If asbestos has been identified in your home or office, you will need to hire an asbestos removal company, also known as an asbestos abatement company, to get rid of this harmful substance. Asbestos comes in two types, friable and non-friable. Friable asbestos is the most dangerous because it is the type of asbestos that degrades when touched, becoming airborne where it can be inhaled. Non-friable asbestos is bound into building material, such as the underlayer of a floor, and can only become airborne if the material is destroyed in some way. As you prepare for the asbestos remediation process, here are some of the equipment and machines you should be familiar with that are used to cleanse your premise.
HEPA Air Purifier -- Asbestos removal experts will use what is known as a High Efficiency Particulate Arrestor (HEPA) air purifier to help trap and suction friable asbestos that is in the air of your home or office. Unlike standard purifiers, HEPA purifiers are specially designed to filter out the smallest particulates that are airborne, which includes smoke, dust, mites and microscopic friable asbestos fibres. HEPA purifiers feature special screens that can trap asbestos, while filtering clean air back out. In addition to being stand-alone, HEPA purifiers can also be hooked up to asbestos wet vacuums used on wet surfaces that have been wiped down to clean up asbestos residue. According to Abatement Technologies, HEPA filters are able to trap 99.97 percent of the micro-particulates in the air that flows through the filter.
Glove Bags -- Glove bags are used by asbestos removal workers to efficiently clean and dispose of any material that contains friable asbestos. Glove bags feature rubber gloves that are built into a portable bag system, so that a worker can work without having to stop to place materials in a separate bag. Glove bags are ideal when working on areas such as pipes and ductwork, because you can wrap the glove bags around these areas and go to work without having to stop to transport asbestos from one place to another. Once the work in a job area is complete, the worker simply pulls his hands free of the gloves and wraps up the entire glove bag for immediate disposal. Glove bags prevent contaminated material from spreading as it's moved into a bag, because the glove and bag are all-in-one, streamlining the cleaning process.
Wetting Agent -- One of the main ways to control the release of friable asbestos into the air is to wet down surfaces and material that contain the asbestos. That's why wetting agents, also known as wetting solutions, are so important to the removal process. These wetting agents mix with normal water to penetrate deeply into asbestos surfaces and asbestos-containing material and allow workers to dampen the fibres so they don't become airborne. Wetting agents also help remove odours and are used as a final cleansing after all asbestos has been removed.
If you have specific questions about asbestos removal, contact a business like A Plus Building Solutions to learn about the process as it might pertain to your home.
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