Asbestos Q & A from an expert Asbestos inspector

Q. What is asbestos?
A. Asbestos is essentially a compound, a material that is made up of a group of minerals. The minerals that form asbestos are made of microscopic particles that can splinter into even small pieces.
Q. Why is asbestos harmful when inhaled?
A. Asbestos is harmful because when it is inhaled and splinters, it can become stuck in lung tissue.
Q. What kind of symptoms does a person experience right after inhaling asbestos fibers?
A. Some people don’t show any symptoms immediately, especially since the fibers themselves are so tiny. Over the long term, though, people who breathe in asbestos fibers may show basic respiratory distress, experience trouble breathing, have bleeding in the lungs and more.
Q. What does an asbestos inspector look for?
A. An asbestos inspector takes samples of the materials used in buildings as well as air samples in those buildings. They take care to get samples in safe conditions without disturbing the particles to the degree that they might be exposed to hazards themselves. An inspection should only be done by someone trained to do this correctly.
Q. What happens during the asbestos testing phase?
A. An asbestos tester will look at the samples in a lab and determine if asbestos is present. If it is found, they will use the records kept by the inspector to determine where the asbestos is and how much is present. Based on these findings the asbestos inspection and testing team can offer recommendations on what needs to be done and how it can be done without harming anyone.
Q. What if the asbestos in a building cannot be removed safely?
A. In some cases, a building cannot be used again if the asbestos cannot be removed. In most cases, though, if removal is not possible, there are alternatives. It may be possible to seal off asbestos through a process called encapsulation. Once this is done the building could be used without exposing people to hazardous materials.
Q. If asbestos can be removed, what happens next?
A. People who live or work in the building will be relocated temporarily. The area where the asbestos is temporarily sealed off to prevent fibers from escaping into other parts of the building. A special (class H) vacuum cleaner can be used to clean up during and after removal.

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