I had Rarefied Air Environmental come out and they found asbestos in the construction materials at my home.

What do I do now?

In the state of California, a licensed asbestos abatement contractor is required if Asbestos-containing materials or Asbestos-containing construction materials are to be removed or disturbed. A handyman or general contractor is not licensed nor permitted to remove or disturb asbestos in any amount. Asbestos abatement/removal is a set of procedures designed to control the release of asbestos fibers from asbestos-containing materials during the removal process. Asbestos abatement/removal is utilized in areas containing asbestos materials, particularly when those materials are being removed, encapsulated, or repaired.

Abatement is needed in order to protect homeowners, workers and members of the general public from the many negative health impacts of asbestos. When asbestos abatement/removal is taking place, occupants are not allowed to enter the work area. Typically, the part of the building from which asbestos is being removed must be sealed off in order to prevent contamination of the other areas. Methods of sealing off an area often include the set up of a full containment, sealed critical barriers all under negative air pressure. This includes the use of negative air machines with a HEPA filter that removes 99.97% of all asbestos fibers. Wet methods for dust control and special asbestos vacuums with HEPA filtration intended for asbestos removal work will be used to remove any residual asbestos fibers during the disturbance and for the cleaning of surfaces.

Upon completion of the asbestos abatement activities, or asbestos removal, Rarefied Air Environmental will perform an independent visual inspection to determine if the affected materials have been properly removed and no suspect visible dust is present. Upon passing the visual assessment, Rarefied Air Environmental will conduct clearance air sampling pursuant to state and federal regulations. The work area barriers and air filtration should not be removed until the clearance testing is complete, and the work area meets the clearance criteria set forth in the abatement work plan. After the clearance criteria is met, the abatement contractor should remove the asbestos work area containment barriers and re-sanitize the work area using HEPA vacuuming once again.

At the final completion stage, you should receive a report from your abatement contractor containing waste shipment records, permits, site logs, and copies of all licensing. You should also receive an asbestos air clearance report from Rarefied Air Environmental including copies of air sample results by microscopic analysis. These records must be kept for compliance with environmental regulations.

Please call us at Rarefied Air Environmental and we will give you referrals to licensed abatement contractors in Southern California. We only refer companies that have time and time again performed high quality abatement of Asbestos and Lead in a timely manner at a reasonable price. Call anytime for referrals at (619)888-4840 or (619)991-6654.