Asbestos Survey

Asbestos is the name given to naturally occurring fibrous minerals that are contained within rock and mined in many countries, asbestos has a number of valuable properties including physical strength, resistance to chemicals, non-combustibility and good thermal and electrical insulation.

It is due to these properties that asbestos has been widely used in industry for a range of applications. However, when asbestos is disturbed or damaged, the fibers can be released into the air and inhaled, which creates a risk to human health.

In general, asbestos containing material (ACM) is considered to be potentially hazardous when the material is in friable condition. Friable asbestos is defined as any material that contains more than 1% asbestos by weight and which, when dry, may be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure. Friable asbestos is considered more hazardous than non-friable asbestos as it can become more easily airborne and more likely to enter the respiratory system. In undamaged, undisturbed, and well maintained condition, the material poses little hazard of fiber release. However, damage to, and disturbance of, the material could result in the release of fibers.

In an effort to identify potential asbestos containing materials (ACM), an AHERA/EPA certified asbestos inspector from Environmental Associates, Inc. (EAI), will review the interior and exterior of building(s) on a property. During the site visit, our personnel will obtain samples of potential ACM for later laboratory “confirmation” analysis. Suspected asbestos containing materials are grouped according to functional spaces and homogenous areas. Each homogenous area will then sampled and tested in accordance with AHERA sampling guidelines, and a report of the findings prepared and presented to the client.

In addition to the asbestos survey Environmental Associates, Inc. can also prepare an Operations and Maintenance manual.

Click here to see a sample asbestos survey report (.pdf file format, 82 kb).