Asbestos
Alpha performs asbestos sampling for residential and commercial clients. Our asbestos specialist, Katie Lethe, is a Certified AHERA Asbestos Inspector. She can provide a comprehensive building survey in preparation for a demolition or renovation of commercial or residential buildings. Or, if you believe you have an asbestos containing material (ACM) in you home, Alpha can sample that individual material, and advise you on the best plan of action for encapsulation or removal of the material.
ACM is only considered an immediate health hazard if it is friable-meaning that it is in a form that is airborne and can thus be inhaled. Any kind of asbestos containing insulation material is generally highly friable. Friable materials can be crumbled by hand to create dust. Asbestos in vinyl floor tile and associated mastics, for example, is not friable in its normal form. But if it was burned, the fire proof asbestos fibers may be more easily released into the air from the charred material. Also, if the material is undergoing demolition or remodeling, the chipping or sanding of the material would cause the fibers to be more easily released into the air. That is why various regulations by OSHA, the EPA, and the DEQ require all suspect ACM to be sampled prior to any demolition or remodel of a structure. All asbestos containing material must be removed by a licensed abatement contractor.
Some common suspect ACM are (see photos): popcorn ceilings, vermiculite insulation, vinyl floor tiles, mastics, certain types of pipe insulation, acoustic ceiling tiles, older wallboard, and many fire proof materials. For more information about ACM, please call Katie.
