Asbestos Testing

Liberty OHM has certified Asbestos Inspectors and certified Asbestos Management Planners on staff. Asbestos is a unique compound that has many uses but can be extremely harmful to one’s health. When people renovate office space, homes or even schools and government building that are old and were built before the 1980’s often times it is decided to get the building inspected for Asbestos containing materials.

Asbestos was used 30 years ago as a cheap insulation. The material was flexible in how it could be applied and very cost efficient. These two factors led to a widespread utilization in many different types of products and applications. Buildings would use asbestos between floors for temperature control, while another use would be in an electrical cord around the conductive wire. The benefits, however, do not outweigh the serious health implications of asbestos.

A direct link was found between asbestos and serious illness from those that worked around the material in a certain state. Typically danger arises when asbestos becomes an airborne fine powder or dust. The dust can potentially be inhaled, which has serious implications, but stays in the body. Studies showed an overwhelming majority of workers had long term exposure experienced similar health difficulties.

The seriousness of the health implications makes it imperative that asbestos is located and identified so the proper precautions can be taken while working around and with the material. Liberty OHM can test different surfaces and is familiar with the different forms and applications for asbestos. In many cases, if the asbestos is not friable, it can be left in place and continue to serve as an insulator. A person working around or living in a home or facility has a right to know the presence of asbestos.

Once asbestos is located, a determination will need to be made to leave the substance in place or go through the removal process. If removed, many precautions must be taken to properly remove the asbestos. One of the steps would be to seal the room and use a filter to extract any airborne particles while working. Special respirators must be used for the workers inside the room during the extraction. The material would be loaded into individually numbered special bags built for the purpose and transported in a specific type of vehicle. The vehicle would take the asbestos to a facility that has specially prepared to receive the hazardous substance.

To contact Liberty OHM, click here. They will test different surfaces to confirm if asbestos is present in the facility. Each sample must be individually labeled, extracted, and tested. Liberty OHM can also aid in developing a plan of action once the asbestos is located and identified. Starting the process early can have lasting health repercussions for each employee that would come into contact with the surface containing asbestos, and people are worth protecting.