Allied
Consulting and Environmental Services, LLC (ACES) has a NC and SC licensed asbestos inspector. We can come to your site or project and inspect for suspect materials, take samples, provide a clear, detailed test report, and prepare an abatement design plan. Before renovating or demolishing any structure, let us make sure it is asbestos free. We can also test for lead based paint.
1. What is asbestos?
Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring mineral silicates. Asbestos minerals crystallize into narrow parallel bundles which are composed of many thin fibers. Some of the notable properties of asbestos are resistance to heat, resistance to chemical attack, high tensile strength and a tendency to be divided lengthwise into fine fibers. Asbestos was a very common building product up until the late 1970s.
2. When did the use of asbestos begin?
Use of asbestos on a large scale began in the early 1900s and continued until it was banned in the United States in the late 1970s. But contrary to popular belief, it continues to be used in some foreign made products that are still imported into the United States.
3. Where was asbestos used?
Because of the physical properties of asbestos, it was commonly used in insulation, roofing, flooring, siding, plaster, ceiling materials, spray on textures, and other common building products. Asbestos was also used in the lining of car brakes.
4. Where does the exposure to asbestos come from?
Asbestos exposure results when asbestos containing materials, such as acoustical ceilings, floor tiles, insulation, etc., are disturbed in some way or when the substrate containing the asbestos is deteriorated or damaged.
5. How can asbestos enter the body?
The most common way that asbestos enters the human body is by breathing in contaminated air. Asbestos fibers then enter the respiratory system and can become trapped in the lungs or other parts of respiratory system.
6. How does asbestos affect my health?
The asbestos fibers that can do damage are the ones that enter the respiratory tract and are not removed by the usual body defenses. These fibers are the ones that reach the deapest parts of the lungs. These fibers damage the lungs by scarring the lung tissue. If many of these scars develop due to a large number of trapped asbestos fibers, the capacity of the lungs becomes decreased. It may become decreased to a point that causes disability and even death. People who are consistently exposed to asbestos over a long period of time, such as asbestos workers, are at a higher risk to develop lung cancer or mesothelial cancer. Lung cancer begins with the tissue of the respiratory system, while mesothelial cancer starts with the thin membranes surrounding the lungs as well as the heart.
All these effects caused by asbestos do not manifest themselves immediately after exposure. It usually takes between 20 to 30 years to see the full impact of the exposure to asbestos.
7. Why is asbestos so prevalent in common building materials?
The term “asbestos” refers to a group of naturally occurring fibrous minerals that are commercially mined throughout the world, primarily in Canada, Russia, and South Africa. Asbestos has been used in hundreds of common building products. Collectively, these products are referred to as asbestos containing materials (ACMs). Asbestos gained wide use because it is plentiful, readily available, low in cost, and because of its unique properties – fire resistance, high tensile strength, and insulating characteristics.
As an insulator, asbestos received widespread use for thermal insulation and condensation control. Asbestos is added to a variety of building materials to enhance strength. It is found in concrete and concrete-like products. Asbestos cement products are used as siding, roofing shingles, wallboard, as corrugated or flat sheets for roofing and partition walls, and as piping. Asbestos has also been added to asphalt, vinyl, and other materials to make products like roofing cements, felts and shingles, exterior siding materials, floor tiles, joint compounds, mastics, and adhesives. Asbestos also proved valuable as a component in acoustical plaster. This material was troweled on or sprayed on to ceilings and walls. As a decorative product, asbestos was frequently used to texture ceilings, walls, and other painted surfaces. Asbestos is still mined commercially and used in many common products, including brake shoes, roofing materials, and flooring. It is important to realize that commercially available products containing asbestos can still be purchased. It is a common misconception that asbestos is no longer used.
1. What is asbestos?
Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring mineral silicates. Asbestos minerals crystallize into narrow parallel bundles which are composed of many thin fibers. Some of the notable properties of asbestos are resistance to heat, resistance to chemical attack, high tensile strength and a tendency to be divided lengthwise into fine fibers. Asbestos was a very common building product up until the late 1970s.
2. When did the use of asbestos begin?
Use of asbestos on a large scale began in the early 1900s and continued until it was banned in the United States in the late 1970s. But contrary to popular belief, it continues to be used in some foreign made products that are still imported into the United States.
3. Where was asbestos used?
Because of the physical properties of asbestos, it was commonly used in insulation, roofing, flooring, siding, plaster, ceiling materials, spray on textures, and other common building products. Asbestos was also used in the lining of car brakes.
4. Where does the exposure to asbestos come from?
Asbestos exposure results when asbestos containing materials, such as acoustical ceilings, floor tiles, insulation, etc., are disturbed in some way or when the substrate containing the asbestos is deteriorated or damaged.
5. How can asbestos enter the body?
The most common way that asbestos enters the human body is by breathing in contaminated air. Asbestos fibers then enter the respiratory system and can become trapped in the lungs or other parts of respiratory system.
6. How does asbestos affect my health?
The asbestos fibers that can do damage are the ones that enter the respiratory tract and are not removed by the usual body defenses. These fibers are the ones that reach the deapest parts of the lungs. These fibers damage the lungs by scarring the lung tissue. If many of these scars develop due to a large number of trapped asbestos fibers, the capacity of the lungs becomes decreased. It may become decreased to a point that causes disability and even death. People who are consistently exposed to asbestos over a long period of time, such as asbestos workers, are at a higher risk to develop lung cancer or mesothelial cancer. Lung cancer begins with the tissue of the respiratory system, while mesothelial cancer starts with the thin membranes surrounding the lungs as well as the heart.
All these effects caused by asbestos do not manifest themselves immediately after exposure. It usually takes between 20 to 30 years to see the full impact of the exposure to asbestos.
7. Why is asbestos so prevalent in common building materials?
The term “asbestos” refers to a group of naturally occurring fibrous minerals that are commercially mined throughout the world, primarily in Canada, Russia, and South Africa. Asbestos has been used in hundreds of common building products. Collectively, these products are referred to as asbestos containing materials (ACMs). Asbestos gained wide use because it is plentiful, readily available, low in cost, and because of its unique properties – fire resistance, high tensile strength, and insulating characteristics.
As an insulator, asbestos received widespread use for thermal insulation and condensation control. Asbestos is added to a variety of building materials to enhance strength. It is found in concrete and concrete-like products. Asbestos cement products are used as siding, roofing shingles, wallboard, as corrugated or flat sheets for roofing and partition walls, and as piping. Asbestos has also been added to asphalt, vinyl, and other materials to make products like roofing cements, felts and shingles, exterior siding materials, floor tiles, joint compounds, mastics, and adhesives. Asbestos also proved valuable as a component in acoustical plaster. This material was troweled on or sprayed on to ceilings and walls. As a decorative product, asbestos was frequently used to texture ceilings, walls, and other painted surfaces. Asbestos is still mined commercially and used in many common products, including brake shoes, roofing materials, and flooring. It is important to realize that commercially available products containing asbestos can still be purchased. It is a common misconception that asbestos is no longer used.