Asbestos Testing
Did you know that if your home was built before 1990 it may contain a highly toxic product called asbestos? It can be found in various building materials as well as other items used in everyday life.
Breathing in the fibers from asbestos could cause various health issues and it has been banned for use in home construction because it is so toxic.
Why is asbestos so much dangerous?
Asbestos is a known carcinogen. Meaning it is a known cause of cancer in the human body. It has been proven that it causes the following health risks:
- Asbestosis – the scarring of the lungs which makes it difficult to breath.
- Mesothelioma – a rare cancer of the chest cavity.
- Lung cancer- smoking greatly increases the risks from asbestos exposure.
Asbestos is found in various building materials that were manufactured before 1990. After that time, it was illegal to use asbestos in these products. These products included plaster, floor and some ceiling tiles, shingles, paint, caulking and spackling. It was used in many more products, but these are the most common products in your home. It has been also used as an insulation for pipes, and hot water tanks and as a fire retardant material in places of high heat and flame exposure.
If you think you have asbestos in your home and want to ensure you and your family are safe from the effects of asbestos, you should have the materials of concern tested by a professional testing company. That is where Air Quality Testing comes in. With over 15 years in the environmental testing field, our professionals have the knowledge, education and tools to ensure you know exactly what is in your home.
Air Quality Testing has locations throughout Ontario and Quebec so there is a professional nearby that can provide these services to you.
How we can help you?
If you are renovating an old building, you will have to ensure that the materials being removed are not produced with asbestos or you could contaminate the entire area with asbestos fibers. The best way to make sure that your workspace is clean and safe is to have an Air Quality Testing professional do a complete surface and air quality test for asbestos. This way, you know you are safe and protected from the toxic fibers. Doing this also ensures that you know what you are dealing with when removing old materials from the structure.
Air Quality Testing is fully certified in the testing and removal of asbestos from structures, and with their experienced staff, you have the piece of mind that you are in the best hands to deal with your asbestos issues. From start to finish, Air Quality Testing provides their clients with the best service in the industry from the newest in testing equipment to being on top of the latest testing procedures. You can rely on Air Quality Testing to provide accurate results of your air testing needs.
Air Quality Testing professionals use an independent laboratory to handle all testing of samples to provide impartial results. This is essential to providing the best service in the industry without any inside influence on the results. Your tests are accurate and correct every time.
If you need an inspection or testing completed at your site, you need Air Quality Testing. Contact your local office today to book an appointment and have the piece of mind that you are being taken care of by the best testing firm in the industry.
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FAQ
As mentioned earlier, the scope of testing will determine how long the testing of areas will take. It may be that you only need one sample taken in one room. It could be you are doing a multi-level apartment building renovation where many samples will need to be completed. It all depends on the scope of work being completed. Once the samples are taken and sent to the laboratory, the turnaround time for results are quite quick, requiring 48 hours for the laboratory to get their results. This again depends on the scope of work. Contacting Air Quality Testing to do an inspection is the best way to get an accurate timeline of what is needed.
Having your structure tested for asbestos is determined by the age of the dwelling. If it was built before 1990, and you are doing any sort of renovation you will need to have a test completed on the affected area. This will ensure you do not contaminate other areas inside the building and that you are safe when removing the old building materials when doing demolition. Contacting Air Quality Testing will give you piece of mind before you start that you are safe from inhalation of asbestos.
Asbestos is a very light fiber material. It is woven into various building products as well as other items like car brake pads to provide strength and heat resistance to these materials. It is very small and will hang in the air of the structure for periods of time where it can be inhaled by humans. Doing an air quality test for asbestos is essential to see if there is any in the air. A sample cartridge is hooked up to an air pump. This pump draws in air from the area being tested for a certain amount of time and at a pre-determined rate.
After the sample is complete, it’s sealed and sent to an independent laboratory for analysis. The report is provided with full detail of what is in the air and then provided to the client that hired Air Quality Testing.
The answer to this question depends entirely on the scope of work. Testing one area will be cheaper than testing an entire structure. Most times testing an entire structure is needed to provide the accurate and correct view of what is going on in the structure. Using Air Quality Testing provides the best cost per benefit for your testing needs.
