Asbestos Removal Winnipeg
Asbestos was used in such large quantities in Winnipeg, Manitoba from 1950 to 1980 because of its many practical properties - until it was identified as a carcinogenic. Many long-lasting Asbestos products such as floor coverings or roof slabs are still a big part of everyday life. Winnipeg construction workers should know about Asbestos to protect themselves and others.
Asbestos is chemically very stable, insensitive to heat and is non-combustible. It has high elasticity and can be easily processed into products due to its ability to bind with other materials. Because of its special properties, Asbestos has been used in Winnipeg since the early 1930’s in a variety of products. These include plates for building construction, brake and clutch linings for vehicles, seals and molding compounds for high thermal or chemical loads.
- Why should Asbestos be removed?
- When and where is Asbestos used?
- What products and building materials can contain Asbestos?
- When should buildings or apartments have Asbestos removed?
Why Should Asbestos be Removed?
Asbestos is a carcinogenic substance. Asbestos is made up of fine fibers, which can be split further in length and can therefore be easily inhaled. The inhaled fibers can remain in the lung long-term and irritate the tissue. Asbestosis, i.e. pulmonary hardening due to scarring tissue, was recognized as an occupational disease as early as 1936. Today, it is acknowledged that lung cancer or a mesothelioma (tumor of the lung or abdominal skin) can develop from Asbestos fibers.
The time from Asbestos exposure, i.e. the inhalation of the Asbestos fibers, to the onset of a disease (latency) is long and can be up to 30 years. The number of applications for the recognition of an occupational disease caused by Asbestos still accounts for a large proportion of the total claims received from accident insurances. In recent years, an average of 3,000 new applications have been received each year, of which nearly 1,000 have been recognized as occupational diseases caused by Asbestos.
When and Where is Asbestos Used?
Asbestos has been used in Winnipeg since the 1930’s. The Asbestos consumption in Canada from the 1950’s to 1980’s amounted to about 4.4 million tones. Asbestos was processed to far more than 3,000 different products.
In the past decades, Asbestos has been used mainly in the production of building materials. Particularly in the 1960s and 1970s, many buildings were built using Asbestos-containing building materials - predominantly Asbestos cement.
What Products and Building Materials can Contain Asbestos and what Require Asbestos Removal?
Asbestos is still used in Winnipeg today, within residential environment, construction and household products. Therefore, it is imperative that you take a closer look at its uses. Asbestos is generally differentiated between weakly and firmly bonded fiber products.
Weakly Bound Asbestos
The problem is with weakly bound asbestos products such as spray Asbestos, is the Asbestos fibers, which can be easily released by shaking or aging. Depending on the type of spraying. It’s mainly used in industrial buildings and other large buildings, including heat and fire protection on load-bearing steel elements.
Asbestos can be found in wall plaster, light-weight panels (ceiling and wall panels, radiators) and electrical installations (night-time furnaces, boilers, linings for electrical appliances such as toasters, hairdryers, irons). Asbestos was also used for insulation and fire protection in post-combustion furnaces.
Vinyl floor coverings, especially from the 1960s (Cushion vinyl floor coverings), can have an Asbestos carrier board consisting of 90% weakly bonded Asbestos. However, the differences between Asbestos and non-Asbestos is not easy to determine. At first glance, the Cushion vinyl floor coverings can be easily confused with Asbestos-free PVC flooring with a felt base.
Firmly Bound Asbestos
Firmly bound Asbestos is less problematic. Here the Asbestos is tied at a proportion of 10 to 15 percent and has s density of at least 1,400 kilograms per cubic meter. Asbestos was used in products such as roofing boards, corrugated boards, pipes, cable ducts and freestanding moldings such as flower boxes and garden furniture. Even toboggan runs, table tennis tables or miniature golf courses can be made of Asbestos cement.
Asbestos was mainly used in floor coverings, especially in the 1960s. In vinyl Asbestos tiles, floor-flex or flex panels can contain about 15 percent Asbestos. In addition, there is a problem with vapor sheeting, which has been extensively used, can also be asbestos-containing. If the adhesive layer is to be removed, special protective measures must be taken which go beyond the standard protection for the removal of Asbestos products.
Asbestos and other Asbestos products may not pose a risk to health, if the products are orderly and usable, and they are not subject to any thermal or mechanical distress. It is best to have it removed before it is subject to distress, Asbestos removal is crucial when asbestos cement is destroyed or machined (drilling, sawing, grinding, milling, breaking or crushing the Asbestos). This also applies to work in where abrasion occurs.
The problem is that today's property owners are not aware of Asbestos and therefore Asbestos can be released during renovation. Many people no longer recognize Asbestos in the residential environment, and they are not aware of the Asbestos. Only those who know about Asbestos know how to protect themselves against this very dangerous material.
When Should Buildings or Apartments Have Asbestos Removed?
Functional built-in Asbestos cement products do not automatically endanger the health of residents. The need to remove Asbestos-containing building products is the result of evaluating the structural and technical condition of the Asbestos concerned. This assessment must be carried out by certified experts in accordance with the Technical Rule for Hazardous Substances.