As previously discussed, one of the most common indoor contaminants is asbestos, in both commercial and residential buildings. Asbestos was a very common building component from about 1920 to 1978. It is not unusual to still find friable products like pipe insulation or non-friable products like vinyl asbestos floor tiles in both residential and commercial buildings from this era. I have VAT in several rooms in my own home. [Read more…]

One of the most common requests we receive is “Do you conduct air quality testing?” The answer of course is yes, followed by the question, “Which contaminants are you concerned about?” If the answer is all of them, then we know we hit the jackpot and can start planning for retirement. The majority of the time, however, the answer is mold and we are able to proceed with our mold assessment and testing process as described in earlier correspondence.

Sometimes, however, the answer is a specific contaminant that is not mold. One of the most common contaminants of concern is asbestos and today I will discuss the general concepts. Asbestos was a very common building component from about 1920 to 1978, at which time EPA and the marketplace largely eliminated its use. If you are in a building constructed after 1980 you should be home free. If it is earlier construction then there may be some concerns. [Read more…]