contain asbestos are disturbed, fibers are released into the air, where they can be inhaled and cause harm.
Call (800) 524-3578 to conclusively determine whether your property contains asbestos today. You can also count on us for full remediation services for asbestos, lead, mold, fungus, and other hazardous materials. We’re your local, full service environmental management company.
